e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
If you would like any of the previous e-votionals, just reply to this email and let me know. Likewise, if you would like to stop receiving them.
We are excited to be able to provide the first twenty-eight e-votionals (including a gospel presentation) in a printed booklet. Unfortunately, we have to pass along the printing costs. The booklet, entitled Tough Life-Big God, is now available. The cost is $2 per book. You can email us if you would like to reserve a copy (or copies), or just pick some up on whenever the church is open. It is our hope that these will be great tools to help spread the gospel this Christmas season.
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 all 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 all that he had and bought it. – Matthew 13:44-46, NASB
Do you have something of real value tucked away somewhere? Perhaps a Mickey Mantle baseball card hiding in a shoebox in your attic? Maybe a Star Wars figure from your childhood stored in a box in your garage? What about an original Barbie wrapped in a towel stashed in the basement? I have some old comic books tucked away somewhere.
Jesus tells us that we have something of great value in the kingdom of heaven. He compares it to a great treasure that a man finds as he walks through a field. That man is smart enough to know something of great value when he sees it. Subsequently, he sells all of his stuff to raise enough money to buy the field and thus secure the treasure.
Jesus also compares the value of the kingdom to fine pearls. The pearl merchant searches and searches until he finds pearls of great value. Then, just like the man who bought the field, he sells everything to raise the revenue to buy the pearls.
Well, we do have a great treasure in our lives – Jesus. His rule in our hearts is indicative of the kingdom of heaven. The question is, what are we willing to give up in order to obtain it. The characters in our parables were willing to get rid of everything in order to claim their great treasure. For so many today, we want to have everything and sprinkle a little Jesus on top.
When I was a child, my class took a field trip. We ended up at a place getting ice cream. Once we received our ice cream, we could put anything and everything on top of it. I put it all – chocolate, sprinkles, everything I could find. It tasted horrible. I couldn’t even finish the sundae. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Less is more. We gain more when we remove some things from the equation.
When it comes to our lives, what would we gain if we were willing to give up a few things? How much of a difference would Jesus make in our lives right now? Be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to gain the greatest treasure in the world. Let Jesus reign in your life today. That reminds me, I need to clean out my basement. I hear that Spider-Man comics have gone up in value.
Pastor Darrell
