Treasure Hunt

Read: Matthew 13:44-45

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field . . . like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. Matthew 13:44-45

IN WORD

The Kingdom message is out there. We cross paths with it every day. The problem is that most people don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear; on the surface, the message doesn’t appear to have enough value to make a difference. But it does, radically changing lives and societies. It’s like a treasure, a priceless pearl, an immeasurable wealth of truth that opens doors to life and eternity. If only it is seen.

That’s the issue, isn’t it? Kingdom truth doesn’t fall into our laps. We have to look for it with the same kind of zeal that a treasure hunter would. The field looks like nothing more than dirt; an oyster like nothing more than a mollusk. Yet in each lies a precious fortune that only those with insight and determination would find. God has designed His Kingdom the same way. Those without hunger, faith, and perseverance will dismiss it because it doesn’t seem to be worthwhile. They won’t discover what it really means. Those who can see past the visible, who long for something more and aren’t afraid of truth, will persist long enough to find the treasure no matter how hidden it is. And they will give up anything to get it.

IN DEED

Even Christians have to wrestle with this truth. The gospel of salvation is at the core of the Kingdom message, but it isn’t the entire message. Even when we have come into the Kingdom, we still have to cultivate eyes to see what God is doing in our lives and the world around us. We have to learn how to recognize His voice, how to discover His plans, and how to align ourselves with them. We have to develop insights that superficial minds can’t discern.

Always look deeper. Ask God questions and expect Him to answer. Notice what He is doing in the hidden, mundane, undistinguished twists and turns of life, and make yourself available to Him. Align yourself with His work. Life is meant to be a treasure hunt. Discover what God has hidden and bring it into the open. It’s worth everything.

ADDITIONAL READING: Proverbs 25:2

I place no value on anything I have unless it is in relationship to the Kingdom of God.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE