What God Treasures

A couple of weeks ago I read something which has had me pondering joy, what it means to God and what it means to me. From "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers:

"Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don't seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet. . . .How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?"

There is much to be gleaned from those thoughts, but what stood out for me was, if we have forgotten what God treasures, we will not be filled with joy. We know God hates "Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers." (Proverbs 6:17-19) We can discover by reading the Word that God also does not appreciate greed, envy, gossip, worry and complaining, among other things. Where these things abound, joy will be in short supply.

So, what does God treasure? Us. He has declared us to be "His people, a treasured possession . . ." (see Deuteronomy 26:18) That the God of the universe, who is filled with light and love, cherishes and adores us should be the best news we could ever hear. It should fill us with such joy we don't have room in our lives or enough spare time to fret and find fault with others. Because another lesson to be learned here is we should treasure what God treasures; we should treasure one another. Rather than think the worst of other people, instead of creating strife, we can rise to a higher place, a place where love, kindness and joy are in abundance in spite of our differences.

You've probably heard the joke that everyone brings joy to others: some us of when we enter a room and some of us when we leave it. Let's remember what God treasures, and bring the joy in with us.