Matthew 13-14

October 15

Matthew 13-14

What is it worth to know we have eternal life with Jesus? What is it worth to be a part of the Kingdom of God? We often look at what we get out of the relationship with Jesus. Our self centeredness drives us to ask; “what’s in it for me.” What is the return on our investment? The benefit is living a life of contentment and peace no matter what circumstances we may face. The benefit is life in its fullness now, and eternal life with Jesus. But do we think about the cost?

Jesus tells two parables that tell us that the kingdom of God is worth everything. If you found a treasure worth a million dollars buried in a field and could go and buy the field for fifty thousand dollars, you would sell all you needed to sell in order to buy the field and thus the treasure. If you found a pearl for sale for ten thousand dollars and you knew it was a rare pearl worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, you would willingly and joyfully sell all you had to get enough to buy the pearl.

If we can even begin to fathom the worth of being a part of the Kingdom of God, we will be willing to give up everything we have held onto in order to enter the Kingdom. Jesus said that we must be willing to take up our cross and follow Him. We have to leave behind our unforgiveness, our greed, our self centeredness, our prejudices; we have to leave behind the junk of our lives, so God can fill us with blessings beyond measure. Jesus paid the price for our salvation; we just have to receive the gift. But if our hands are full of the junk of life, it is difficult to reach out and receive the gift He is offering. No matter what it may cost us to follow Jesus, it is a good return on our investment.