Who doesn’t love an epic love story with the happiest ending? The Hero is Royal and He’s perfect. The heroine is enslaved and dirt poor; she has no looks, she’s dirty and weak, but He is crazy about her.
She is hidden, but not from Him. He sees her when no one else does. He removes every obstacle between them. He gives everything He has to claim her, and defeats the enemy that wants to see her dead. Then, He goes right to her, takes her out of the filth, dresses her in beauty, and tells her to shine. Swoon. That’s what God–yes God!–does for the lost. That’s what He did for me. That’s how much He loves.
That’s why, when we go out on the streets and in the favelas, we love to call it ‘Treasure Hunting.’ It really helps me to understand just how precious every soul is, to God, no matter what condition they’re in. It helps me to look past their physical needs and see what Jesus sees. Some days I do much better than others, conveying this. Other days, my “shine” is dim. But God never wavers, never falters. And my dull days don’t surprise Him: my perfect Hero. The treasure is all around us, God alone has the map, and The Lord Jesus Christ already paid an incalculable price to claim it.
Today, I’m praying that we find treasure that He longs to redeem. The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44 AMP)
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt [to the Babylonians] for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba [a province of Ethiopia] in exchange [for your release]. Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and because I love you, I will give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life. (Isaiah 43:3, 4 AMP)
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