What Are You Willing to Let Go to Gain the Kingdom of Heaven?
Scripture Passage: Matthew 13:44-52 (NASB)
44 “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 everything that he has, and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.”
SUMMARY
Jesus gives several parables to describe the kingdom of Heaven. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, where the man who finds the treasure sells everything he has to buy the field; like a merchant who finds a pearl of great value and sells everything he owns to buy that pearl; and like a net cast into the sea that finds many bad and good fish, but after all the fish is brought in, the good fish is sorted into containers and bad fish are thrown away. Jesus says that at the end the righteous will be separated from the wicked, who will be thrown into the place of fire. Finally, Jesus says that every one who hears his word and becomes a disciple is like a head of household who brings out of his treasure new things and old.
REFLECTION
Jesus teaches us that the kingdom of Heaven is not something that comes to us on its own. It is a treasure that is hidden and that needs to be found (ver. 44), sought (ver. 45), and gathered (ver. 47). Over the years, I have been praying that God will establish the “Kingdom of heaven” in my home, through my relationships with others, at my work place, as well as in my speech, conduct and most of all in my heart. Through today’s text, God challenges me to not just ask for the kingdom of Heaven but to go and actively find and gather the heavenly treasure.
APPLICATION
I realize that finding, seeking, casting the net into the sea and gathering heavenly treasure requires me to go out of my comfort zone in faith. Jesus says that to obtain treasure and build the kingdom of heaven in my life, I must sell “everything” (ver. 44, 46) to buy that treasure, and to separate the good (the righteous things) from the bad things. This requires faith. It takes faith to throw away the earthly treasures that I gathered for myself and instead to trust that God will actually build the kingdom of heaven filled with treasures that will last eternally.
By nature, I am very detail oriented; everything has to be planned, controlled and organized. I don’t like to be spontaneous and I want things to be done exactly the way that I planned. And I get easily frustrated and irritated when things don’t go the way I planned. This of course results in a lot of conflict and causes a lot of stress not just for myself but for my husband and son as well. But today, God convicts my heart, saying: “What good is it for you to pray everyday for the kingdom of heaven to be built in your home when you are so unwilling to let go and sell your earthly things, to throw away the bad fish?” It won’t be easy to change my tendency to plan and control every detail, when I’ve cultivated those tendencies for years, but little by little I want to practice letting go and surrendering my character and emotions. We are planning a trip to the East coast in a few weeks and I want to try not to control and plan too much, but to enjoy the moment and be grateful for the memorable time that we will have as a family.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
Help me to actively find, seek and gather Your treasures so that Your heavenly kingdom will be established in every part of my life. Forgive me for cultivating the treasures of the earth, listening to my own voice instead of yours. Help me to keep surrendering and letting go. Help me to have faith that by letting go, by surrendering control of every detail to You, that my life will be so much richer because I am finally putting You in control, as it is meant to be. Thank you Lord for Your unbelievable generosity to me, that You even put such an amazing, unthinkable treasure in my reach. Please help me Lord to seek Your things above all other things.
In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
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