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Topic: The Greatest Treasure
[DCLM Daily Manna 3 October 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Matthew 13:44-52 (KJV)
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
Key Verse: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matthew 13:44).
MESSAGE:
Until the Gold Rush in the early nineteenth century, Americans lived in a largely rural society. The American dream at that time was the chance to live free. But in 1848, a fellow named James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill, in present-day Coloma, California near Sacramento. His lips weren’t sealed, so the secret got out. With the help of a boisterous and growing media crew, newspapers advertised the country’s newfound gold craze. This brought a mad dash of hundreds and thousands of fortune-seekers who came to prospect in the foothills. This is what came to be known as the California Gold Rush.
The passage under consideration today formed part of a body of teachings about the kingdom of heaven presented in parables by Jesus our Lord. The emphasis is about the value placed on the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great value and the removal of irrelevant things out of our lives to retain only the things of eternal relevance.
Like the Gold Rush, each of us has to seek out the treasure of salvation which we must cherish above all other earthy possessions. The next is about selling everything; which implies willingness to surrender and invest our all in Christ so that what is despised by the world, is of great value to us. It is also about sitting down to deal severely with the idols of our lives; things we are so attached to that could hinder our concentration on the wonderful things Christ has to offer us.
We are faced with the problem of choice every day. But when we put every need on a scale of preference, our desire for heaven and the great treasure of eternal life should be on top of the list.
Thought For The Day: The value you place on a thing determines the sacrifice for it.
The Bible In One Year: Hebrews 5-9
