01/29/2023 – Learning to appreciate the sacred
Daniel 5: 22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of [n]His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
One of the most important abilities a person may possess is the power of appreciation (recognize the full worth of). We use this term all the time: “I appreciate it”. We are trying to communicate that we understand the value of something. But, do we?
f you are of a certain age, you may remember a show on television called: The Price is Right. People could win amazing prices just by guessing as closely as possible the price of merchandise. Some people can place an accurate value on material things. But when it comes to the things that truly matter, the things that are invisible, the things of the Spirit, we hear what I think is a cop-out. We say these things are “priceless”. It is true that no one can put a material price on them, but this does not mean that they are priceless. We must understand the worth of the most valuable gifts in life!
Even for those of us who are blessed to have faith and know that there is a spiritual realm which is much more valuable than the material realm, sometimes we discount its value. There is a value to having faith, and there is a price that was paid for it. Even faith as small as a mustard seed is worth more than all the gold in the world. If you love God, if you love your family AND your neighbor- if you have real love, its value is greater than the market price of your house and everything in it. The presence of God in this place is worth more than this building and its property!
We must learn to truly appreciate everything God is and everything God has given us. This is not a natural ability. I think we can confess that we do not appreciate God and His blessings enough. The more we appreciate, the more we glorify and the more we enjoy God’s blessings.