Humanics
Noun
the study of the nature or affairs of humankind.
I was sitting on the couch holding my wife’s hand and being bounced on my my oldest two kids. I was taking a break from my job answering phones in the financial industry when this thought struck my mind. It is something Jesus said:
““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal.”
Matthew 6:19-20 TLV
I don’t think we quite understand how much God values us. I don’t think we have understood how much God loves humankind.
To Him…We are His treasures.
In the book of Philippians Paul talks about Jesus before he became a man:
“Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself— taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man.”
Philippians 2:6-7 TLV
So what DID he consider valuable… pursuable…something to be treasured? Put another way… what did His life and death and resurrection as a a man accomplish? According to the songs of Heaven…
Us.
“And they are singing a new song, saying, “You are worthy… For You were slain, and by Your blood You redeemed for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
The Revelation 5:9 TLV
We are His treasure. We are what He values.
Being a follower of Jesus means becoming more like Him. So both implicit AND explicit in that is learning to value what He values.
This may be the hardest part of the journey. As Human beings we get very attached to our stuff, to our careers, to… well… a lot.
This certainly seems true of His first disciples… which is consolation to me because you know… they actually had Jesus present… to model what He valued for them…
They would get into arguments about whose the greatest, express disgust at people of other cultures, argue about money, food, and more…
Sound familiar?
And Jesus was there to lovingly scold them as any good parent does.
Tonight I got into an argument with my oldest. An hour before bed I gave her a choice. Finish watching the movie OR Read lots of stories.
Haddie chose to finish the movie and then got DEEPLY upset when I held us to the one story rule. I probably would have been willing to budge a little until she started telling me that I was being mean and not giving her a good life and and and… Like any good parent… I tried to be loving, but now I have to hold my ground.
Why?
Because now it’s about more than more stories or less stories… it’s about a battle of wills.. it’s about a toddler trying to get her way by the path of complaint. And it’s not about love.
Love is all about value for the other…
Complaint… is all about me.
I love this girl more than life itself….and while I will extend her EVERY mercy… It would not be loving for me to teach her that complaining is the way to go.
I’ve been studying to be a dad ever since I was small… because I was a student of My Father ever since then. I didn’t always listen… and I don’t always value what He values.
I am learning though… and I hope you will join me on this journey.
JustDad.Blog 
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