Daily Devotions
"He Is No Fool Who Gives Up What He Cannot Keep To Gain What He Cannot Lose"
Reading for October 7th: Matthew 13-14
"The kingdom of heaven is like a 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."
Matthew 13:44
What is your salvation worth to you?
Both in this parable and the parable that immediately follows it (Pearl of Great Price) we encounter a man who finds something so precious and valuable to him that he is willing to sell everything to obtain it. The unspoken question here is, how much is the kingdom worth to you
Jim Elliott said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Elliot gave up some things in order to follow Christ onto the mission field, including his life (he died as a martyr). He gave up money. He gave up comfort. He gave up convenience. He gave up easy access to family and friends. He gave up his life.
But you understand that his logic still works! He gave up a lot of things, but they were things he couldn't keep anyway. All of those things would have been lost to him eventually.
The hidden treasure is that which we cannot lose. The hidden treasure is that sure reward of heaven that Jesus talked about so much. The hidden treasure is eternal life.
But do we pay for eternal life? Isn't that free for us who believe? Yes and no. Eternal life is both free and costly at the same time. It is free in the sense that it costs us nothing. Jesus has paid the price for it already. But to receive this free gift, we must give up everything.
What is it worth to you?
Father, we cannot begin to understand how costly your gift to us was. Help us to value this gift above all else.
