The Kept

Ever lost anything? Stupid question, hunh? Everyone has lost something at one time. If you’ve ever seen my office you could possibly understand how I might misplace a few things! OK, so what’s the most valuable thing you’ve ever lost? A ring, earrings, your wallet? How about your car? “Dude, where’s my car?” I’ve lost mine several times in amusement parking lots or at malls, but thankfully found it! Isn’t it really cool to stumble across something you thought was long gone? It happens every so often for me (especially when I clean my office!).

It might be easier to ask, ‘What is something you have kept for years?’ We often sell, trade, give away, garage sale, re-gift things. Few things in life hold so much value that we keep them perpetually. Bet you could kick yourself for getting rid of that Reggie Jackson or Mickey Mantle card. Maybe it was an old G.I. Joe or Barbie. Could have really been worth something now on ebay. Could have paid off college maybe!!

Someone may actually steal that valuable item, sell it or give it away by mistake. As a teen I had a jar full of ‘Indian’ arrowheads & mini balls from the Civil War. I grew up in the Helena, AR area where a Civil War battle was fought. I went to my friend’s house one day, coming home I found my Mom had a garage sale. She was somewhat fed up with my messy room & helped me ‘clean it up’ with the sale! She didn’t know (or perhaps didn’t really care) that the items of said jar were valuable. I took the hint anyway & tried to keep a slightly neater room.

My wife has many keepsakes dating back to her early childhood. She’s kept them in pristine condition, that is until me or our son gets hold of them. I collect some things but not like her. She’s about the queen of keepsakes!

I suppose it’s a given it’s hard to hold onto things. That’s why antiques are valuable! But the crux of all this ‘hang on to your hats’ talk is really about us. God considers us His most prized possession. Enough so that He would allow Jesus to invade our darkness to bring us His light. He had to stand by while the vile sin of the world was dumped on His perfect, precious Son. “Good Friday” paved the path to the grave abandoned on Easter morn. With that act He bought us back from death.

But can He keep us? What a stupid question, right? We often live like we believe He can’t. You know, we all blow it. I fail regularly. My life, and maybe yours’, is often like a kite on an April afternoon. It soars high in the wind, climbing to great altitudes. Then the winds shift & the kite dips madly. We pull the string taught & the kite climbs again. Our Father holds fast. When the winds shift & we spiral down, He pulls tight & we climb again.

There was a great old African-American preacher named E.V. Hill. He had a great message called, “The Kept.” That message came to me the other day. No matter how much I falter or fail, it’s such a comfort to know God holds us in the palm of His hand. The late, great preacher was quoting I Peter when he described us as ‘the kept.’
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”
I Peter 1:3-5 NLT

As Dr. Hill referred to saints as ‘the kept’ he was using the King James Version. It says, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." God holds us as a prize possession, unlike our earthly efforts to hold valuables. We lose, sell or give away items only to wish we’d held on. God? Well, He’s God. No mistakes or thrown away treasures.

It all really boils down to the fact, are you ‘the kept.’ Have you trusted Him to hold your life? If not, then your life is worse than the kite bouncing in the Spring wind. Trust His heart then ‘live with great expectation.’

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