Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  – Matthew 13:44-46

Here’s a question for you, what is being saved worth to you?  I mean, really, do you value being saved?

Is being saved worth spending at least a few minutes a day talking to God?  Is it worth a few hours on Sunday?  Is it worth a gift in the offering basket at church?  If you were given the choice to either renounce your faith in Christ or be tortured and killed, which would you choose?

It’s hard for most Americans to understand that there are people right now being persecuted, tortured, and even killed for their faith in Christ.  Right now, there is a pastor in Iran who will likely face the death penalty for nothing more than his faith.  Christians are persecuted in Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Iran, and many other countries.  I urge you to visit the Voice of the Martyrs website: www.persecution.com to see what is going on in those countries, but also to see how the Christian’s faith is strengthened through their persecution.

When I was a youth leader in a church in Minnesota, our youth put together a short drama comparing the lives of two teenage boys, one Christian and the other Muslim.  The Christian teen wouldn’t even get out of bed to go to church while the Muslim teen was willing to sacrifice his life for Allah.

I have to admire the Muslims for their extreme devotion to their faith.  Their daily schedules are built completely around their prayer life and there are many who are unafraid to end their own lives for their faith.  Now, I don’t agree with their beliefs, but if Christians in America were to latch onto even a fraction of this devotion this nation would be an entirely different place.

The parables of Jesus about the treasure in the field and the pearl of great value speak to a sold out kind of devotion that is rare in America these days.  Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven (being saved) to a guy who found a treasure in a field.  The guy sold everything he had so that he could purchase the field.

Or the merchant of fine pearls, once he found the most valuable pearl, he sold everything that he had to buy it.

Why did they sell everything they had?  The answer is because the treasure was worth that much to them.

Jesus isn’t telling us that we have to sell all of our earthly possessions otherwise we won’t be saved.  What He is telling us, though, is that we should value our salvation so much that we would be willing to give everything we have, every part of our life to Him.

Do you value the work of salvation that Jesus did on the cross for you that you would give your entire life for Him?