The Kingdom of Heaven Deserves Our Best
In the book of Matthew 13:44-46, we are told the kingdom of heaven is like a hidden treasure buried in a field or a fine pearl. It says, based on human standards, if either of these were found it is only natural we would go sell everything we owned to obtain them. The kingdom of heaven is like that treasure or fine pearl, but it is offered to everyone for the taking. However, how many of us are ready to give of ourselves fully to obtain the kingdom of heaven? How many of us want to keep our lives the way they are, attending church and say we are Christians?
When we turn our lives over to Christ, it cannot be a halfhearted effort. It is a full commitment to Him, a decision we should not make out of emotion or without understanding what we are doing. The rewards and benefits are far greater than anything we could possibly imagine, but it is not something we can obtain by casually walking into it or by giving it a test drive. God is offering us eternal life, but we have to make the decision to jump in with both feet.
The analysis of maturing in faith is so much like that of a child maturing to become an adult. A child will act like a child, but it is their parents that teaches and molds them as they learn to make good choices. The Holy Spirit is there to guide the Christian as they learn to become a mature person of faith. The difference though is as a new Christian, our experiences up until we accepted Christ was completely dependent on the ways of the world. This is especially true for new adult believers because they have years of learning how to be successful in today’s society, how important it is to follow the American dream of having the largest house and nicest car in the neighborhood. As a newborn Christian, our sins are wiped clean. The choices we make on a daily basis after this point will be governed by either the love of the Lord in our hearts or our old worldly wisdom that we thought was so important.
Following the right path or in other words, the ways of the Lord is not automatic once we decide to follow Christ. We are called to be obedient, serve the less fortunate, and love our neighbors, but it does not just happen. It takes time and a desire to unlearn the ways of the world and live by faith to trust the ways of the Lord. Once our sins are forgiven, we are given power over sin and we have the ability to do the right thing. But as creatures of free will, we still have to choose to make the right choices on a daily basis.
I do not believe God expects us to sell everything we have to find the hidden treasure or the fine pearl, but as we strive to become like Christ, we are to give ourselves fully to Him. God is looking for a full commitment to His plan for our lives.
