“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Matthew 13:44, LSB
Jesus taught a lot in parables. In the parables about the kingdom of heaven, He teaches about heaven being something of the greatest value to those who find it. This is how God wants us to view our faith—placing it above anything else in our lives and being willing to give up everything for it. Jesus was preparing the disciples for this. Jesus knew the suffering and persecution that the disciples would face. He also knew that we would be faced with a time when it would be easy to become complacent in the faith. In our world, the greatest threat to our faith is not persecution, throughout history, we have seen more of those persecuted strengthened in their faith. We have many stories of great martyrs of the faith. It is easier to leave the faith when it seems inconvenient and irrelevant. Jesus was calling out not only to the disciples of His day but to us. Cling to the faith and place nothing else before it. One day all that glitters in this world will pass away, but eternity stands ever before us. Follow our Lord’s calling and set everything else aside that stands in the way of Christ and know His peace.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.