Matthew 13:45-46
The value of finding your name written in the book of life and having a mansion in heaven is priceless… Nothing of this earth can compare; the most precious gem isn’t comparable to the divine words well done… This passage simply puts my everyday affairs into perspective… So many of us find ourselves daily struggling and fighting to reach heights defined by our peers; however, when we come to know the truest of treasures (the kingdom of heaven) we will be like this merchant man spoken of in the gospel of Matthew and sell all of our goods to obtain it… On earth we always believe we have the best until we see something better… A new car we love today, but strive for the one which comes off the assembly line tomorrow; a new job we embrace today, but will soon find ourselves seeking other employment with a higher salary… You will never be satisfied on this earth... Nothing will fill the void within unless you cast all your value in Eternal Life…There is nothing of this earth which I can obtain that will bring the happiness and immeasurable joys of heaven… There are two ways for us to understand this story told here in Matthew on the one hand we see the Love of God and on the other we see the love that we must display toward Him…If we are able to read these verses and contemplate the Love of God, we can see that just like this merchant man God sold all He had for us to buy us and bring us back into a right relationship with Him… We need to look at these verses in that light because we are the pearls that are being talked about in this chapter… Stop allowing people to put price tags on your life or tell you that you are of no value… My bible tells me that Christ died for me and thought it not robbery to leave His home in glory… If Christ was willing to do that than I must have a value that you simply cannot see… God says you’re priceless and because of that He sold all He had (gave His son) to purchase you…
Matthew paints a portrait today of what the eternal kingdom will look like and represent! It is compared to a merchant who is seeking good pearls and finds one at a great price so he sells all that he has to obtain it… God was seeking one who would follow Him, one who would obey Him and when He found you He said my son is worth the price… If God thinks that you are worth the price of His own son, why do you allow society to devalue you? If God gave all that He had to buy you, why are you selling yourself short? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves knowing that God teaches us today that there is no value on this earth that equals you… Why does God value us so high, because you were created in His image; Genesis 1: 26-27 says, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Now that we see the love of God, let us look at the reverse and place ourselves in the place of the merchant man and God is the pearl… You and I have been searching long and hard trying to find answers and paths to solve problems of life… So the question I have today is what are you willing to give up (worldly possessions) to obtain your answers… The merchant in this story found something that was valued more than anything that he had already gained; today we must come to realize that the precious promises of God and the happiness that resides within Heaven will outweigh any of the pleasures of this world… He sold all he had to increase what he had, what are you holding back today, what are you refusing to sell today (drugs, habits, people…) these are some of the possessions that we must sell, these are some of the items that we must give up in order to increase the value of our lives and the relationship that we have with God…
This merchant was searching for happiness, he was searching for peace of mind and freedom, and when he found it he immediately gave up everything that he had… What are you searching for in this life, what is your motivation or your goal to reach? Is it happiness, stability, peace, solitude? The fact of the matter is that we all are searching for something, and within Christ we can find it! This passage has a two part meaning though, the merchant found the pearl at a great price! Now that you know the road to achieve your hopes and dreams (which is Christ), now that you see the light at the end of the tunnel, how much is it worth to you? You see Christ with open arms awaiting your arrival, you can see your joy, your peace, and your happiness, but you realize that it is going to cost a great deal of sacrifice to receive it… It’s a great price to pay, the price can be in a realm of darkness, that price can be manifested in times of despair and loneliness, that price can be established on islands of misfortune and trials… Are you ready to give up all that you have, are you ready to loose some friends, can you be removed from some situations, and can you stand to see some of your love ones be cancelled out of your life? These are the questions that the merchant had to answer; these are the questions that we have to answer… It is very easy to say we are Christians and we are a child of God, but when we go through challenges it helps us to appreciate the rewards of our labor… God says your labor is not in vain; the question is do we believe that? If so, sell yourself and all the things you have desired on this earth to obtain that good pearl (salvation)!
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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