Judge Not?

The Secret to the Treasure

When thinking further on the name I chose for my blog, a verse came to my mind regarding treasure. It is from Matthew 13:44. Jesus is sitting by a lake, speaking to a large crowd. He was speaking in parables, as he often did and in this one he is speaking of the Hidden Treasure. He says, “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."

I have heard this parable several times, but I know the true meaning behind it did not sink in the first time I read it, probably not the second or third time either, but as I spend more and more time in God’s word, some of those things that went right over my head at one time, have started to make more sense. The kingdom of heaven is something that if we were asked to be a part of, most of us would probably say something like, “Yes, when I die, I would like to go to Heaven”, but when it comes down to how we are living our day to day lives, are we living with Heaven in mind? Our Pastor, David Sorn at Renovation Church, where I attend, recently taught a series called The Rope, where he spoke much more eloquently than I can, on living with eternity in mind, as opposed to just this tiny blip of life we have here on Earth. I think the verse above from Matthew really ties into this concept. The man in the parable finds this treasure and it is so wonderful that he hides it, so as not to lose it, and joyfully sells everything so that treasure can be his. What he found there is more wonderful than any of his possessions.

Now, to be clear, I don’t think Jesus is telling us all to sell our houses or cars to find Him and have this treasure of Heaven, but I think He is really trying to tell us just how amazing the kingdom of heaven is. So amazing that someone who is wise, would give up a bunch of meaningless things to gain access to this thing that is much more valuable.

When I first started going back to church in 2009, my life was kind of a mess. Side note: great time to try church (or try it again), when things are a mess. I went to Willowbrook Church in Forest Lake on Palm Sunday and I just remember knowing almost instantly that a door was being open to what was really missing in my life. I got a new study Bible shortly after that and started to read from this beautiful book that I had long forgotten. It was not an overnight transition though to try following Jesus. I had all of these things in my life that I was clinging to and wasn’t sure I was ready to trade these things, if that was what was being asked of me. Even things as silly as some of the shows I watched on TV. I remember thinking, things like, “If I follow Jesus, am I going to have to quit watching Weeds?”. The answers to that question, might be better left for another blog entry, but basically out of these concerns for things that did not matter, I wasn’t quite grasping the things that did really matter. Little did I know, but God was about to do some amazing things in my heart regarding those matters.

Are there things in your life that you feel would be hard to trade for the treasure of Heaven? What are some of those things? Why do you feel that they would be hard to part with?

I pray that God spoke to you through today’s entry and that He will continue working in your heart and will bless you with abundant joy that only His love can offer.