The following was written for the daily Lenten devotionals of FUMC Grapevine, originally published Tuesday, March 11, 2014.
Parable of the Pearl
Read Matthew 13:45-46.
How can something—anything—be worth enough that you would sell everything you have to acquire it? Growing up, my family was always frugal. My parents set money aside for vacations and college tuition and retirement. I was taught to count the cost of things. So when I read this short parable, I’m taken aback. How in the world can one item—one physical possession—be worth enough to give up everything to get it?
No worldly possession could be worth so much… not to me anyway. But the Kingdom of Heaven… now, that’s something so wonderful that we could imagine giving up every single thing to achieve it.
The beautiful thing about the Kingdom of Heaven, though, is that we have a part in creating it. This priceless pearl is our legacy to the world. Every time we choose God’s way, we make our world a little bit more like the Kingdom of Heaven. Every time we remove a little of the world’s rough edges… every act of loving kindness we do, every Jesus-like quality we display molds our world into that priceless pearl.
God, guide us today in trading our kingdoms for the Kingdom of Heaven. Move our spirits so that we make a priceless, eternal contribution to the world. Amen.
Parable of the Pearl
Read Matthew 13:45-46.
How can something—anything—be worth enough that you would sell everything you have to acquire it? Growing up, my family was always frugal. My parents set money aside for vacations and college tuition and retirement. I was taught to count the cost of things. So when I read this short parable, I’m taken aback. How in the world can one item—one physical possession—be worth enough to give up everything to get it?
No worldly possession could be worth so much… not to me anyway. But the Kingdom of Heaven… now, that’s something so wonderful that we could imagine giving up every single thing to achieve it.
The beautiful thing about the Kingdom of Heaven, though, is that we have a part in creating it. This priceless pearl is our legacy to the world. Every time we choose God’s way, we make our world a little bit more like the Kingdom of Heaven. Every time we remove a little of the world’s rough edges… every act of loving kindness we do, every Jesus-like quality we display molds our world into that priceless pearl.
God, guide us today in trading our kingdoms for the Kingdom of Heaven. Move our spirits so that we make a priceless, eternal contribution to the world. Amen.
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