UPSIDE DOWN

The Big Trade-Off

 

As a kid in elementary school we would always trade stuff in our lunches.  You were always hoping to score big by landing a Star-Crunch or Ding Dong.  But it rarely happened, unless someone had a crush on you.

 

Nowadays, we would all be willing to trade some things.  You wish you could trade Mondays for an extra Saturday.  You would trade a peanut butter sandwich for a fajita.  You wish you could trade your tennis shoes for a new pair.  You get it.

 

 

You are always willing to trade up for something of highest value.

 

Pray:  God, help me to hear what you have for me as I spend time with You.

 

Grab your Bible:  Matthew 13:44-46.

 

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. ⁴⁶ When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

 

Jesus is telling a story called a parable.  A parable is an illustration to prove a godly principle.

The Kingdom of Heaven is not just talking about being in heaven.  It is referring to becoming a follower of Jesus, a full-on disciple.  Take a minute and read the two parables again.

What does both the man and the merchant discover?

After they discover it, what do they do?

The immediately rush off and sell everything to obtain what they treasure the most!  They make a trade.  That is exactly what we talked about Sunday.  The new followers of Jesus made a trade.  The left everything to follow Jesus.

When you discover the true value of knowing Jesus, you will trade everything to follow Him.

You are always willing to trade up for something of highest value.

 

Again, when you really discover how good it is to know Jesus closely, you will be willing to give everything else up.

 

NOTHING.  ELSE. COMPARES.

Prayer:  God, You are the highest treasure.  Nothing else compares to knowing You.  Show that to me today and tomorrow and the next day.