A man I know, who lives in another state, is enjoying spending his retirement years visiting swap meets, garage sales, and the like. Every so often, he stumbles across a spectacular “flea market find”. Recently, he notified me of one such triumph.
He stumbled upon a bronze statue by a famous artist that had an asking price of $150. He quickly did the research and discovered that such pieces go for as much as $10,000. He asked the seller if they were sure this was what they were asking for the piece.
They said that was all they wanted. So, he asked again, clarifying who the artist was. They affirmed their price, which he then quickly paid. In the process, he made a small fortune, turning an incredible profit!
For my part, I picked at him and told him: “Oh well, it just goes to show that the _________s (his last name) get richer and the Jacksons (my last name) get poorer!”
On a serious note, as he shared this news with me, I could not help but think of a couple of stories told by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44 and 45, Jesus shares the following:
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
My friend was blessed to have the $150 with him the day he stumbled upon this incredible treasure. But he has assured me that even if he would not have had the money to buy it, he would have quickly secured the needed funds. He simply could not, and would not pass up such a wonderful treasure! I don’t blame him; I would have done likewise.
Now, I myself have never stumbled upon a flea market treasure that offered me a rate of return over 650%! But I have happened upon a treasure of immeasurably greater value. For I have discovered the very treasure Jesus was referring to in Matthew 13 – the kingdom of Heaven!
What is more, the day I discovered it, I gave up everything to possess it. This I have never regretted. For as Jesus also told us in the Gospel of Mark (chapter 10, verses 29 and 30) that whoever gives up the things of this world for His sake will be rewarded with things of far greater value – chief among them being eternal life!
And that, my friends, is much more than the find of a lifetime; that is the find of eternity!
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/13.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/mark/10.htm.
He stumbled upon a bronze statue by a famous artist that had an asking price of $150. He quickly did the research and discovered that such pieces go for as much as $10,000. He asked the seller if they were sure this was what they were asking for the piece.
They said that was all they wanted. So, he asked again, clarifying who the artist was. They affirmed their price, which he then quickly paid. In the process, he made a small fortune, turning an incredible profit!
For my part, I picked at him and told him: “Oh well, it just goes to show that the _________s (his last name) get richer and the Jacksons (my last name) get poorer!”
On a serious note, as he shared this news with me, I could not help but think of a couple of stories told by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 44 and 45, Jesus shares the following:
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
My friend was blessed to have the $150 with him the day he stumbled upon this incredible treasure. But he has assured me that even if he would not have had the money to buy it, he would have quickly secured the needed funds. He simply could not, and would not pass up such a wonderful treasure! I don’t blame him; I would have done likewise.
Now, I myself have never stumbled upon a flea market treasure that offered me a rate of return over 650%! But I have happened upon a treasure of immeasurably greater value. For I have discovered the very treasure Jesus was referring to in Matthew 13 – the kingdom of Heaven!
What is more, the day I discovered it, I gave up everything to possess it. This I have never regretted. For as Jesus also told us in the Gospel of Mark (chapter 10, verses 29 and 30) that whoever gives up the things of this world for His sake will be rewarded with things of far greater value – chief among them being eternal life!
And that, my friends, is much more than the find of a lifetime; that is the find of eternity!
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/13.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/mark/10.htm.