I created a parable of sorts to share with my student ministry for the service after our summer camp. At our camp we saw God move in signs, wonders and miracles, it was glorious. The parable I made up has to do with how you need to treat the treasure God gives you. Enjoy! Or not, I guess that’s up to you…..
I have an absolutely true story I want to share with you right now, about a pirate.
Griffen, the pirate, sailed the seven seas in the 18th century. He had it all!
A big beautiful boat, a parrot that was incredibly knowledgeable, and gold doubloons out the wazoo!
One day, whilst seeking after treasure, Griffen came upon a seemingly modest lamp. As he was giving the lamp a look over, a genie popped out.
“You are now my master, and you get three wishes a year as long as you live!”
WOW thought Griffen, he had found the treasure of a lifetime!
The genie told Griffen to sit down and he would explain some things. Griffen sat down and earnestly gave heed to the ancient genie.
Genie: “I am very very very very wise. You must trust me if I am going to be the treasure you want me to be. I have created wealth, honor and life for whoever listens to me. Will you listen Griffy?”
Griffen: “It’s actually Griffen, and yes I will listen.”
Something inside of Griffen told him to embrace whatever the genie was going to tell him.
Genie: “I want you to do three things to keep me, your treasure, safe. Pay attention Griffy!”
1. BUY AN ISLAND.
“Don’t keep me out in plain sight. Find an island and bury me where no one can get me. Then go purchase the island so everything on the island is rightfully yours.”
Griffen went and found the perfect island and hid the genie. The Spanish government owned the island, and when Griffen asked about purchasing it they laughed at him. Griffen gathered all his vast treasure and counted how much it was worth. He sold his ship, sold his parrot, sold everything he had. It was just enough to purchase the island. The government officials laughed at him- “that island is actually worthless. You have wasted your entire life for something silly.”
His friends thought he went crazy and begged him to reconsider. They didn’t know about the genie, all they could do is observe his different behavior.
No one could understand why Griffen would waste everything, but he knew what he actually had was worth more than all the treasure in the world.
Let me break from the story for a second.
In Matthew 13:44, Jesus tells us this.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Kingdom of God is greater than anything you could ever acquire here on earth.
Your experience with God at camp is a taste of this Kingdom.
Wisdom would dictate that you give everything you have to get more of it.
People do not understand what they cannot see- you going after God and giving up your life to know Him will be seen as wasteful.
If you knew the treasure you would sell everything to have it for yourself. If you got treasure at camp, find a place to hide it.
Hiding the Kingdom in your life happens in your heart, that’s why Jesus talked about it being a treasure hidden in a field. No one but you will see the value of your actions.
Ask God to open your heart to what that looks like.
Praying in tongues everyday, sharing Jesus with your friends, volunteering at the church?
Whatever it is, it has to cost you something. Trade what you have for the Kingdom.
Back to the story.
Genie: “the second thing you need to do is
2. DON’T OVERSHARE
Remember, believing in genies will get you hurt. They’ll call you crazy, even after your wishes come true. Some will even try to destroy you for talking about me. Only trust what happens to people who can handle it.”
Griffen didn’t listen too good at first and told his friends. They locked him up in an institution, where the doctors tried to convince him it was all his imagination. When Griffen got out, he knew to keep his mouth shut.
Later when he was selling his stuff, he came across a married couple talking about genies. They struck up a conversation and he blurted out he had a genie. “No way, us too!” They became instant friends, the couple actually showed Griffen how to get the most money out of his belongings when he sold them to buy the island.
Break in the story.
Jesus tells us to be careful with our treasure.
Matthew 7:6 Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
We always want to share Jesus with people, Jesus is the ANSWER!
Even if they make fun or hate us for it, we should always share & stand up for the GOSPEL- Jesus is KING.
Not everything we experience should be shared, because it is precious.
Prophetic words that are close to our heart shared with friends who have never experienced something like that can easily be trampled.
“God told me I am supposed to be a doctor!”
“Probably not, lol. You are 2 silly”
That can be so discouraging. This is why we don’t just share about the deepest most intimate moments of life with total strangers.
Ask God to bring good friends into your life you can talk about spiritual things with. This is how wisdom is grown and passion is stoked.
Hold your treasure close, don’t let pig people trample it.
Back to the story.
Genie: “Griffy, I need you to really listen at this last thing I am going to share with you.
3. GROW YOURSELF
Right now you can think of wishing for me to give you more gold. When you learn how to actually wish for what matters you’ll be a king among men! You must grow in wisdom, see what I see to make the world beautiful.”
Griffen at first did not understand, but committed to growing. He first wished for frivolous things like boats and money. Then the genie would challenge Griffen: “LOOK AT THE WORLD” In his future travels he learned of how many people were hurting, and that he could help them. He started wishing with a bigger perspective than he used to. His life used to be all about himself, but then he became all about others. Griffen would wish for influence and favor with governments, and then would use that to free slaves. Through the years so many would come to love and revere this once selfish pirate.
Griffen grew because he would sit with the genie and get his heart to redeem the broken world. He grew because the genie would give him wisdom and how to actually help the situation. When Griffen was angry or upset, he would sit with the genie and grow peaceful. By the end of Griffen’s life, he said he would have sold everything and bought the island 1 million times over. It was the best decision of his life.
End of story
God is not a genie at all. He isn’t at our beck & call.
However His kingdom is a treasure. What happened at camp or any significant experience you have with Jesus is more precious than you can imagine.
It starts like a seed. You can’t comprehend what is going to be grown if it is cultivated. If you stay with it, commit yourself to seeing it grow, you will have something worth more than all the treasure in the world!
Jesus tells us in Matthew 13 about seeds that fall in different kinds of soil.
On the path where birds eat it (no soil)- the devil stealing from people (I went to camp but had a bad attitude)
Rocky soil- people that only understand the experience on a surface level, never invite Jesus to be Lord. (I loved to worship, what were we doing again?)
Thorny soil-people that experience God but give up & forget when life gets hard. (I loved God at camp but got in a fight and went back to my old ways.)
Then there is good soil.
Matthew 13:23
The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Take what God has done in your life and grow it with Him!!
What are the 3 things genie said to do?
BUY AN ISLAND
DON’T OVERSHARE
GROW YOURSELF
thebearplane 
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