Value

     Lately I have been reading in Matthew 13:44.  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”  I have been able to think and reflect upon this verse lately and a resounding truth that has stuck in my mind is this:  We will not seek what we do not treasure, or we will not seek what we do not deem valuable.  The kingdom of heaven is of tremendous value and is the only thing in this world worth searching hard after.  In Psalm 73:25 it says, “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you.”  There is nothing of more importance than “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).  Also in the Psalms we are told to Delight ourselves in the Lord.  In delighting ourselves in the Lord we find our joy in Him.  Along with this I have been reading about fighting the good fight of the faith and striving to enter through the narrow door.  The man who dug up the treasure probably dug through much dirt and rocks with much sweating and difficulty.  In reading Let the Nations be Glad, by John Piper, I came across this statement, “we have to fight against the ‘deceitfulness of riches’ and ‘desires for other things’…we must fight to cherish the kingdom above all other things, that is our first and most constant battle.”  Fighting the good fight of the faith and intently searching and laying hold of the Kingdom does not happen in one day, but it is a continual struggle and fight and Peter reminds us that we must “make our calling and election sure.”  There are desires that capture our attention more than the value of the kingdom and we are urged to not allow this to happen.  The enemy will use whatever necessary to steal truths that we are learning about God and to steal intimacy with the Father.  In Hebrews 3 we are told to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of us be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”  I find myself asking, how much do I value the kingdom of heaven?