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.

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
(Matthew 13:44-46, KJV)

The Worthless Message Of The Man-Pleasers

Our Lord Jesus of Nazareth once taught – the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one pearl of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Now, if we listen to so much of the contemporary preaching of the man-pleasers today you’d get the idea that self-esteem and a life of leisure is the treasure that is hidden. The self-centered journey of alleged “purpose” in the Purpose Driven Church, and the leisurely search for the True Self in the Contemplative Spirituality of the Emergent Church only serves to make the “seeker” sensitive to a pursuit of their own felt needs.

However, this is not at all what the real Jesus of Biblical revelation was talking about here. Commenting on this teaching from our Lord noted Christian writer Andrew Murray makes this accurate observation:

Every Christian who desires the pearl of great price must sacrifice all to buy it. It is not enough to see the beauty and the glory and almost to taste the joy of this wonderful life; you must become the possessor of it. The man had found and seemingly desired and rejoiced in the pearl of great price; but he did not have it until he gave up everything to buy it. You cannot live every day in perfect fellowship with God without giving time to it.

Hours, days, weeks, months, and years are gladly given by men and women to perfect themselves in some profession or accomplishment. Do you expect that the Christian walk is so easy and cheap that without giving time you can find close fellowship with God? But this pearl is worth everything. If you find there is struggle in your heart, never mind. By God’s grace, if you will lie at His feet, you may depend upon it–deliverance will come!

Press On Dear Christian

What is missing in today’s shallow facade passing as Christianity in much of the dying evangelical camp of our Lord’s Church is the infinite worth of knowing God; of really pressing on into the Kingdom of Heaven while still here upon this earth and developing a real relationship with Him! Do you not know – But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out] (Hebrews 11:6, Amplified Bible). God the Holy Spirit also tells us – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13)

Dear Christian, you should be able to see that this does require an effort on our part. And Jesus Himself tells us – Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7, KJV). Where the original Greek is written in the present tense to emphasize that we must be willing to “keep on” doing these things because only God alone is worthy of this kind of attention on our part. Today let us renew our desires to fight the good fight, holding on to the faith (1 Timothy 1:18,19), and to cast eyes Heavenward to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4).

Beloved, may we who are so precious to our Lord recover the truth of the parable of the pearl of great price. The Kingdom of Heaven there is worth far more than anything upon this earth here–and even very own lives! Surely Jesus lived out the truth of this parable, and he gave up “everything” – His precious sinless perfect life. No, the life of the true Christian is not to seek our own pleasures, it is to completely sell out to Jesus so that others may see your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Now that emerges as a life driven by a real purpose…