I am certainly on here a lot less that I used to be but I am going to try my best to keep this wee blog up this year as it is a great way to vent the many ponderings of this little overactive mind of mine. I think a lot!! Too much my hubby would say. I love it though.. I love thinking through something to the point where you discover an entire new dimension beneath the surface. There is so much more than what meets the eye in practically everything we encounter in life. I am going to make it my job to try not to miss too much of it!
I was reading a bit tonight. Ding is away to a worship practice so I have time to kill.. the bible out, the lap top and a wee glass of wine on the sofa.. great! Don't get me wrong its usually spent watching trashy tv.
Here is the verse that has got my attention tonight..
"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 sold all he had and bought the field" Mat 13:44
I have tried to understand exactly what this means and I think I have made it more complicated than it was meant to but sure have a read anyway..
There is something special about the treasure in this story, it is not applicable to silver or gold. This story only works if you really are talking about a supernatural treasure.. The kingdom of Jesus.
This young guy in the story would have just been going about his normal day. I don't think it seems like he was out hunting for treasure. Minding his own business, getting on with his life, something happened that would shape the rest of his life.
He found treasure. He must have stopped and thought for a bit.. Is this really happening? What do I do?
He had options...
He could have left the treasure there, went about his normal day and just come back to get what he needed from the treasure when he was a bit short for cash..
He could have picked up that box and brought it with him. He could have used the treasure to buy another nicer field or to spend on just general stuff.. a new car..or donkey I suppose it would have been.
He could have thought.."Someone else who is more in need should find this treasure so I will just leave it here"
He didn't do any of these things. He sort of went all out to ensure that treasure was his. To take full ownership of it.. and the land surrounding it. To secure his right to have that treasure so that he could not be accused.
It says that in his JOY he went away and sold out.. everything he owned.. the things he had worked for. These things must have seemed like nothing in comparison to the treasure.
He wanted to dwell where this treasure was. He wasn't going to carry it around in his own strength he was going to live in that field.. go out from it and go into it. The was something special about the treasure.
The kingdom of God is not about silver or gold. It is not like earthly treasure and when it has your name on it you cannot pass it up.. you know it is yours .. you know you are called.
I suppose that sometimes we try to do some of the options that I have said above. Sometimes we leave the kingdom of God over in one field (or area of our life) and then live in another place. We visit it and take from it when we need to clear our conscience or need to prove to people or even to God sometimes that we are up for it.. We are sold out God.. really! ?
Sometimes, and I am particularly prone to this, we take God and we try to carry him with us in our own strength. Living out of a place with no real power or anointing. Its a bit flat and certainly doesn't come easy. If we live where the treasure is God carries us into our lives. It is much more supernatural when we are by the source. His burden is light. You can carry earthly treasure but we cannot carry our gift from God.
Trying to live life in your own strength is the most exhausting task.. You wake up in the morning and look wiped.. because the joy of the Lord is meant to be your strength not your own works!!
Then at times we think... ah thats not for me. Someone else would be better at that. God isn't really calling me its just my imagination. I will go back to my own wee life.
By the way.. It is for you. It is for me and I am not missing out on the kingdom life in that filed.
Of course Jesus said.. "Go into all the world". I am not for one second suggesting that Kingdom livers stay separate from the world. I actually cannot stand people with that attitude. I am saying we cant live out of the world. It simply doesn't have the resources, the joy we need to strengthen us to truly live freely!
So we are meant to go sell all our stuff and buy the field.. What does that even mean?
Well I feel that it means that we do everything we can to ensure that we do not loose out on the treasure that God has for us. That we decide to simply live in God. That we experience the blessing that comes from moving to that field and going in and out of it and most importantly bringing people into it.
This is not works. Trying to carry this thing ourselves is work and human effort. Selling out and opting to buy the field is easy because then we trust the supernatural power and calling of God to carry us through life and I feel that this is something God has been speaking to me about.
I believe that God has called us to this type of stuff...
" break the chains of injustice...free the oppressed...cancel debts....share food with the hungary... put clothes on the shivering...be available to our families.. Isaiah 58 :6 -the message
So we find Gods kingdom. It calls us.
We experience joy.
We sell out for it.
We live IN it and go OUT from it.
We do not carry it in our own strength.
It carries us.
The joy of the Lord is our strength.
We dwell in it for ever.. It is eternal.
And mostly its about serving the poor and weak of this world and finding God in them.
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