The Kingdom of Heaven :: Deeper Devotion

Matthew 13:45-46
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

So often I forget what the Lord did for my sins. I fail to remember what Christ left to save me while I was yet a sinner. We live in a fallen world and are surrounded by violence and hatred. Selfishness, pride, deceit… immoralities of every kind are constantly surrounding us. The world has been like this since the fall of mankind. Heaven on the other hand is a place of holiness. It is completely opposite of the world we know. It is the presence of God, filled with His righteousness and the absence of all sin. There has never been, and will never be, a more perfect place. It is hard to think that Christ left all of that to come to earth. Furthermore, He came not just to live among us, but to die for the sin found in each of our hearts. How amazing is that!

In many parables Jesus explains to us what the kingdom of heaven is like. These short teachings explain much more than the physical place of heaven. When Jesus says the “kingdom of heaven” He is referring to all that God stands for. God is righteous, God is loving, God is gracious and merciful.” All of this is simply the beginning of what the “kingdom of heaven” refers to. Here on earth, Jesus expects Christians to be examples of that kingdom. We are to be examples of Christ, we are to be examples of God, and we are to be examples of all our God stands for.

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. You and I are those pearls. Every created being on this planet is like a fine pearl to our Lord. We were all at one time lost. We were doomed to spend eternity separated from God because of the sin found in each of us. “The kingdom of heaven”, however, is like that merchant willing to give up all that He had in order to buy the lost pearl he found. God the father was willing to give up His one and only Son. Jesus was willing to give up the glory of heaven. He was willing to die on a tree to pay for our sins.

How often do you think about what Christ did for you? Like the merchant, He gave up all that He had to purchase our souls. We once were lost but now we are found. This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. This is what we also, as subjects in God’s kingdom, are to model our lives after. We are to be willing to give up all that we have simply to introduce the grace of God to this lost and fallen world.

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