SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/27/2022 9:10 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Kingdom is Priceless”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
13:44-46
Message of the verses: “44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in
the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of
great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The idea of being priceless is that salvation is
worth selling everything that you have in order to possess in order to receive
it. I am not saying that you can buy
salvation, the truth is that is the most valuable thing that a person can ever
receive.
MacArthur
writes “A major diamond mining company in South Africa specializes in mining
certain coastal areas where the rough gems have been deposited below some fifty
or so feet of stone, gravel, and sand.
After giant earthmovers remove the cover layers, the diamond-bearing
conglomerate is dynamited and then excavated by hydraulic water pressure. Using large nylon brushes, workers sweep out
all the crevices and hollows to be sure nothing is lost. The loosened conglomerate is then pounded,
crushed, washed, and sifted to discover every possible diamond. It is estimated that some 180 million parts
of earth are processed to yield one part diamond.
“Though
written at least three thousand years ago, Job’s description of man’s tireless quest
for riches sounds amazingly contemporary:
‘Surely there is a mine for
silver, and a place where they refine gold…Man puts an end to darkness, and to
the farthest limit he searches out the rock in gloom and deep shadow. He sinks a shaft far from habitation,
forgotten by the foot; they hang and swing to and fro far from men…Its rocks
are the source of sapphires, and its dust contains gold. The path no bird of prey knows, nor has the
falcon’s eye caught sight of it…He hews out channels through the rocks; and his
eye seems anything precious. He dams up
the streams from flowing; and what is hidden he brings out to the light. (Job 28:1, 3-4, 6-7, 10-11).’”
Now
as we can see from these quotations that it surely takes a lot of effort to
mine, refine, cut, polish, mount, sell and to buy precious stones and metals,
however none of them offers anything truly worthwhile or lasting. These things cannot heal a broken
relationship, they cannot give peace to a troubled mind, or forgive a sinful
heart. These things offer little for the
present and nothing for eternity.
Job
goes on to say “But where can wisdom be found, and where is the place of
understanding? Man does not know its
value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea
says, ‘It is not with me.’ Pure gold
cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as it price…Thus
it is hidden from the eye of all living…God understands its way, and He knows
its place…And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
and to depart from evil is understanding’ (Job 28:12-13, 21, 23, 28).”
I
will close with one more quotation from MacArthur’s commentary, and then Lord
willing, we will continue looking at this very important subject in our next
SD.
“On
the immeasurable worth of the kingdom of heaven, the nineteenth century
Scottish preacher Thomas Guthrie wrote, ‘In the blood of Christ to wash out sin’s
darkest stains, in the grace of God to purify the foulest heart, in peace to
calm life’s roughest storms, in hopes to cheer guilt’s darkest hour, in a
courage that defies death and descends calmly into the tomb, in that which
makes the poorest rich and without which the richest are poor indeed, the
gospel has treasures greater far than east or west unfold, and its rewards more
precious are than all the stores of gold’”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: In remembering all those who have lost their
lives for the cause of Christ, they all realized that their salvation was worth
more than anything on this earth has to offer.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust that the Lord will give me the
courage to stand up for the cause of Christ each and every day.
4/27/2022 9:39 AM
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