Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46
The value of finding your name written in the book of life and walking through the pearly gates of heaven is priceless… Nothing on 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 into 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 important aspects we are to receive and digest today when it comes to the story told here in Matthew. The first is that we recognize the love God has for us and the second is the love we must have for 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 then 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…
Now that we see the love of God, let us look at the reverse and place ourselves in the place of the merchantman 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, and 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, or solitude? The fact of the matter is that we all are searching for something, and within Christ and Christ only can we find it!
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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