Day 10: January 15
Make Room for Godly Priorities
READ
Matthew 13:44-46: 44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.
EXAMINE
Jesus shares two brief parables that demonstrate the joy and dedication discovering the Kingdom of God can activate. The man and merchant discovered something of great worth to them, yet they did not just enjoy the discovery. They were willing to forgo everything in making that discovery a reality and securing it themselves. It is not a purchase of salvation, which is a gift, but as Dr. Tony Evans says, “those who discover and recognize the worth of living life under the rule of God will sacrifice anything of earthly value for participation in his kingdom.” The man and merchant were willing to reorient their lives and priorities to deepen their joy and take ownership of their treasure. Everything they did was focused on that single goal, the treasure they found; nothing less would suffice.
APPLY
The word “priority” came into the English language in the 1400s with a singular meaning: the very first thing. The word stayed singular for the next 500 years. It was not until the 1900s that it became plural, and we started discussing priorities. We thought we could bend reality to our whim by changing it to a plural meaning, but with many things pulling our affection and attention, nothing gets our complete devotion. Because of this truth of who He is, Jesus cannot just become one of our priorities; with other things, often good things, pulling for our affection and attention, because we know Jesus will always forgive us and is there, He sometimes gets pushed aside. Will Jesus and his God’s kingdom be just another item on our priority list today, or will we reorient our lives around discovering and receiving the deep joy that comes from a singular focus on Him?
PRAY
Take some time to sit in silence and ask God to reveal the answer to this question Jesus asks his disciples in John 1:38-39, “What do you want?”. Pray that your desires, when not aligned with the kingdom priority, will daily become aligned with the Father’s heart and will for you. Ask God to show you the joy of making the Kingdom of God and His love our sole priority.
