December 21 – Hidden Treasure – Matthew 13
There are several great truths among several parables in this chapter, but a much overlooked but powerful truth is in verses 44 thru 46. The first short story is about a man passing through a field. When he finds a treasure in the field, he goes home and sells everything he owns. He takes the money and purchases the field with the valuable treasure. The second short story is about a merchant that has been searching for a specific valuable pearl. When he finally finds it, he sells all of his belongings to gather the money to purchase this pearl. An obvious but slippery truth is to recognize the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone knows the value of trusting Christ in order to go to Heaven, but few see the value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Those people with their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will spend eternity with God in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sadly, most of our energy, planning, and thoughts are focused on things of this lifetime instead of the Kingdom of Heaven to come. Jesus is stressing the point for all of us to recognize and understand the value of Heaven. Many parents make the mistake of focusing their parenting on helping their child to be successful on earth without helping their child recognize the value of planning for Heaven. It is a good idea to help your child to formulate a plan for a good earthly retirement, but it is a much better idea to help your child to formulate a plan for a good Heavenly retirement. Getting saved by trusting Jesus as your Saviour is just the beginning. Let’s reset our values to include the Kingdom of Heaven as a priority in our lives.
