“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful 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
An Important Question
Is there something you want from life that is valuable enough for you to give all you have to obtain it? God’s Kingdom must be more important than the most important thing in your life if you are to yield the harvest of its seed. This Kingdom, like the pearl, is one thing of great price that many other things are given up to gain.
The seed of Kingdom is like a natural seed, which starts out very small but when it is nurtured has the power to bring forth a prosperous harvest. This word “prosper” means to turn over a profit or to yield a return.
The Book of Isaiah describes the process in this way:
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud… so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it,” Isaiah 55:10, 11.
God’s Word is able to accomplish His purposes, but we must wait on it. However, life can get so busy that we can become fragmented in our focus and thus, loosen our hold on the Word of God and the purpose of God for our lives as we wait. To prevent this, we must be willing let go of anything at any time for the sake of holding on to Him Who called us to His Kingdom so that His Word can prosper in us.
Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:34-37.
Everyday, from the time you wake up and get out of bed until you lay down again and go to sleep, there will be things that compete for your time and attention that can take away from nurturing the seeds of God’s Kingdom. There are so many things in my own life that I have to deny daily in order to hold on to my pearl of great price. I have to remember to seek first the Kingdom of God and let the other things find their place after that, (Matthew 6:33). Not only do we face busyness of life every day but we face the desire to do life our way. The world can be a tempting place with all it has to offer in the way of natural success and instant gratification but nothing can compare to the will of God. Being in the center of God’s will is the only true and lasting success but it’s a pearl of great price.
Challenge
I challenge you today: don’t hold onto anything that could cause you to lose it all. In matters small and great, be willing to obey God and follow Him at all cost.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Philippians 3:12
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