“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth,
and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”
Matthew 13:44
As we see from the many parables in the Gospels concerning the Kingdom of God, it is not a place that we go to when we die, nor is it a “deep” teaching to be known on an intellectual plane, it is a treasure beyond compare. When a person actually discovers it’s true worth it produces a LIFE that sells itself out for the acquisition of it. Men who have a teaching are content to talk about it, learn more about it and simply wait for it, but “when” a man finds its true meaning, there is a rising up and a “selling” of all that we have in order to purchase it. Consider….
- “I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which I was apprehended…”
- “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire…”
- “Know ye not that they which RUN in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So Run that YE MAY OBTAIN”
The truth of the Kingdom is powerful. It grips the hearts of those who see its worth and produces a quest for reality and truth that cannot leave the beholder with a passive interest in its acquisition and a faithless waiting for it to come. It must be pursued, purchased and acquired at any cost. Obedience is the means by which “we sell our all”. True discipleship is characterized by “if” for it is the freewill offering of the New Covenant.
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it…
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels;
and then he shall reward every man according to his works”
Matthew 16:24 – 27
Ω
The costs associated with the “buying” of this great treasure are very real because the faith that produces it is very real. This is the day to arise and see the value of this great treasure! Let us no longer be satisfied with the teachings of the Kingdom, waiting for the Kingdom, but let us, by the wonder of Faith and Trust, enter the Kingdom through the LIFE and POWER of the Son at work in our lives.
“Everyone wants the kingdom of God, but few want it first. Everyone wants high achievement, but few want to pay the price. Everyone wants God, but few want to put him first.”
Charles L. Venable
