"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field"-Matthew 13:44
This past Sunday our church looked at Philippians 1:21-30, where we were challenged by the longing of the apostle Paul to be faithful no matter the cost. Here his famous words, "For to me to live us Christ and to die is gain", seem provide an illustration of a heart going for broke in the cause of Christ. What leads a person to say something like this? I mean Paul ended vs. 20 expressing a desire from Jesus to be exalted through his life whether he lives to a ripe old age or dies a martyrs death. He picks up in vs. 27 inviting the church to likewise be faithful; "striving together for the sake of the gospel". So why take the time to say what he says here?
I believe when we look at the life and letters of Paul we get the chance to see the heart and mind of a man that truly understood the life-changing gift of salvation in Christ and the priceless worth of kingdom of God. To Paul, the seeking of the kingdom was life, it was what he worked for every day. This is always a convicting thing to consider because we as the reader are always confronted with the value Paul sees in the Lord and are left asking ourselves, "how much is knowing Him and seeking His kingdom worth to me?"
In Matthew 13 Jesus goes out to sit by the Sea of Galilee, but is soon surrounded by a crowd of folks wanting to hear His teaching. Rather than speak to them like one of the local rabis from the temple, Jesus teaches on the kingdom of heaven through seven parables. In this, He spends a good deal of time speaking on the judgement, but right in the middle of it all, He teaches on the value of the kingdom and ultimately the amount of worth that we should place on it as the people of God.
What would you be willing to give for the sake of the kingdom? Your car? Your house? Your career? Your skills and resources? For some folks, to ask for these things would be more than a big ask, they would be non-negotiables. But what if we turned the tables? What if I told you that there was 50 acres of land for sale up the road for $750,000.00 that could be yours if you just secured the 15% down payment of $112,000.00. For most folks the would be laughable proposition, impossible to consider. But what if I was able to provide verifiable proof that on that land was one of the biggest untapped oil supplies in the state with a value that was beyond estimation, would that in any way change our thinking?
What is the difference maker in that situation? The difference was the value of the land when compared to everything else we had. I believe this is the kind of value that we are called to place on the kingdom. For people like Paul, the kingdom was worth everything and we see the evidence of that in his words and through his actions. For Paul there was no cost or sacrifice that was too great. But I wonder what kind of value we place on the kingdom of God. Have we realized the priceless nature of what we have been offered in Him, or do we still cling to what little we have in this life? I believe Jesus and Paul are offering us an invitation into something great. It will not always be easy, in fact it will ultimately require complete surrender on our end, but the value we find in Him is worth it all.
"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord"
-Philippians 3:8a
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