The Pearl


Hello friends :)

Long time no sharing. Past 2 weeks have had good sermons. So here goes.

"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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46

This struck me:

The "pearl" is the most expensive thing in the world BUT
Everyone can afford it BECAUSE
It simply costs everything the buyer has SO
Whether rich or poor, everyone can afford it.

So, therefore, there is no excuse. Rich or poor in terms of money, time, friends, family - everyone can afford to buy the pearl. The issue, as always, is DO WE WANT TO. And the more we have in this world, the harder it is to give up. Sigh.

Another amazing thing is, after we hand over everything to God, He turns around and says "Here, take it all back, I'm lending it to you for a while". Then what do we do with it? Bury it in the ground? Use it for ourselves? No, our duty is to grow these resources (money, time, relationships etc), as in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-28. The point is, none of it is ours any more. We bought the pearl remember?

Another point - I always thought that if we managed these resources well, God would be very happy with us and hooray, we will receive a big reward. But after yesterday's sermon (yes I know it was on Colossians, but it's a similar idea), I now have a slightly different spin on things.

Look what it says in Matthew 25:21,23. It's true that God will commend us "well done, good and faithful servant". But also "you have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." It's not "you have been faithful with a few things, here's a million dollars and a happy family, enjoy yourself!" Rather, it is "Ah ha! A good worker. I will put this guy in charge of even more things - not for him, but for the kingdom" - for which multiplication of returns is again expected!

So what should our response be? Are we happy with $3 worth of God, just enough to make us feel warm and fuzzy, and not enough to actually make a difference? No, let's pay the whole price and then, earn returns on the price. Isn't He worth it?

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