HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH?
Opening Prayer
Lord, it’s time to give thanks. Help me to be ever-thankful.
Read Matthew 13:44–52
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure… whatever is commendable…” (Phil. 4:8).One morning in 2001, an amateur metal detector was exploring a muddy field in Kent, England. After his machine started beeping, he started digging furiously into the wet earth. His efforts were rewarded as he unearthed a rare gold chalice, dating from the very early Bronze Age. He sold the cup to the British Museum for nearly $400,000.
Jesus tells a similar story of discovered treasure, but the punchline is dramatically different. The joy experienced by the person in the parable is not rooted in the sale value of what he discovered; it comes from the delight in unearthing precious and hitherto hidden treasure. And instead of cashing in on the catch, the finder sells everything he has to secure the field. And this is probably the point that Jesus is making: true wealth comes when our eyes are opened to the secrets of God’s ways and the only response is costly devotion. The only way to save our lives is by losing them (cf. Matt. 16:25–27). Finding Jesus for ourselves will cost us everything. Anything less is not discipleship.
Have you truly given every area of your life to God? If there is something you have been holding back, commit it to the Lord today.
Apply
Lord, open my eyes again to the sparking brilliance of the Gospel.
Closing prayer
Loving God, thank You for who You are and for who I am in You. May I discover deeper truths of who You are in Your Word.
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