Matthew 13:44-46
The parable we looked at yesterday had to do with all the different ways people accept the Kingdom after hearing the Word. The parable about the wheat and tares (vv. 24-30) reminds us of the reality of the Kingdom and that not everyone accepts it, but that the Lord will sort it all out. The parables about the mustard seed and the leaven (vv. 31-33) tells me that the Kingdom will reach its fullness before the ingathering takes place.
Our two parables this morning say one simple thing. While the previous ones could cause us to look around at how others respond, these two parables put it back in our laps.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like finding such a precious, priceless, beautiful, meaningful, fulfilling, extravagant prize that you give up everything else in order to have it. Verse 44 says the person "in his joy" gives up everything to possess it.
Do we realize the treasure we have? It's much more than just going to heaven some day. We tend to think of heaven as the prize for praying some prayer or walking some aisle. Heaven is only part of it. The Kingdom, the abundant life, the eternal life is already here! But...you can only have The Kingdom or your kingdom. And if we really understood what a priceless, beautiful, meaningful, fulfilling, extravagant prize The Kingdom is, with joy we would forsake our lives for Real Life.
So, here's my meditation for the day as I seek all of the Kingdom I can get: what of my kingdom am I still holding onto? Lord forgive me and remind me that only You make known to me the path of life; only in Your presence is there fullness of joy; only at Your right hand are there pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
Have a great weekend.
