Hidden Treasure (4 of 4)

For dad only:

Untold Riches

You and I cannot even imagine the great things God wants to do with our kids. They have secret potential and amazing plans in store we cannot even guess. Like buried treasures, our children need us to brush away the dirt, cleanse out the impurities, and polish them until they shine. One day the Lord Jesus will set them on display to bring joy and wonder to others.

We can easily get discouraged with little ones and their problems. Remember, the dirt you see is not the finished product. If you channel their energy with love and patiently deflect their naughtiness, their true qualities will shine one day. We will reap if we do not lose hope (Galatians 6:9).

Do not focus on the past mistakes your child has made. Do not escape reality by only daydreaming about his future, either. Embrace today by seeing how you can bring out God’s qualities in your children. Find their best potential. They may have a trait of compassion you could develop. Your son may have special ingenuity for fixing things or solving problems. You daughter may have a knack for applying Scripture principles to daily life. Build on those attributes, and let the “dirt” blend into the pathway of the past.

Learn Simple Ways to Bring Out the Best

in Our Children and Ourselves.

_____

Read about Rusty and Misty:

The Best Treasure

When the sheriff deputy arrived, he asked the family a few questions about where they had found these ancient artifacts. He congratulated the children on their discovery and encouraged them to be archeologists when they grew up.

“I’m going to be a mom,” Misty said. “Maybe my sons will grow up to be archeologists, though.”

“Well, you make sure to bring them out this way and let them poke around some day,” the sheriff said with a laugh.

They talked with the sheriff and museum curator who told them the story of the old prospector who probably buried the treasure they had found. He had lived all by himself in a log cabin outside of town and always claimed he had found gold, but no one ever saw it.

The curator told them, “We will put up a special display of these materials and a picture of that miner’s cabin. I will have to do a little research to find his name again, but I know for sure this was the man because he lived in that area and wrote with the same kind of misspellings. Perhaps if he had gotten a little more education, he would have known what fool’s gold was.”

A newspaper reporter showed up at the door of the museum. He had heard about the discovery and wanted to talk with the family. Rusty and Misty and their parents got to answer more questions about the story. The reporter took their pictures as well.

“We will also put your pictures in the display,” the curator told them, “so everyone will know who found these great items.”

“Cool,” Rusty said. “We will be in a museum.”

“And the newspaper,” the reporter told them. “I would like to get some shots of the cliff where you found the treasure, too, if you all have time.”

Dad worked out a time with him. They stayed and talked to the curator for a while longer and then headed back to the campsite for lunch. Afterward they met the reporter for photos at the top of the cliff.

Later, after the reporter had left, Rusty and Misty asked their parents for permission to go to the base of the cliff again on a special mission.

They walked carefully down the side of the big hill until they got to the base of the cliff. Rusty looked up at the orange rocks and grinned. “We got to climb down the face of that cliff.”

“I’ll never forget this place,” Misty said. She looked around and breathed in the pine-scented air.

Rusty moved forward and she followed until they got to the entrance of the low cave. Rusty got down on his belly and crawled in, dragging his backpack along. Misty followed him, inching forward on her stomach. Once they got into the area of the cave with the higher ceiling, they sat up. Rusty opened his backpack and pulled out a Bible.

“This is fun,” Misty said.

“I wonder who will find our hidden treasure?” Rusty said.

“I hope some kids who need to know God will find it,” Misty thought aloud.

Rusty pulled out a piece of paper. He carefully spelled out:

You have

found

the best

Treasure!

Misty opened the cover of the Bible and signed their names. Then she wrapped the paper around the Bible and tucked it into the backpack. Rusty carefully set the backpack in the shelf-like area at the end of the cave. The brother and sister prayed together that God would lead the right person to their secret so they could find the best message of all.

________

Now discuss it.

Is the Bible our greatest treasure? Why?

How do we dig for the treasures of the Bible?

Reading, study, memorization, and prayer.

Should Rusty and Misty brag to their friends about what they found?

We should not tell interesting stories if we make ourselves feel like we are better than others or make them feel worse about themselves.

Is it okay to tell some people about interesting things we have done? When should we do this? Where should we do this and where not? Who should we tell?

The goal of this question is discretion. Know who to talk to, and how and when and why.

How can you help others find the treasure of God and His Word?

________

Get your young kids an easy to read Bible translation with the International Children’s Bible.

Or try the Ultraslim NKJV Bible for older children.

________

Read this story together:

Finding the Lost Treasure

Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath. Josiah did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order: “Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people. Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs. The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds.”

Shaphan delivered the king’s order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it. Then he went back to the king and reported: “Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs.”

And then he said, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.

When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay, and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king’s attendant: “Go and consult the LORD for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The LORD is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done.”

Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened, and she told them to go back to the king and give him the following message from the LORD: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read. They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down. As for the king himself, this is what I, the LORD God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book, and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer, and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.” The men returned to King Josiah with this message.  (II Kings 22:1-20, Good News Bible)

________

How old was Josiah when he decided to do only what pleased God?

If you could be in charge of your city, what would you have everyone do?

Why did God not punish Josiah and the people according to the judgments of His Word?

Because they repented and decided to change the way they were living.

Beyond just reading and memorizing the Bible, what should we do with it?

Obey and live it.

Where can you make a difference like Josiah? Who can you lead to live for God?

Role play: You find something in the Bible you realize you have not been doing correctly. What do you do? What if you do not know anyone living by the principles you found?

You have friends who are doing things that do not please God. They are saying bad words or making wrong gestures. What do you do?

________
Memorize:

Psalm 119:72

The law of thy mouth

is better unto me than thousands

of gold and silver.