THE SCENARIO: PlousioS “hit the mother lode” the other day. Well, actually, the Mother Lode came nigh, hovering, and “hit” PlousioS! We mean to say that PlousioS was compelled by God the Holy Spirit to accept an invitation (“A Letter of Invitation”) for eternal fellowship with Jehovah God. Compelled indeed, by way of a loving, personable, wooing here—you know how it works: like unto a lover not to be denied, cooing and wooing…, in this instance to transfer all trust to Jesus Christ, even to Him, the Lover of our souls (Luk 19:10-hear Him nigh, cooing and wooing?!). He, compelling, cooing and wooing, to humbly follow and serve Him and His interests, from which righteous outworking treasure issues, issues, and, O my say again, issues… Our friend PlousioS straightaway, by gratefully accepting, and selflessly yielding, reserved their place in the rich kingdom of the very God Jehovah; reserved their place in the rich kingdom of the great God Jehovah here cooing and wooing. Yea, PlousioS is now not only an heir to the surpassing riches of this very God, but is even now a recipient of the exceeding riches that issue day-by-day in the course of said righteous outworking (please consider again the yellow-highlighted text just above over against the red font here). PlousioS is just flabbergasted that all this divine attention would come nigh their way, hovering, cooing and wooing, a love-motivated-attention desirous no less to lavish riches (imagine that) upon the beloved PlousioS.
In the outworking of this scenario please consider the following points:
The Righteous Gain Salvation, the Greatest Treasure in the House of the Righteous.
Sustenance Aplenty in the Kitchen Here in the House of the Righteous.
Figure 1 The Fruit of the Spirit
The greatest treasure found in the house of the righteous is Salvation; that is, fellowship henceforth, forever, with the quintessential Lover of our souls, even Jehovah God the Righteous One. He, the quintessential Lover of our souls, and we, His beloved, ever together in the house, under the same “roof of righteousness” here, together thus always and forever. This is tremendous. The thought of that, sensitivity to that reality, sensitivity to the presence of such a loving One nearby, in the house, with us, quickens one’s appreciation for the righteousness He, even He imparted usward to make this inseparable union possible (“A Letter of Invitation”, “Righteous Faith”). His own righteousness He imparted usward at great pains did He not?, so that He might dwell in a house made righteous, up close and personal, with those whom He loves so. We praise you Lord, the Lover of our souls whom we love and adore. Enter great savior God; you are treasured; you are my Treasure; do abide here always and forever.
Come righteous Christian friend, let us find treasure in the kitchen of His, in the kitchen of even our house; our house become His house. Let us take our time and look about a bit. My how He fills the cupboards! Just look at His spices! Can you appreciate their exceeding concentration?, their purity? Can you smell their roubustness, sense their richness? What a variety of spices He lavishes upon us; a spice for every eventuality He gives us. So efficacious; so fragrant and pleasing; curing, healing, savoring, preserving—treasures particular to His righteous—even we—righteous like unto Him! Do you see Him?, O are you sensitive to Him nearby in the spices He gives, in these treasures? Are you a spice in His hand? Now look just here—at the wine, nigh blood red—to make our faces shine; thus He gladdens our hearts, we redeemed, does He not?, He, our Cup of exceeding Blessing. He, a Fount, a Jubilee Fount (“Jesus Our Jubilee”). Exceeding Treasure. And over there, the milk, His milk, a mamma’s milk He gives us. Thus El Shaddai gives and nourishes us. El Shaddai, the strong bone of our bones, the perfect righteousness of our righteousness, strengthens our bones and sources our righteousness. His milk aplenty strengthens and sanctifies us; treasure. And yonder, more treasure—the honey; let us taste it, partake of it. Is it not exceeding sweet?!, like unto His Salvation, His Communion with us, He and we ever together in the house. My, more treasure, just there—do you see, the Bread of Life, even the Staff of Life?! We must bless it, giving thanks when we eat it, when we ingest and metabolize this Bread of Life that singularly sustains us. The Bread of Life that sustains us forever. And over there, His Waters, living water He gives us, freely; we so thirsty, and hungry, needful, ever needing Him, His sustenance (“Isaiah Chapter Fifty-five Commentary”). Treasure, freely given, in the kitchen, in the house of the righteous.
Turn about and look righteous friend—do you see the table before us here in the kitchen, in the house, our house, become His house?, with many chairs about? But let us look closer, there is much more here before us; before us is a place of fellowship and friendship, here in our house, become His house. Do you see it?, there is here a family, a righteous Christian family, gathering day-by-day. Do you see them?, they, giving thanks, day-by-day, for God’s presence in the house, and for the cupboards He fills, and for the loving family and friends in the chairs about the table. Exceeding treasure. So much treasure here. Treasured moments. A righteous Christian family and friends in the chairs all about, treasuring God, here in the house of the righteous; and Jehovah, the great God, in their midst, even at the head of the table. He, straightaway obeyed. He, loved, and highly esteemed. He, served and revered as the Head; as Lord, Lord God of the table; yea, as Lord God of the house, day-by-day. So it is day-by-day here in the kitchen, in the house of the righteous, where treasure, indescribable for its exceeding excellence, indescribable for its exceedingly comprehensive satiety abounds day-by-day.
Where shall we find the place of rest, here, in the house of the righteous? Because He, the Righteous One, is loved and honored, and straightaway obeyed; is straightaway revered and served here, yea, because He is thus magnified—this house, become His house, knows peace; knows this treasure of peace. Christian friend, can you appreciate that there is peace everywhere here, in the house of the righteous? Are you sensitive to this treasure? And in this treasure, this peace, His peace, His abiding peace, we rest, even everywhere here, in the house of the righteous. We righteous rest everywhere here, in the house of the righteous, our house become His house. In He whom we love and honor, whom we revere and serve, the Righteous One, in His abiding peace, in this treasure, we ever rest here, everywhere. Christian friend, if you cannot find rest anymore in the house, maybe you have moved to another house?
Come Christian friend, let us visit a great room; let us visit a great room in the house of the righteous. Just here is found the treasure of righteous expression; just here is found the treasure of righteous outworkings of the intellect and of God-given skills, all manner of outworkings inspired by God. Righteous brethren via their God-given capacities here engaging their God-given inspiration/s to the glory of God, in their generation, in their space and time, thus serving Him. Righteous brethren here engaging their God-given inspiration/s for the blessing and enjoyment of others removed in space and time to treasure and, not least, for the treasure of their own consummate fulfillment and satiety all along the way, hand-in-hand with God the Enabler, He, ever so involved in this treasure-making, this treasure that is for Him a Name, this treasure that fills this great room to overfilling. Let us look about a bit in this great room. O my yonder is brother Paul—see him uniquely inspired, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching, witnessing to His Savior in his day, and writing, aplenty writing the words of God. And over there, sisters Mary and Martha making a home for our Savior, offering Him a cozy, loving place in the house to be refreshed, thus serving Him in the day of His visitation. And look, there is sister Fanny writing hymns in her day, thus ministering to others, thus making and spreading treasure, thus glorifying her Savior. And just beyond, notice the great missionaries engaged in Bible translation—just over there—can you see them there, tirelessly engaging their God-given skills in a selfless labor of love for the Salvation of others to the glory of God? Treasure; treasure-labor. And across the way a bit, on the right side of the far wall, the great revivalist preachers, can you hear them, passionate for the cause of God to extend Salvation to all peoples through Jesus Christ?, can you see them busy for God, making treasure?, indeed, spreading treasure? And close nearby, a little catty-cornered to the right, not too far, the pastors, shepherding the Flock, this great and weighty labor of love, love of God and His Flock (“Feed My Sheep”). Treasure; treasure-labor. Why, just look, across on the other side, there is PlousioS, and my, close by, is that you?, yes, I see you Christian friend, in this great room, and there am I too, by God’s exceeding grace; you and and PlousioS and I, with our Savior in the midst, in our space and time, in this great room, making treasure, spreading treasure, thus receiving treasure, all to the glory of God, even Jehovah God, our great savior God. Praised and treasured be His precious Name.
There is a garden in front, in plain view, before the house, even the house of the righteous, become God’s house; it is God’s garden, even His, the Lord of the house. It is His planting (Hos 10:12). Did it stand out before you; could you not help but notice it? Come on, let us take a tour of it. It smells quite wonderful does it not?, like the Lord of the house. He, the Righteous One, so fragrant in His righteousness, a sweet savor. And what a joy it is to behold, glorious, like the Lord of the House, the Righteous One, glorious in His righteousness. He, thus fragrant, so pleasant, so glorious, the very Joy of Heaven (“The Joy of Heaven”). He, become our righteousness, our Joy, even we righteous in the house, in the house of the righteous, now too the joy of heaven. Treasure. O take it in, this Treasure, be sensitive to it, ever receive it; receive the Righteous One, the Lord of the house, receive His righteousness, even the treasure of thine heart Christian friend (Fig. 1). Now let us look about a bit here in this blessed garden. Here before us are growing all manner of flowers in their space and time, clothed in breath-taking beauty (thus beautiful is righteousness, righteous ones planted, growing), releasing their pleasant fragrances (thus fragrant is righteousness, righteous ones planted, exuding the same), and just next to them, see there—in in their space and time—are maturing vegetables, and herbs, for food, and spices, and medicine (thus is righteousness sustenance, and salve, and savor, for the soul), and all, house and garden, hedged about by fruit and nut-bearing trees (thus righteousness defines borders, and quite distinguishes itself as treasure, by its fruit). My, see how it is well-weeded—not a weed anywhere!, here, in this garden of the righteous, the planting of the Lord of the house, this garden that thrives out front in plain view, before the house of the righteous. How it thrives, drawing streams of righteousness from the Lord of the house, the Righteous One. With nary a weed, in plain view, out front, it thrives. Of righteousness a harvest: healing, healthy, hearty, holy. Weed-free. In plain view out front, this treasure. Treasure on display. The Lord of the house’s treasure. His planting, in His righteousness thriving.
This house of the righteous is a jewel in the rough. See how the environs for the most part are not righteous? And so there is no real treasure in those environs. But trouble aplenty thrives there. Recurring trouble. No Salvation, no sustenance in the kitchens, no fellowship, no friendship, no places of rest, no great rooms, no great gardens. No treasure. But as you know, the Righteous One, in the house of the righteous, where treasure abounds, has called us, has called you and me Christian friend, to bring our righteous treasure, even Him, into those poor environs, so that they too might be filled with treasure, even as we righteous are filled with exceeding treasure (”A Letter of Invitation”); we righteous in the house, become His house. Let us be sensitive to that.
Dearest Christian friend, our treasure is eternal, not fleeting; it is not worldly treasure that degrades and devalues with time and usage (Mat 6:19-21). Of a surety our greatest treasure is Salvation: ever in the presence of the Righteous One, this fellowship, necessarily clothed in His righteousness, accordingly heirs, as sons and daughters, to everything that is His (like unto the righteous Heir, the righteous Son Jesus, who loved us to the extent that we might be rich, even though it meant that He would become poor in the days of His flesh [2Cr 8:9]). It is easy sometimes to lose sight of this blessed reality that our great savior God has made possible. Please catch if you will His immediate tenderness in this (His sensitivity usward today)—along the way, here and now, even in times of suffering and need, He provides foretastes of the treasure that will be fully ours one blessed day (let us look for [be sensitive to] these “foretastes in the house,” and give Him thanks for them). When by His exceeding grace those special “foretaste moments” flood into our lives and quicken us (Psa 68:5-6), especially when we are “down,” or suffering, or under great pressure, or in great need, let us remember what is stored away for us in heaven—eternal Treasure indescribable. His immediate “foretaste moments” ought ever remind us of that and make it quite real to us.
We love you Christian friend; may our great God Jehovah bless you with many “foretaste moments.” This is my prayer for the beloved Flock great God. Exceedingly bless your Flock today Father God. Praised and treasured be your great Name Father God Jehovah. Amen.