Sunday 27 Jul 2014

July 27: Matthew 13:44-46

Key Verse: Matthew 13:46
who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Devotion:
How important is God in your life? How important is the Gospel in your life? How important is the church in your life? When we say the words, how much do we actually mean them? How far are we willing to go to prove that we mean what we say? And then, are we going to back up those words just because we have said them or because we really do mean them from deep in our hearts?

These are the difficult questions that we face all the time as Christians, but questions that should not stop us from living for Christ! We should not make the answer to those questions dictate how we do things in front of other people. If we are going to carry out our words just to make a point, then we are only making a point and not loving Christ the same way as He loves us. Jesus did not do everything He did just to make sure that the scriptures were fulfilled; He fulfilled the scriptures by carrying out His love toward us.

The question we should be asking ourselves is “are we willing to do what Jesus did to show Him that we mean what we say to Him?” It is not about showing other people but more about showing God from your heart. Jesus told the people about the importance of the Gospel message and the Christian way of life. This is not Jesus saying that Heaven is the most important thing, this is Jesus saying that everything to do with us getting to heaven is important! Jesus wants us to know that it is not just one aspect of Christianity that we should aim for but a complete and full life with Christ!

I have tried being a good a person as I can. I have tried being a person who makes studying the bible the most important thing. I have tried making sure that nobody gets between me and Jesus. But each time I have focused on one thing I have found myself lacking in many more things. We need to be willing to go that extra mile for God to bring people together in a new way of life, a life with God, with Christ and holding each other up as Christians.

Points to Ponder:
Do you lift up God?

Is Christ’s way first in your life?