the basic message # E50
Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
What has real value to you? Most people would say health, family, faith, home, etc. We often get some strange notions about the value of an item. For example, what has more value- a diamond ring or a glass of water? Dumb question? I think not. Consider this situation: A man is crawling across the desert, only hours away from death due to dehydration. Ask the man, “which do you want- the glass of water or the diamond ring?
Matthew 6:26
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
This has been an emotional week for me. A coworker diagnosed with testicular cancer several months ago was given a clean bill of health after surgery, chemo and other treatment. Praise God. On the very same day I was informed that my brother-in-law had contracted the same type of cancer. That same day I was informed that another coworker’s wife had given birth to a baby boy with only 2 chambers in his heart. For those of you, like myself, that don’t know this, a normal heart has 4 chambers. What is the future for my brother-in-law and my coworker’s baby? I don’t know. And so, I ask again- what has real value to you?
Matthew 6:33-34
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to your as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
None of us know what tomorrow brings. You might be driving to work gritting your teeth about having to buy a set of tires today when fence post falls off of a truck ahead of you. It bounces off the pavement and comes through your windshield, hitting you in the face. At this point, is a set of tires a priority? You’re a student a Columbine High School worrying about a big test when two gunmen come in and start shooting. How much does the test mean now?
My friends, we may be days, hours or minutes away from a tragedy in our lives. I have an atheist friend in the UK that claims he was a Christian for 25 years until his daughter died. Go and read Matthew 10:37 and see what Jesus Christ has to say about our value system. Why does God allow tragedy in our lives? Think about this- does a two year-old question his daddy about how dad is going to put food on the table this week? Does he ask his daddy how he is going to pay for the house? Does he have to understand how his daddy flips the switch and the lights come on? Nope, he just knows that daddy has everything under control. One day that two year-old will grow-up and understand how and why daddy did things like he did. And one day, we too will understand why our Heavenly Father does the things he does. And on that day, we will simply smile knowingly and say, “Now I understand.”