“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
World over, societies create art galleries and museums to put on display priceless treasures. People come to those galleries and museums to see them because there is something wonderful about being able to stand close to a treasure. Though we do not touch them, we connect with the art and artifact on some level. They bring a little more joy and a little more wonder into our lives as we muse on their meaning and reflect on the inherent value they have – value that has preserved them from the garbage heap that claims the exceedingly vast majority of art and artifact alike.
Putting into practice what we know of the kingdom of heaven is like bringing a priceless treasure out of a storeroom and putting it on display for all to see.
Living life as a child of heaven demonstrates something of the glory of God and something of the value of His kingdom. People look on at those who are practicing what it means to know the kingdom and they find a kind of awe welling up within themselves. It matters when someone lives as Jesus lived. When they sacrifice for the sake of the other. When they go out of their way to bless the other. When they model what being a child of God means.
These things are appreciated, just as treasure is appreciated. So much so that we even have a propensity to tell others when we see the kingdom of heaven being practiced, just as we would tell others about a wonderful treasure that someone brought out of storage. It is so fulfilling to our souls that we cannot help but speak of those who reflect God in some way. We were made to do that just as we were made for fellowship with God. It brings meaning to our lives and fulfillment to our souls to reflect Him and His ways in our actions, to talk of Him and His ways with our words and to see and hear Him and His ways being modelled by others.
The truth is that everyone wants the kingdom of heaven. Everyone wants wisdom. Everyone wants healing. Everyone wants peace. Everyone wants blessing. Everyone wants everything that the kingdom of heaven represents, because people were made for that exact purpose. Therefore, to see and hear of that which reflects it is a glimpse of the fulfillment of our purpose – it is a glimpse of the home we’ve always knew we were supposed to get to. To see and hear of it is to awaken our truest hope.
When we live out the kingdom of heaven, we demonstrate the peace of God, the power of God and the presence of God. It is a sight that is irresistible to those around us, because it is displays something of Him. More than than, when we live out the kingdom of heaven, we become a divine treasure that is unlike anything the unredeemed could find in any gallery or museum, and best of all, we fulfill God’s purpose for us. For as God told Moses, so very long ago: “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.”
Amen.
Remember that sure word of thine. God be gracious unto us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us. Let us thus be blessed, and we shall in our turn become a blessing. All the families of the earth shall, through us, become acquainted with thy salvation.
William Binnie
APPLICATION: Worship
Praise God for the lavishness He bestows on His obedient children!