Day 15 - The Treasure
Day 15 - The Treasure
Written By: Nathan Boyd
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Matthew 13:44
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.
DEVOTION
We have two young boys in our house that love to use their creative imaginations to be transported to worlds of make-believe and fairy tales. Over the years we have gone through different stages, from Toy Story to Trucks, Star-Wars to Spiderman but our youngest, Ben, at one time was obsessed with Peter Pan and the evil pirate Captain Hook. He would play for hours drawing treasure maps, hiding treasure, and rescuing the precious booty from the evil villain of the day. In order to recover the stolen treasure there would always be multiple sword fights and lots of jumping off of furniture. Ben would go to great lengths to recover the imaginary treasure.
In our passage today, Jesus tells a story of a man that discovers a treasure in a field. While this seems like an unlikely occurrence, back in biblical times it wasn’t uncommon for people to bury their most prized possessions in fear that some opposing army might invade their land and take it from them. There were no banks, like we know them today, so valuables were hidden away for safekeeping. The man in the story stumbles upon this incredible treasure, but instead of stealing it, he hides it, goes and sells all that he has, buys the land, and now the treasure is rightfully his.
Jesus tells this story to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, so what does it mean and how is it relevant to our lives today?
First, the treasure is revealed, not the product of his searching. The man that discovers the buried treasure wasn’t looking for it but just happened to walk up on it, this is similar to salvation. Salvation is a gift that is freely given and something that outside of the Holy Spirit we would never discover on our own. The treasure of knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him, is something that is revealed through God’s grace and the Spirit’s power.
Second, the treasure is so valuable, it is worth sacrificing everything else. The man goes and sells all his worldly possessions so that he can raise enough money to buy the field and as a result gain the great treasure. Once we discover the treasure of Jesus, we will be willing to forsake everything else to follow Him. Some would say that we must sacrifice our worldly possessions and relationships in order to follow Jesus, but it isn’t really a sacrifice if what we receive in return is better than what we had before. A relationship with Jesus brings true contentment, peace, and love to a life marked with disappointment, anxiety, and indifference.
In the American Church today there are many people that have received a glimpse of the treasure but they have not moved close enough to discover the beautiful vastness of the treasure. They may know some Bible stories and believe some truths about the life of Jesus, but knowing about Jesus and having a relationship with Him are drastically different. The person that has a relationship with Jesus knows that Jesus is a great treasure and the more you spend time with Him, the new facets of his beauty you discover.
Do you see Jesus as your true and great treasure?
ACTION STEP
Much like my son making a treasure map to show the way to the buried treasure, how can you create a “map” that will lead you to Jesus? What can you do to move in closer to Jesus to see his great worth? What spiritual disciplines can you put in place that would help you in this pursuit?
If you don’t know where to begin we have created a great course that helps you start to follow Jesus, it can be found at churchatthegrove.com/believe
PRAYER TIME
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are the great treasure that is better than anything this world tries to sell me. Please continue to reveal to me who you are and as a result let me fall more in love with you. I love you Jesus and it's in your name I pray. Amen.
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Matthew 13:44
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.
DEVOTION
We have two young boys in our house that love to use their creative imaginations to be transported to worlds of make-believe and fairy tales. Over the years we have gone through different stages, from Toy Story to Trucks, Star-Wars to Spiderman but our youngest, Ben, at one time was obsessed with Peter Pan and the evil pirate Captain Hook. He would play for hours drawing treasure maps, hiding treasure, and rescuing the precious booty from the evil villain of the day. In order to recover the stolen treasure there would always be multiple sword fights and lots of jumping off of furniture. Ben would go to great lengths to recover the imaginary treasure.
In our passage today, Jesus tells a story of a man that discovers a treasure in a field. While this seems like an unlikely occurrence, back in biblical times it wasn’t uncommon for people to bury their most prized possessions in fear that some opposing army might invade their land and take it from them. There were no banks, like we know them today, so valuables were hidden away for safekeeping. The man in the story stumbles upon this incredible treasure, but instead of stealing it, he hides it, goes and sells all that he has, buys the land, and now the treasure is rightfully his.
Jesus tells this story to describe what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, so what does it mean and how is it relevant to our lives today?
First, the treasure is revealed, not the product of his searching. The man that discovers the buried treasure wasn’t looking for it but just happened to walk up on it, this is similar to salvation. Salvation is a gift that is freely given and something that outside of the Holy Spirit we would never discover on our own. The treasure of knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him, is something that is revealed through God’s grace and the Spirit’s power.
Second, the treasure is so valuable, it is worth sacrificing everything else. The man goes and sells all his worldly possessions so that he can raise enough money to buy the field and as a result gain the great treasure. Once we discover the treasure of Jesus, we will be willing to forsake everything else to follow Him. Some would say that we must sacrifice our worldly possessions and relationships in order to follow Jesus, but it isn’t really a sacrifice if what we receive in return is better than what we had before. A relationship with Jesus brings true contentment, peace, and love to a life marked with disappointment, anxiety, and indifference.
In the American Church today there are many people that have received a glimpse of the treasure but they have not moved close enough to discover the beautiful vastness of the treasure. They may know some Bible stories and believe some truths about the life of Jesus, but knowing about Jesus and having a relationship with Him are drastically different. The person that has a relationship with Jesus knows that Jesus is a great treasure and the more you spend time with Him, the new facets of his beauty you discover.
Do you see Jesus as your true and great treasure?
ACTION STEP
Much like my son making a treasure map to show the way to the buried treasure, how can you create a “map” that will lead you to Jesus? What can you do to move in closer to Jesus to see his great worth? What spiritual disciplines can you put in place that would help you in this pursuit?
If you don’t know where to begin we have created a great course that helps you start to follow Jesus, it can be found at churchatthegrove.com/believe
PRAYER TIME
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are the great treasure that is better than anything this world tries to sell me. Please continue to reveal to me who you are and as a result let me fall more in love with you. I love you Jesus and it's in your name I pray. Amen.
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January 9th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 10th, 2023 - The Burning BushJanuary 11th, 2023 - Strong and Courageous January 12th, 2023 - Obediently Set ApartJanuary 13th, 2023 - Faithful Among Enemy NationsJanuary 14th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 16th, 2023 - Be StillJanuary 17th, 2023 - God Inhabits His PraisesJanuary 18th, 2023 - Enjoying God's PresenceJanuary 19th, 2023 - Broken & Contrite HeartJanuary 20th, 2023 - Asking for OthersJanuary 21st, 2023 - Petition and ProvisionJanuary 23rd, 2023 - One Body, Many PartsJanuary 24th, 2023 - Love One AnotherJanuary 25th, 2023 - Unity in the BodyJanuary 26th, 2023 - Consider Others BetterJanuary 27th, 2023 - Living in the LightJanuary 28th, 2023 - Don't Let Anger Control YouJanuary 30, 2023 - The Power of FastingJanuary 31st, 2023 - Pray as You Can
February
February 1st, 2023 - ScriptureFebruary 2nd, 2023 - Sabbath Day, Best DayFebruary 3rd, 2023 - SimplicityFebruary 4th, 2023 - WorshipFebruary 6th, 2023 - Love Your NeighborFebruary 7th, 2023 - Come and See, Go and TellFebruary 8th, 2023 - GenerosityFebruary 9th, 2023 - Caring for the VulnerableFebruary 10, 2023 - HospitalityFebruary 11th, 2023 - Build
2022
January
Covid UpdateDay 1 - Is It Worth It?Day 2 - God Promises His PresenceDay 3 - Aligning Ourselves With GodDay 4 - The Voice of the ShepherdVision 2022 - Begins this Sunday!Day 5 - Rushing or Resting?Day 6 - "By the Grace of God"Day 7 - A Day for Rest and WorshipDay 8 - Ask Boldly and Surrender CompletelyDay 9 - Our Deliverance for His GloryDay 10 - Ask for the ImpossibleDay 11 - Adversity Meets Unwavering FaithWhat an incredible start to 2022!!Day 12 - Focus Reveals FaithDay 13 - Impossible Mission!Day 15 - Followers of JesusDay 16 - The Good News of God’s LoveDay 17 - Radical Love Leads People to JesusLet's Try this Again...Day 18 - Relentless CommitmentDay 19 - Unending Power SourceDay 20 - Come and See, Go and TellDay 22 - Many Parts, One BodyDay 23 - A New Command - Love One AnotherDay 24 - One Body and One LordDay 25 - Be Angry, But Do Not SinDo you Belong?Day 26 - The Commandment of LoveDay 27 - The Attitude and Obedience of Christ
March
Day 1 - Seeking the Lord TogetherDay 2 - Ash WednesdayDay 3 - The Baptism of JesusDay 4 - The Word as a WeaponDay 5 - Freedom in ConfessionDay 6 - Love Your EnemiesDay 7 - Anxious for NothingDay 8 - Effective PrayerDay 9 - Amazing FaithDay 10 - The Bleeding WomanDay 11 - Confidence in GodDay 12 - Fear Not!Day 13 - Come and RestDay 14 - Kingdom Minded CommunityDay 15 - The TreasureDay 16 - Peace in His PresenceDay 17 - Raise the RoofDay 18 - A Parent's CommitmentDay 19 - Too Good to be TrueDay 20 - Only JesusDay 21 - The Ninety-Nine and the OneDay 22 - Salvation Through SurrenderDay 23 - Good Rest from a Good ShepherdDay 24 - Read the RoomDay 25 - A Fruitful FaithDay 26 - The Wedding FeastDay 27 - Serve Like Jesus