“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and…goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” ~ Matthew 13:44
REFERENCE:
Precious treasures are not easy to come by – diamonds are buried in rocks, crude oil is in the depth of the earth, and so is gold. They often have to be mined or extracted and passed through laborious processes before they can be of benefit. Pieces of diamond jewelry are also not sold in just any shop, and where you find them, they are in secured displays or vaults.
Jesus teaches the laws of value, diligence, and foresight with this parable. This man diligently sought the treasure because he understood its value, and he was willing to sell all he had to acquire it. He considered that treasure of more value than all he had, and through foresight, he saw its potential to make him even wealthier. Have you trained yourself in identifying things of value; e.g., business opportunities, properties of value, investments that can make you wealthy tomorrow, or even the kind of expertise you need to hire to grow your venture? The next question to answer is, “How bad do you want it?” How much do you want to live a better life, have financial independence, excel in your studies, grow your enterprise, or walk in the power of God? Are you willing to pay the price for what you want? The man in this parable spared nothing to acquire what he considered to be of great value. Are you willing to deny yourself certain pleasures, delay gratification, burn the midnight candle, or sell off some property to acquire one of more value? When you value something, you pursue it with great desire, and you will eventually get it; life itself will order events around you until you get it.
Kingdom people don’t shrink back from investing something of value to get something of greater value. You will sometimes pay a premium for an old house just because of its location or the size of land it sits on, which may support your business tomorrow. You may have to spend a little extra to please a client because you know the network of high-profile clients they may connect you to. In our text, Jesus said the merchant sold all he had to buy ‘one’ pearl; think of it, ‘all for one.’
This is the same principle that undergirds the salvation of our souls. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul.” There has to be a tradeoff of something we consider valuable to us – bad habits, friends, or sinful pleasure, to get that which is more valuable – the salvation of our soul. God valued you so much, He sent His precious Son, Jesus, to die in your place; the best way to let Him know you value that sacrifice is to commit your life in its entirety to Him. Go and sell all, and go and buy this One pearl – salvation in Christ Jesus.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Matthew 7:6-8, Proverbs 23:23 & Genesis 25:29-34
PRAYERS
+ Lord, open my eyes to recognize the pearl you have placed in my vicinity, in my life, my marriage, children, and business.
+ Today, I let go of what has to go: unforgiveness, laziness, disobedience to the Holy Spirit; I will not gain the world and lose my soul.
+ I receive the grace to train myself in identifying things of value and harnessing the kind of expertise I need to become valuable and a force to reckon with in my generation, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
11 Comments
Aisha Kyong
May 25, 2022, at 4:53 amLord, Let your kingdom always be my motivation behind all that I do. I love you so much that I want to make everything about you.
Aisha Kyong
May 25, 2022, at 4:54 amYou Lord are the treasure that I seek.
Ene Sefia
May 25, 2022, at 5:03 am🙏🏽
Shiza Abu
May 25, 2022, at 5:39 amYou have done so much for me, sacrificed your only Son for me. It therefore should not be so hard for me to sacrifice worldly pleasures to gain an eternal pleasure keeping your great sacrifice in mind.
So Lord I ask that you keep me in remembrance of that great sacrifice so that at the end I gain that which is of greater value. Amen.
Anita Garenre Ifeanyi-Okorie
May 25, 2022, at 7:02 amI let go of everything to Win the treasure. Nothing is worth displeasing you. Absolutely nothing! You are my priority.
Wale Afelumo
May 25, 2022, at 7:22 amLord, train my eyes to discern what is of value, that I might not make worthless and detrimental bargains like Esau. Help me to make the right tradeoffs in life, so I can have and become all You have purposed for me, in Jesus’ name.
Bright George
May 25, 2022, at 8:14 amAmen
Uduak Afelumo
May 25, 2022, at 8:22 amI couldn’t help but see how valuable God must see me to give up His most prized possession to acquire me. Chai! Nothing, nothing and no one is worth holding on to if it means losing my God! He is everything!!!
Uduak Afelumo
May 25, 2022, at 8:27 amFor someone reading this, hold on to your virginity. It is of great value to you and to God. Don’t throw it away regardless of the pressure. If it wasn’t of value, the pressure won’t be there. 😉
Uduak Afelumo
May 25, 2022, at 8:25 amFor someone reading this, hold on to your virginity. It is of great value to you and to God. Don’t throw it away regardless of the pressure. If it wasn’t of value, the pressure won’t be there. 😉
Blessing Okpale
May 25, 2022, at 12:54 pmMy spirit is trained to identify hidden treasures. My mind is yielded to give all it takes to possess that treasure in Jesus’ name, Amen.