Finding Treasure

When I was a child, and even now, my family would always tell me the story of when our family first became Christian. It is a story that has been told for five generations. The story of a man finding the Bible in his land, because of rumors that had been said.

Many years ago my great great great grand father had been told many time that there was a hidden treasure in his land that had not been discovered. So many people from his village would say and remind him of the so called gold. Everyone that had told him thought it would be gold, silver, or some kind of object that would be worth millions, little did they know it would be the sacred book.

Finally after so many people insisting and asking about it he finally became to look for the treasure. He also did it because he was scared of someone finding it and stealing it from him. In Central America it was very common for these kind of instances to occur. After so many days of digging all he would ever find was a book. At first he thought it was something additional; after so many holes he discovered this book was his treasure.

After everyone found out that his treasure was the Bible, it was a story that was never forgotten and has been told since. Sometimes in life when we are expecting or wanting a blessing we are not given anything. God's words can be the best treasure anyone can find.

When you read and experience how God's words can change and make you new, you truly discover the value of his book. I think about this story and just am amazed at how small minded these people were, including my grandfather. When we die we take none of our possessions with us. So many people struggle and work so hard to live a good life full of things they buy, yet feel so empty inside. No amount of money could every buy peace, love, and joy. These are things given only by God; he is the one that can give you what your soul longs for. If you have already discovered this than you are considered blessed, not rich.

I am so thankful to come from a family that loves God. I was raise to always pray, read the Bible, and go to church. I remember thing as a kid, "Does everyone's family go to church as much as mine does?" I also use to think that everyone knew the things I knew and had a hard time realizing that not everyone was as fortunate as me. I would often feel alone because of how different I was raised until I found friends that were like me. Whose parents would take them to church every Sunday and Wednesday. I very much enjoyed these friendships because I would feel like they understood me.

I encourage you to take your kids to church. See how they thrive in an organization that will teach them lessons that they will take with them as they grow. Church is one of my favorite places; I love going to my church and seeing my sisters and brothers in Christ. It is such a joy to praise God with other believers and experience the presence of God. If you have been hurt by a church or church member I also encourage you to forgive. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Don't let one bad experience shoo you away from something that can be the best thing in your life.

Teach your kids to make God a priority; the best way to do that is to lead as example. If you are already attending a church, I encourage you to serve somehow. I personally am a translator as well as Sunday School teacher at my church. Serving in church is one of the best things you can do. It makes you have another reason to go and you feel like you are truly valuable. This is how you can truly become part of the church, which is God's hands and feet.

• Eighty-two percent of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited." –Dr. Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
• "Only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. Ninety-eighty percent of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year." –Dr Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
• “A study including more than 15,000 adults revealed that about two-thirds are willing to receive information about a local church from a family member and 56 percent from a friend or neighbor. The message is clear that the unchurched are open to conversations about church.” – Philip Nation, LifeWay Research
• “Four percent of formerly churched adults are actively looking for a church to attend regularly (other than their previous church). Six percent would prefer to resume attending regularly in the same church they had attended. The largest group, 62 percent, is not actively looking but is open to the idea of attending church regularly again.”–Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research
• “Clearly we can encourage Christians to pray that the unchurched would sense God calling them back, but God works through His people." "The survey showed that many would respond to an invitation from a friend or acquaintance (41 percent), their children (25 percent) or an adult family member (25 percent).” –Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research

To see more statistics about church go to:

http://backtochurch.com/participate/resources/statistics#sthash.JnSOff4p.dpuf

I have met some people that attend church regularly but are still the same ugly person from the inside. It has been something that has always bothered me. I know that hurt people are the ones that need to go to church but I love that my church, the New Life Church is an evolving one. The reason most people go to church is to change or to appear holy. I think that if you have the intensions of attending you should defiantly try your best to let the word of God change your life. The point is to keep on getting better, becoming a better person, literally changing.

If you just want to go for other reasons, it is your choice but just remember that people are always watching you. Kids are always watching and learning; they will imitate what they see. Be careful of the way you act around people and make sure you surround yourself with people who will actually help you become a better version of yourself.

Regardless of your past, your journey to spiritual freedom comes when you decide to search for God and realize that you can't do anything bad or good that will make him love you less. Forgiveness comes when we want it; it is not something that just magically happens. It takes time, effort, and a ton of grace for you to truly live for God and not yourself. From personal experience, I suffered a whole lot more running and trying to dodge Him. Until I surrendered and decided to stop running is when I have see his blessing in my life. I encourage you to keep on your walk with the Lord and see how great and merciful he can be.

I thank God for making me better and for the treasure my grandfather found, because if it wasn't for him who knows what kind of person I would be.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day!