Scheming or Seeking

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy, he went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. (Matthew 13:44-45)

When we compare these two verses, we notice differences. By comparing the two men and their actions, we gain a clearer understanding of this passage. If you have read or heard these passages before, you found the moral taught was likely doing what needs done to gain the treasure for yourself. The treasure is salvation and eternal life. Yet, when we dig deeper, other aspects emerge from these two parables. Each verse is not a stand-alone parable. We should study each of them and note their similarities and differences.

While walking, the man in the first parable found buried treasure. We do not know if he pursued treasure or just stumbled upon it. Moreover, this man may have deceived the landowner by concealing the treasure found on his property. He may have paid less for the land than its true value by withholding the fact of the buried treasure. Overall, the man sold what he possessed to gain the treasure for himself. Treasure was valuable to him and to the hearers of the parable.

The man in the second parable was a merchant. He pursued valuable items to buy and resell. When he came upon a very rare pearl, he opted to sell all he owned to buy the pearl. This merchant sought treasures, whereas the first man may have only stumbled upon his find. The merchant looked in each oyster shell that was for sale to find the important and rare nugget—truth. He represents those who seek God and seek to understand Him in deeper ways. The merchant needed knowledge about pearls, their characteristics, and their monetary worth. In the second parable, upon finding the most important thing, he gave up everything else to possess the precious pearl. The pearl symbolizes the gospel truth. In this parable, Jesus taught in His parable that the merchant forsook other knowledge to claim the truth. He firmly grasped what was most important, the pearl of great price—the Truth.

The first man hid the found treasure. He lied by omission to the landowner. The truth he grasped was not God’s truth, but the one he wanted, as shown by the means he took to get it. To him, the ends justified the means. Jesus never taught that. Jesus taught about righteousness, loving God and people, and telling others the Good News. Ends don’t justify means. Honor, respect, relationship, and obedience are more important. The man in the first parable prioritized ownership over godliness and truthfulness. He forsook all he had. The first parable man gained earthly treasure that would decay or rust. He chose earthly treasures, not spiritual treasures—salvation and eternal life.

The second man did not “steal” the rare pearl, but acknowledged its worth, paid the price, and gained it to make it his own. The man stole the treasure by not mentioning it. He didn’t acknowledge the land’s worth. He was more interested in being shrewd than in truth, honor, and righteousness.

Which man are you like? Are you searching for God’s truth and paying the full price for its worth by reading, studying, meditating on, and praying over Scripture daily? Or do you read a verse, then use it to justify your actions without understanding God’s purposes for what you read? For example, because God, in the Bible, allowed servants, you hire servants. Yet you mistreat them and boast about having servants. The Biblical depiction of indentured servants differs from this example. The servants in the Bible sold themselves to be servants so they could pay a debt. God mandated release from servitude after seven years if the servants were Jews. Added to this, masters were to treat servants with respect and provide for their needs. If a person today boasted of having servants, and he mistreated them, his goal would be arrogance and superiority. The purpose of indentured servanthood in the Bible and this example differed; the first helped a person, and the second showed arrogance.

Which of these men represent you today: the schemer or the seeker?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

 

Receive Power

 

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

This power Christians receive, about which Jesus spoke and Luke wrote, is nothing they can manufacture for themselves. Notice the verb “will receive.” The power comes from the Holy Spirit (God). God gives it freely to Christians. This power is part of God’s power and provides believers with the ability to do what God tells them. God gives the ability to do what He commands. This power is part of God’s ability; He can do anything and everything.

With the power of God in them given by God Himself, what was Jesus’ command to His followers? Jesus said Christians are to be witnesses. Witnesses see and hear what God does and says. Witnesses can attest to God's actions and words. Their statements—testimonies—give credence and more power (more punch) so people are more inclined towards believing about God and believing in Jesus.

In Acts 1:8, Luke recorded when Jesus said the Holy Spirit will give Christians the power and ability to serve Jesus by testifying about Him. God expects and empowers believers to hear, see, obey, and then tell other people about Jesus. He compels them by the Holy Spirit, who lives within them, to tell other people. As Christians grow closer to God, it becomes harder to disobey God—His conviction through the Holy Spirit and power within them—and their love for Jesus. Love for God (Father, Son, and Spirit) compels Christians to obey, act, and say what Gods commands, compels, and empowers them to do with His ability.

Understanding that the command, compulsion, and power to obey comes from God makes it easier for the believer to tell whom and go to wherever He leads easier. Love for God makes it easier each day to go further from our safe space, from family, and from friends. That love for God and from Him makes it possible to go far to be a witness about God and the gospel. It helps believers realize no matter where they are, God is already there and always with them. Going far away is easier when your love for God is greater than your love for yourself, your dreams and plans, your parents, siblings, grandparents, and your friends. When God is your everything, He becomes closer to you than these people and things; He becomes mother, father, brother, sister, and friend in your heart. A Christian does not leave these behind but finds that love for God fulfills the love you need.

This means going to your city (Jerusalem), your state (Judea), your country (elsewhere in your country, like Samaria), and the world are easier because of your love for God and His for you. Going and telling is easier because God empowers you with His ability. Witnessing about God is easier because no doubt exists in your mind that God compels and sends you. Obeying is easier because God’s love in you causes you to love the people you have not yet met. God’s love in you gives you immeasurable concern for their spiritual eternity and their lostness—lack of salvation and lack of relationship with God.

Christians’ love for God and people is immense due to their relationship with God and belief in Jesus, making sharing the gospel a necessity. You will stretch yourself so that all people listen to testimony about Jesus. Your relationship with God fulfills you completely, so you lack nothing - family, friends, home, power, purpose, hope, and future. God fulfills each of these needs; He becomes your everything.

What excuse do you allow to keep you from a greater relationship with God, a relationship that comes from obeying Him by being filled with His power and ability?

What excuse do you give for not witnessing about Jesus to people?

God wants to be everything you need. Do not let a human excuse keep you from the abundance of God and from God. Believe and bear witness about Jesus.

Fruit or Fire

 

“He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.” John 15:2

This metaphor of pruning branches that Jesus used has an overarching idea most people would understand. God removes unfruitful people. He grows fruitful people so they will become more fruitful. God enables fruitful people to advance His purposes more.

To understand this verse better, we must understand why a fruit farmer would cut tree branches. Jesus plainly explained the first reason. Farmers cut off dead branches from a tree to cause healthy growth of the rest of the tree. Without cutting off the dead branch, the tree will continue to send nutrients toward the dead branch instead of extending its nutrients to parts of the tree that will grow. Cutting off dead branches leads to more growth in other parts of the tree. This illustrates the metaphor's beginning.

Pruning the healthy parts of a fruit tree has several benefits. First, it strengthens the tree. Where before the tree’s sap was to grow fruit, pruning allows the tree sap to make the branch harder and stronger. Instead of sap going to grow fruit, it goes toward growing the branch. Going through hardships can cause a person to grow stronger in his faith and relationship with God.

Second, pruning a healthy branch can improve fruit production and fruit quality. Pruning stimulates new growth—offshoots—so more branches grow. As a result, each of those branches produces fruit instead of just the unpruned branch growing fruit. God’s pruning of His child causes that person to grow in many areas, so new spiritual fruit and Christian offspring grow from that believer. Pruning grows a person’s relationship with God. The deeper relationship with God causes growth of spiritual fruit, like patience, wisdom, compassion, joy, and peace. The deeper relationship with God grows the quality of that fruit, causing a deeper faith, greater peace, etc. Growth from a closer relationship with God leads to sharing the gospel and a personal testimony about God more. These lead to other people believing in Jesus and His saving them. Pruning may cause brief pain mental, heart, and/or physical. This pain is worth it to see more people saved by Jesus and experience a deeper relationship with God.

Third, pruning a branch helps a tree become more pest and disease resistant. Pruning causes growth in strength and resilience. Like a person’s health, outside influences can cause a tree to grow stronger so the tree can withstand forces that would cause it to shrivel, produce less fruit, and/or die. God allows a person to confront challenges for growth, not destruction. By going through trials, like the burnishing of metals, God removes impurities from His children. His strength alone is how they withstand adversity. Christians can progress despite adversity. James, Peter, and Paul wrote about perseverance, endurance, testing, patience, and building Christian character in James 1, 1 Peter 1, and Romans 5:3-5. Trials, though unwanted, have benefits just like pruning healthy branches has benefits.

Fourth, pruning trees opens the tree canopy so sunlight can reach more limbs and fruit. For this reason, fruit trees are wide and not very tall. More sun causes more fruit to grow on the tree. Also, by pruning the canopy, fruit does not grow higher in the tree. This makes it easier to reach all fruit during harvest season. A person who knows the Bible can only withstand some storms or temptations. A person whom Jesus saves and who grows in his relationship with God through daily prayer, Bible study, meditation, worship, and obedience to Him has a faith that has grown deep and wide. Temptations, trials, storms, and disease might assail a believer and might cause him to stall in his growth, but these can cause growth in his relationship with and faith in God. These occurrences can strengthen a believer, cause new growth on branches, and result in the growth of new and larger fruit. The outcome of God's gospel is evident in one's life. People see the gospel’s impact on people around the strengthening and growing Christian as he shares his testimony and God’s gospel.

Without removing dead limbs on a tree, diseases and/or pests kill the tree or cause it to become stunted and produce minimal fruit. By pruning healthy branches, trees become stronger and produce more and better fruit. Pruning stops the spread of diseases and pests that could harm the fruit or the sap (testimony) in the tree. It allows more sunlight, which causes more fruit to grow and makes the branches more accessible to harvesters.

When we face trials and hardships, we can grow stronger and produce more and better fruit. Instead of growing stronger through trials, we can freeze up and then get hurt or killed. God prefers us to grow stronger and bear more and better fruit. He allows or causes things to grow our relationship with Him and our trust in Him. God allows hardships to confront us to prune the dead branches from our lives. We should aim to grow, so we ask God what He wants us to learn from our situations. God wants us to grow to trust Him more, to have a deeper relationship with Him, and to become more Christlike. He will send you through fires to remove impurities and strengthen you. When strengthened by God, you, too, can say, “No weapon formed against us will prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).

Fruit or Fire.

Faith or Fruitlessness.

Which do you choose? I pray you choose to grow in your relationship with God and to produce more and better fruit within you that leads to more fruit—Christians—for God’s kingdom.

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)

 (Bible verse picture from You Version Bible app)

EVERYTHING

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Everything God has given us can and should be used for godliness and to grow us closer to godliness. How do we become godlier and do godly acts by using everything God has given us? We do it through knowing God who called us to be His children. God calls us by His glory and excellence.

Through these things, which can be tangible or intangible, like spiritual growth, mental understanding, and heart renewing, we have God’s precious and magnificent promises. We can see and experience God’s promises through His gifts of “everything” when we recognize that everything we have comes from Him. When we recognize this, we realize we are “partakers of the divine nature.”

Recognizing God’s hand in our receipt of what we have and are should lead us to gaze upon God, worship Him, and thank Him. Then it’ll cause us to grow into being more like Christ and using everything God has given us for His purposes so others will know about God and to give glory to God.

We can be partakers of God’s divine good gifts in everything He has and is giving us. We can escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires because we are divine partakers of God’s gifts—everything—when we believe in Jesus and He saves us.

Be a partaker of God’s promises. Believe in Jesus and be saved.