Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
I am sure nearly everyone has heard the phrase “all in”. This phrase can be applied to sports, business ventures or any other endeavors that require real commitment.
Jesus taught that we can be “all in” in a negative way or a positive way. We choose which way we will take.
We can choose to pursue everything this world has to offer. A lifetime can be spent obtaining wealth, fame, power and all the trappings that are part of this pursuit. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 16: 25-26:
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Imagine, spending your days accumulating all you can to make your life what you want it to be on this earth. Imagine, coming to the end of your life to find that you lost your life – and your soul – in pursuit of things that – in the end – do not matter.
In Matthew 13, Jesus spoke about something that is worth so much more than all this world has to offer. The Kingdom of Heaven is definitely worth going “all in” to be a part of it. Two short parables are used to make this clear.
Can you envision the man who knew there was treasure hidden in a field? He found it, hid it, and then sold everything he had to buy the field. He went “all in” to obtain the one thing of great value. Note that Jesus said, “the Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.” The Kingdom of Heaven is worth surrendering everything else. Indeed, it is the Kingdom of great worth!
Again, envision the merchant seeking for beautiful pearls. He finally found one pearl that was of far greater worth than all the others. Without a second thought, he sold everything he had for one pearl of great price. He went “all in” for the one thing that was of greatest worth. Note that Jesus said, “the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls.”
What about us? Will we waste our lives in pursuit of this world’s treasures? Or will we go “all in” for the Kingdom of great worth? Each of us will choose one way or the other.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
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