Dear Faith Family,

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God, (Proverbs 2:1-5).

Recently I discovered “Jake” on YouTube.  Jake is a diver who searches for treasures underwater all over the world.  It’s fascinating to me.  Phones, watches, sunglasses, guns (yes, guns!), knives, rings, fishing lures, cars.  Well you get the point.  He finds all kinds of “treasure” underwater.  The videos are contagious.  Jake never seems to lose his delight in discovery.  He enjoys the hunt.

Why are his videos so intriguing?  Well, I’ve decided that his videos interest me for at least two reasons.  First, he finds treasure in unusual places.  At the bottom of a river.  Buried in the sand out in the surf.  Enveloped in algae.  Even hidden by rocks at the bottom of a lake.

If you’ll glance with me at the beginning of Proverbs 2 you might catch of glimpse of Solomon.  That’s him under the wetsuit behind the regulator.  He’s beckoning us to join him.  But not for the treasures of this world.  He calls us to ultimately find our treasure in the Lord who gives wisdom.  Diving into the Word of God is where we will discover the treasure.

Once you begin to discover and treasure your God in His Word, you will start to recognize His presence in some unusual places (insert words here like hospital, elections, pandemics, racial tensions, quarantine, etc.).  So, where have you discovered the presence of your God?  Are you looking?  Do you know what to look for?  (you’ll only know what to look for if you’re treasure hunting in the Word of your God)

Second, I’m intrigued with Jake’s videos because he returns whatever he can to its owner.  He goes to great lengths and even cost to find the owner and to reunite the owner with his/her lost possession.  Oh yea, and he does it for free!

So, who benefits from your treasure hunting?  Are you giving the bounty away?  As you dive into the Word of God, record what you find.  Share what God is teaching you about Himself in His Word.  And, as you recognize His presence in your life, share it.  Solomon was passing on what he was discovering!

In Him,
Pastor Karl