treasures of the heart, coins & pearls

8/13/2019 Treasures of the Heart, Coins & Pearls

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Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and rust destroy and where thieves

break in and steal; but lay up for yourselvestreasures in heaven, where neither moth or rustdestroys and where thieves do not break in and

steal. For where your treasure is, there your heartwill be also.

MATTHEW 6:19-21

...Of the HeartWHERE IS YOUR TREASURE?

Scripture tells us not to horde treasures here on

earth where everything eventually disintegratesor is taken from us, but to consider storing up

treasures in heaven where those elements of

depreciation are not the rule. There is NO law

of entropy at work in Heaven, NO evil or

malicious intent there.

I remember as a kid when a main road in

our town was being widened and made into a

highway, properties were cut into so that their

front door was now only feet away from a curb

that had been 1/2 a football field away

previously. Other homes were purchase pennies

on the dollar, or eventually condemned underthe rule of imminent domain and people

found themselves robbed of their earthly

possessions for the sake of community growth.

At that point I remember being so upset

for them and my mother saying, Nothing is

really yours here, you must rely and

trust God, always! I came to understand

that a few years later after selling my first home,

for much less than we had purchased it for and

renovated it with. The market had plummeted

and we sold at a loss of $50,000 which was ahuge margin on a house that only went for

88,000 at closing.

I learned not to look with my eyes at what

was happening, but to trust God through it.

And not to fault myself for being diligent,

frugal, but faithfully and wisely investing into it.

GOD HONORED our faithfulness.

Amazing what can be

found in Attics,Garage Sales,

Garbage.

Joanna Fruhauf www.GRACIOUSVINE.com

GraciousVineMinistry

MUSIC&MESSAGES

PortJeffersonStation, NY

TELEPHONE631-258-6347 CONTACT

JOANNAFRUHAUF

Ever see the tv shows, ANTI UES ROAD SHOW...

AMERICAN PICKERS or..... STORAGE WARS?

WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND TREASURES?

Shipwrecks, dig sites, tunnels, caves, museums,pawn shops, thrift stores, storage facilities

SESSION 1
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In an article in the History of the Ancient

World,July 8, 2010, a man named Dave

Crisp, from Devizes in Wiltshire was

using a metal detector in an open field

and found 21 silver coins scattered

across the landscape. As he continued

he found location beneath the surface

giving a faint signal. He started to dig,

and eventually realized he hit a pot

containing thousands of similar coins.

It was an incredibly large and valuable

archeological find from the 3rd century

AD.

An even more recent find from July

of 2012 was made in Israel at the 13th

century castle of King Richard the

Lionheart, and his crusaders located in

Arsuf, Israel. 108 gold coins from that

period were found during excavation of

the site underneath a floor. The value

of the gold itself is simply increasedbecause of the rarity of coins from the

crusaders in the 1200s. It is one of the

biggest collections ever discovered.

These recent events only highlight

the scriptures relativity to our lives.

Imagine the enormous sense of joy that

would have come over both these

locators. Imagine too the sense of

urgency to get these items secured and

the measures taken to do so, having to

leave them for a moment and desperate

to get back to them before someone else

has opportunity to remove the treasure.

In this scripture, the man, which I

believe based on previous parable

interpretations, is God/Jesus and his

joy and desire to do what ever it takes

to redeem the value he found in the

world, the earth. He who, although He

existed in the form of God, did notregard

equality with God a thing to be grasped, but

emptied Himself, taking the form of a

bond-servant, andbeing made in the likeness

of men. Being found in appearance as a

man, He humbled Himself by becomingobedient to the point of death, even death

on a cross. (Phil 2:6-8)

He went to incredible lengths, emptied

himse lf o f al l His Heavenly glor y,

constrained to time and space in human

flesh, lived a life acquainted with our griefs

and sorrows and then finally obedience to

even death on a cross to secure our

redemption. REDEMPTION - redeeming

something because of its value!

Who says we have value?

Our creator! He has ascribed value to

us. Think of the difficulties/energies hewent to in order to secure our salvation.

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like...TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD WHICH A MAN FOUND AND HID; AND

FOR JOY OVER IT SOLD ALL THAT HE HAS AND BUYS THAT FIELD.Matthew 13:44

52,000 antique and rare coins found in a field in England dating back to the 3rd century AD during time when Britain suffered under Roman Invasions.

http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/
http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://www.graciousvine.com/http://www.graciousvine.com/http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://www.graciousvine.com/http://www.graciousvine.com/http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/07/52000-roman-coins-discovered-in-england/http://www.graciousvine.com/http://www.graciousvine.com/


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ANOTHER TREASURE Found in CLAY

POTS - THE WORD OF GOD!

1947 - SCROLLS FOUND - 1948 ISRAEL BECOMES

A NATION! GOD SURFACED WHAT WAS IN THE

DIRT!

If there is a single most valuable find of the

century, it would have to be the unearthing

of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were found

by a shepherd in 1946/7, just a year before

the re-establishing of the nation of Israelwhich like the scrolls had been hidden in the

earth for 2000 years. The unearthing of

these two items coincided in such a strategic

display, it could only have been orchestrated

by GOD HIMSELF.

More and more were coming to light

over then next 10 years. 972 documents in

total were discovered dating from 68 AD to

250 AD. Most were parchment some were

papyrus and others bronze.

The most complete scroll was the Isaiah

Scroll which is more than 1000 years older

than the oldest copy we have anywhere.

Every book of the Hebrew canon except the

book of Esther was found in part or in

whole. The accuracy of the Dead Sea Scrolls

to the Masoretic text, which is from 1000

AD. In comparing these two different texts,

they were proven to be 95 word for word

accurate and the other 5% were slips of the

pen or spelling, but in no way changed the

context or grammar. Proving

that our confidence in the

scriptures themselves are

preserved over time, by the

hand of God.

These Letters, Books,

Epistles of the Word of God

were housed and hidden for

millennium. Brought forth in

Gods perfect timing that the

EXCELLENCE of what was

contained in the clay earthen

vessels would be seen as the

power and glory of God.

WE HAVE THIS SAME HOPE! We

are nothing more than Clay pots ourselves.

But GOD has determined to place within usHIS WORD - Which if we allow it to be

written on our hearts and hidden in our

hearts, will withstand time.

HE DESIRES for us to be LIVING

E P I S T L E S - t h a t t h e

EXCELLENCE of POWER may

be of GOD and not of us.

To have the Word of God RICH

within us, LIVING POWERFUL,

SHARPENING, Cutting away

things in our lives, separating flesh

and spirit....

When the LORD Unveils it, and

brings it up in us, the world sees and

is struck with wonder and what

GOD has done in US!.

They are left without excuse because

of our witness of HIM.

We have this treasure

in earthen vessels, thatthe excellence of thepower may be of Godand not of us. We arehard-pressed on everyside, yet not crushed;we areperplexed, but

not indespair;persecuted, but

not forsaken; struckdown, but notdestroyed

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

We BecomeAmbassadorsdisplaying HisEXCELLENCE!

The greatest find of this century,

The DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Caves where scrolls were found

CLAY POTS HOLD PRICELESS TREASURE!
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What Has God deposited in YOU?

Dont be thinking that because we are cracked and flawed that the resident glory cant shine through us!

Rom 12:4 For as we have manymembers in one body, but all

the members do not have

the same function, 5 so we,

beingmany, are one body in

Christ, and individually

members of one another.

6 Having then gifts differing

according to the grace that

is given to us, let us use

them: if prophecy, let us

prophesy in proportion to

our faith; 7 or ministry, let us

use it in ourministering; he

who teaches, in teaching;

8 he wh o ex ho r t s , i n

exhortation; he who gives,

with liberality; he who leads,

with diligence; he who

s h o w s m e r c y , w i t h

cheerfulness.

Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace wasgiven according to the measure of Christs

gift....And gave gifts to men...11 And HeHimself gave some to be apostles, someprophets, some evangelists, and somepastors and teachers, 12 for theequipping of the saints for the work ofministry, for the edifying of the body ofChrist, 13 till we all come to the unity ofthe faith and of the knowledge of the Sonof God, to a perfect man, to the measureof the stature of the fullness of Christ;14 that we should no longer be children,tossed to and fro and carried about with

every wind of doctrine, by the trickery ofmen, in the cunning craftiness of deceitfulplotting, 15 but, speaking the truth inlove, may grow up in all things into Him

who is the headChrist 16 from whomthe whole body, joined and knit togetherby what every joint supplies, according tothe effective working by which every partdoes its share, causes growth of the bodyfor the edifying of itself in love.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace andpeace be multiplied toyou in the knowledge ofGod and of Jesus ourLord, 3 as His divinepower has given to usall things thatpertaintol i fe and godl iness ,through the knowledgeof Him who called us byglory and virtue, 4 bywhich have been givento us exceedingly greatand precious promises,that through these youmay be partakers of thedivine nature, havingescaped the corruptionthat is in the worldthrough lust.

The Very thing that GOD deposits into us, the gifting, the talents, He iseventually going to want to draw from, receive back His interest due.

He created the treasure, and deposits it and wants a return onHis investment.
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So Let YOUR Light Shine BeforeMen

REMEMBER THE BOWL that the dog, BRUTUS, ATEOUT OF.......?ONCE someone of Authority Stated the incredible valueof it, what do you think the owners would then do?

TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION - to TAKE CARE -invest energy, to protect it

INSURANCE POLICY - learn the history of it....

Place it in a location of honor...

THEY RECognize their RESPONSIBILITY -

SHARE the STORY of it with those theylove....so they too could see its value...

THEY become an ambassador of its glory each timethey share....

IT HAS ALWAYS

BEEN GODS

PURPOSE TO

DWELLIN

THE MIDST

OF HIS

PEOPLE

WE ARE CALLED AMBASSADORS of Reconciliation, we are called LIVING EPISTLES the Word of GOD WRitten on our hearts, tablets of flesh, not stone...

Flesh that has been GOD BREATHED - and brought to life with HIS SPIRIT....

Do we liveas if we recognize the incredible value/glory of God that resides withinus? DO WE HIDE it from others? Undiscerning, ashamed, insecure?

Do we disregard HIM, disrespect HIM, discredit HIMwith our lives, our actions, ourattitude, our agendas?

Do we truly CONSIDER the IMMEASURABLE VALUE of what CHrist DIDand takeappropriate measures to guard,discipline and protect the REPUTATION of GOD, inour everyday lives - at work, at home, with our kids, our families, our neighbors ourfriends - or even the person behind the counter?

Do we take the responsibility of being an AMBASSADOR or VESSEL of HONORSERIOUSLY, AT ALL COST to ourselves, or are we expecting some of the GLORY/GLAMOR to be our own?

How many have discounted the GLORY of GOD within us because we feel soNORMAL, PLAINlives/exterior Utilitarian pottery?

How many of us haverefused the HANDS of POTTERto mold us? to Place us in the FIRE, once or twice, To BEAT/WORK the raw clayof our lives and

mold usHIS WAYinstead of our way, humbling us, where we have become, DRY,hardened,or have debris that needs to be removed?

BE ENCOURAGED - THE MERCIES of GOD are NEW EVERY MORNING - IT IS TIMETO SHINE - Lift up your head - and Move forward in the things That YOU KNOW Godhas for you, Submit

ITs TIME to

SHINE



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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like amerchant in search of fine pearls,who, on

finding one pearl of great value, went and

sold all that he had and bought it.MATTHEW 13:45,46

...Of the DEEPJesus is that Pearl of Great Price which we are

in pursuit of our whole lives - how willing are

we to sell all that we have to lay hold of Him.

Especially if we think of how He calls

Himself the door, and it is at the Doors/

Gates of New Jerusalem that are comprised

of Single Pearls.And Yet Once again, I believe that this

wonderful scripture is again giving us a

picture of What God sees in us. The Value

HE has placed on redeeming us, the Pearl.

When I was a teen I went with my mother,

looking for a pearl ring. I wanted it instead of

my High school class ring, which I knew I

would never wear. So off to the thrift stores

and antique shops we went. One trick we

learned along our hunt was told to us by a

antique jeweler, She asked, Do you know the

quick way to tell if the pearl was real or just

costume? We did not. She told us you take

the pearl, and scrape your teeth on it ever so

lightly. If it feels as smooth as glass, then it is

a fake. If it has a slight sensation of the finest

of sandpaper against your teeth, it is real.

With that we were thrilled and it helped us on

more than one occasion.

It was in this hunt that I learned a few

things about pearls. First I realized I could

never really afford the Natural, Akoya, or

South Sea I loved. They were just too

expensive. I got closer in my range as I

looked at cultivated pearls, and was finally

able to purchase a sweet ring, which I still

have.

Rare finds throughoutHistory have made

pearls the gemstonesof Kings/Queens

adorning their crowns.

Joanna Fruhauf www.GRACIOUSVINE.co

Natural Saltwater Pearls

SESSION 2

Interestingly, the gates of Heaven are each made from ONE

Pearl PER GATE! Rev 21:21
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Nobody knows when someone first

pried open an oyster and found a

pearl. With its soft, rainbow-hued

inner radiance, that first pearl must

have seemed like a gift from God.

Pearls are unlike other gemstones

because they do not have to be cut

and polished to enhance their natural

beautythey grow into it on theirown. No wonder pearls have been

prized ever since for their beauty,

perfection, and rarity.

For thousands of years, pearls have

been the exclusive gemstones of

royalty and nobility in every culture.

In China, they were used for over

five thousand years to decorate the

crowns of emperors, the robes of

noblewomen, and the sacred statues.

In ancient Rome and medieval

France, only the aristocracy were

allowed to wear pearls. In

Elizabethan England, only royalty

could wear them. Pearls became

associated with wealth, status, and

power, and ordinary people began to

desire them as symbols of these

things. Throughout history, millions

of people have yearned to wear

pearls.

The ancient Egyptians prized pearlsso much they were buried with

them. Reportedly, Cleopatra

dissolved a single pearl in a glass of

wine and drank it, simply to win a

wager with Marc Anthony that she

could consume the wealth of an

entire country in just one meal.

The Ancient Hebrews believed that

pearls had been used by God to

decorate the Garden of Eden.

Throughout almost all of recorded

history, pearls were far too valuable

and rare for any but the royalty and

aristocracy to afford.

NATURAL PEARLS

These are harvested by

div ing deep to find

naturally occurring oyster

bed and harvesting them

to see if there is anything

in them. These are rare to

find large well shaped

pearls, making them veryexpensive.

CULTURED PEARLS

These are set up in

clusters attached to ropes

or placed in crate pots and

have been infused with a

foreign object, to create an

irritation. They are left in

the water for 2 or more

years and then harvested.

Pearl harvesting off the shores of Kuwait
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Interestingly, Pearls are considered a gemstone. The reason is because the are layers of nacre which is excreted from the

oyster. This nacre is actually a very thin layer of millions of microscopic crystals that are interconnected reflecting and

refracting light from one crystal to the other.The processes and conditions needed by which pearls grow is equally

fascinating.

Stresses/Sorrows/Suffering- an oyster feeds on plankton

and sometimes when it is feeding a grain of sand may get it, or

a parasite. It causes immediate irritation and to deal with the

problem which could potentially kill it (if a parasite) the

mollusk secretes nacre to encase and isolate the foreign

agent. As long as the irritation is in the oyster it will

continually, layer by layer shroud it with a layer of

crystals. Fully encasing and protecting the mollusk from

harm. The encasing is a self-protection mechanism.

Consider that in this life we will have tribulation,

but that we are to count it all joy, knowing that those

very trials that we may have thought would destroy us,

have in fact strengthened us and created something far

more valuable than ever anticipated.

Slow/Still/Steady - It is not a quick thing, it is a

process of patience. One in which we must wait on Gods

timing. We dont know when we will be relieved of the

irritation, but at some point, he will harvest us. The longer He

tarries, the more irritation there could be, but the Larger the pearl

that grows within us. This is much of the reason we are to be patient

with each other. We do not know the irritation that is within anotherpersons life that they are dealing with, and that God has left in them to cultivate a

greater pearl. We are not to be presumptuous in thinking we know when someone should have been healed of a hurt or

received victory over something. We are to be trusting God to bring things to completion in His perfect timing.

The oceans have a regular pattern, the rising and falling of the tides, the regular patterned ebb and flow of the oceans

waters, washing, bringing nutrients, cycling water, seasonal changes, day and night, day after day. There is a heartbeat if

you will to the regularity of it and in the midst of it, the oyster remains still.

Secret/Solitude/Silence - Often times we wrestle with God ALONE. It is in the night watches, the lonely moments,

times when no one sees or knows how we feel that we are dealing with the foreign object by ourselves. Much like a caterpillar

in its cocoon finally emerging as a transformed and beautiful butterfly. Think

about Jacob having to wrestle with the Angel of the Lord. It was a terrifying

moment in His life. It was Him alone, and he was left with a limp Im sure

he wouldnt trade that irritation for the blessing he received in the end.Soaking/Soothing/Shielded - Staying in the presence of GODs

Word as it continues to wash over us through us around us is VITAL. The

Salt WATER of Gods word is purifying for us in times of testing, trials and

tribulations, It helps to cleanse us, of impurities, heals us, supplies nutrients

to our weary hearts and a source of life for our spirits.

Pearl of Great Price


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Count it all Joy Brethren!Wisdom is more precious than (Hebrew)pearls. Proverbs 3:15

Pearls can be even more valuable than Diamonds. God wants the adorning to be the inward beauty of a quite and gentleheart. One that has submitted to Him and learned to deal with lifes difficulties with a unique ability that ultimately isof great value and adorning.

HOWS YOUR HEART?

Are there areas of pain, sorrow, loss,

damage, physical, spiritual, emotional,

intellectual, social, familial, relational ,

unfulfilled promises or expectations,

dreams that have died, desires that never

came to fruition? Is there grief of a hope

that disappointed. Is there a constant

reminder that something that shouldnt

be there is; A constant gnawing and

grating on your heart?

We all have suffered some loss,

disappointments and griefs. There are

definitely different ways to deal with

them and Godly counselors that can

help us through those times, but it is WE

OURSELVES that have to come to a

place where we make a choice to move

forward, without holding it to Gods

account and blame. Kayla is a young lady, that whenshe was just 8 years old, who lost herfather in a sudden, violent, unjust

moment of national attack. September

11th, 2001. Her dad had gone to work

for Cantor Fitzgerald on the top floors of

the Twin Towers as he did every day of

the week. He did not come home.

That talented and outgoing young

girl became withdrawn and self

destructive. As she grew, she pressed the

limits of patience with her mother, and

crossed thresholds into a life of drugs

and activities that would lead her down

an increasingly painful and destructive

path.

Finally at 19 when she was at her

bottom and no place to live, a friend of

the family took her in. With loving and

firm boundaries she was welcome to

stay. Early on she resisted, fought

against the restraints, but deep down

realized they were her only way back to

life. She resisted God and His presence

and yet was also drawn to Him.

Over the course of more than a

year, she surrendered her heart and her

spirit to the Lord Jesus Christ. She iscurrently an active member of a vibrant

fel lowship, serving in childrens

ministries, she is going to NYACK

College to become a Christian

Counselor and work with Teen

Challenge as well as in a ministry call All

Access Productions which travels around

the country sharing a message in schools

about anti-bullying and ultimately the

Gospel.

Recently, attending to nursery care

in church a little girl was dropped off by

her grandmother to childrens church

but was refusing. The grandmother

confided that the child had recently lost

her dad. Kayla, hearing that, reached

out and comforted the child with letter

her know she had also lost her dad, and

knows how that feels. The little girl took

her by the hand, and stayed that day.

The pearl which was made in the

secret, solitude, sorrowful yet shielded,

soothing, steady place, was harvested

and is being now used to the glory of

God. A rare pearl of great value and

price. One for which the merchant wentto great lengths to secure and redeem for

Himself ! A jewel in HIS Crown.

Are we willing to trust God with all

of our hurts, for His Glory in the End?

treasures of the heart, coins & pearls

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