"The kingdom of
heaven is like a hidden 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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking
fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and
bought it" (Matt. 13:44-46).
Hey
Gang: have you ever found a hidden treasure or costly pearl?
Perhaps, if you haven't, "You do not have because you do not
ask" (James 4:2) Or
perhaps you "ask with the wrong motives. Several years
ago I happened to tune into a program where people bring antique objects to a
professional evaluator to check and see the objects authenticity and
value.
In
most cases the objects were found to be authentic but not of much value.
However, on this particular day, an elderly lady brought a vase that had been
passed down through the generations of her family. The longer the
evaluator looked at the vase the more excited he became; he had in his hands a" pearl of great
price", a vase from a Chinese dynasty that was worth over a hundred
thousand dollars.
As
he declared this to the many people who were present at the exhibit, you could
hear the ‘Oh's’ and ‘Awes’ from the crowd. Wow! How they envied
this lady who had a "pearl of great price" in her home for all of
these years and did not have a clue that it was a "pearl of great
price".
As
I watched the program it surfaced a question in my mind: How many people
in our nation, who are going through great pains and agony, that do not realize
that most have in their homes a
"pearl of great price" that has been collecting dust on a closet
shelf. It contains the wondrous promises of God.
Years
ago my bride and I were commissioned to teach a very special class of
parents. Each had been assigned to the class by a court or school system.
The common denominator - they had a teen ager who was causing havoc in the
community or school. In my opining comments to this unique group of
parents, I asked them, "What would you have us teach in these sessions
that would help you the most?"
One
man, who sat in the back corner with sneer on his face and arms folded in
defiance, asked "what are our options?” I said we can teach you
Biblical principles that contain the perfect plan that God provided for raising
our children.” He said, “I don't believe that stuff.” When asked
what stuff he did not believe, he could not give me one example.
He
then asked, “What is the second option?” I said, "We will teach you
Biblical principles without telling you they are Biblical principles.”
And what is my third option? We send you down the road for we have found
nothing else that works.
On
the fourth or fifth session we noted a tremendous difference in him. His
face was no longer hardened and his arms no longer crossed in rebellion.
As a matter of fact he was smiling and itching to share what had happened in
his house after last Saturday’s session.
On
that particular Saturday morning the subject was based on the importance of
consistency in setting boundaries. He announced to the family that from
that moment on we are going to do things differently, we will respect each
other. He was so happy because there was a difference in family attitude.
Soooo,
have you been diligent in spending time with your "Pearl of Great
Price?" Jesus, in His sermon on the mount said, "Every one who hears these words of Mine and
does not act on them is like the man who built his house on the sand and when
the shaking came, the house fell. (Hainley rendition of Matt.
7:24-25). But He did not leave it there, He went on to say He who
builds his house on the Word of God is like building his house on the rock. It
may be shaken but it will not fall!
Blessings,
Gramps
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