“Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45)
Value simply defined is the worth of a thing. The reality of life is that we value things differently due to our estimated or perceived worth of the thing. Life is all about trade-offs, in other words, people are willing to sacrifice and pay a high premium on something they consider valuable and the reverse is also true. In the scripture above, the merchant was willing to trade off all he had in order to purchase the kingdom of Heaven. Below are some truths to consider:
1. What Humans value is usually different from God: For instance, God holds the marriage institution in very high value, society and man is saying marriage is now old fashioned and don’t matter anymore. And as a result, the society is suffering as a whole because of the de-valuation of the marriage institution. God also holds His church in high esteem because His agenda in this world is mostly carried out by the church. i.e. the body of Christ. But these days, many are telling us the church is no longer relevant while atheists, secular humanists and others are pushing their agendas.
2. What you don’t value you will eventually lose: Esau lost his firstborn inheritance because he had no value for it. Demas, a co-worker of Apostle Paul didn’t value spiritual stuff and ministry and he backslid as a result (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:10). Judas placed a ridiculous and mere value of 30 pieces of silver on Jesus and he lost his salvation as a result.
3. The value of something is what you are willing to pay to purchase the item: Man is so valuable to God that the blood of Jesus was shed by God to purchase man back to Himself. Economists tell us that the cost of a thing could also be the alternative you forego. Ministry and destiny was so crucial to Moses that he gave up the treasures and throne of Egypt as a result (Hebrews 11:25-26). Jacob placed a high premium on the first born inheritance that he started contesting for it from the womb. Do the things you cherish and are paying a high price for have a long term or eternal value?
4. God will not give you what you won’t value: Jesus said, "Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet ...” (Matthew 7:6). Jacob got the first born inheritance over Esau because he placed a higher premium on it. Elisha got a double portion of Elijah’s anointing because he had serious value for it. The Greek woman in Mark 7:24-30 got her daughter delivered from demon spirits because she wouldn’t give up even after being insulted. The list is endless in the Bible of this fact and principle. God do not give truly valuable things to those that won’t appreciate it.
5. The most valuable things in life don’t carry a price-tag: Eternal salvation in Christ, the grace and anointing of God, ability to get results in prayers, ability to hear the voice of God, peace of mind, a good name, solid relationship with spouse and children, etc are valuable commodities that money cannot buy. Things that truly satisfy, fulfill and are of eternal value are priceless. Scripture reference: Isaiah 55:1-3.
CONCLUSION: Life is a trade-off. Many are giving up things of true and eternal value for worthless and ephemeral things. Many are bowing to Satan, sinful pleasures and temporal gains in exchange for their souls. Be careful the things you choose to value and those you choose not to value. It may mean the difference between heaven and hell. Receive divine wisdom to act wise and appropriately. Have a blessed new month.
Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
http://gboyegae.blogspot.com
www.rccgpittsburgh.net
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