Tag: pursuing Jesus

When Giving it All is a Wise Investment

Old Testament: Genesis 37 & 38

Poetry: Psalm 16

New Testament: Matthew 13:44-46

Some of my favorite commercials have come from the Klondike Bar ice cream company. Their catchphrase is “What would you do for a Klondike?”, followed by some of the most extreme examples of people doing something to get their ice cream bar. One of my favorite commercials involved a man willing to shave off one of his eyebrows and looking ridiculous for the ice cream (I apparently am not willing to do much, because I’ve never actually eaten one).


We are asked a similar question in our devotion today, but not involving ice cream: this involves the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13, the kingdom of God is compared to two gentlemen willing to sell everything that they possess to acquire it, like a hidden treasure or a precious pearl. They recognize two things: the kingdom of God is something of tremendous value, and that everything they own cannot compare with its marvelous wonder. Although they are sacrificing much, they are making the wisest investment of their life. Imagine if you had the opportunity to possess a winning lottery ticket that would give you 100 million dollars: all it would take is to sell all your possessions… would you take that deal? Would that lottery ticket not be able to buy back everything you had and more?


See, Jesus also promised that if we give our lives for the kingdom of God, we would receive a hundred times as much in this life and in the next age (see Matthew 19:27-30). He wasn’t asking us to simply give up everything just because he felt like it: he promised infinitely more than we could ever imagine, if we would simply trust him and follow his kingdom-way. You would
be making the wisest investment of your life if you chose the kingdom of God over every possible path that this life has to offer, and you would gain much more than this life could ever offer. So, “What would you do for the kingdom of God?” What are you willing to risk for eternal life?


Perhaps a more direct question is in order as well: “What are you NOT willing to risk for the kingdom of God?” We all have something we hold dear, whether that be personal possessions, a deeply-held family connection, or a desired career path. There are some things that will be difficult to let go of to pursue Jesus and the kingdom of God, but that’s the point: he wants you FULLY committed, willing to give him everything because he gave everything for you. This is something that we must consistently ask ourselves and reflect on what we are holding back from our Lord.


What would you do for the kingdom of God?


Talon Paul

Reflection Questions

  1. Both men in today’s parables recognized the kingdom of God as something of great value. What value do you place on the kingdom of God? Why?
  2. What have you already given up to pursue Jesus and the Kingdom of God?
  3. What are you having a difficult time letting go of in order to gain the kingdom of God? 
  4. Explain how giving it all can be a wise investment.
  5. What is the wisest investment you can make with your day today, and with the week ahead of you, if you are fully committed to living for the kingdom? 
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Coming to Jesus for Healing

Luke 19-20

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Monday, May 22

The ending of chapter 18 and the beginning of chapter 19 have an interesting parallel. Whereas the end of chapter 18 includes the story of Jesus curing a man of his literal blindness, in chapter 19 Jesus cures another individual, Zacchaeus, of his figurative blindness. However, there’s a reason why Zacchaeus is so memorable, and it’s probably obvious to those of you who’ve ever gone to Sunday school as a kid.

Zacchaeus is remembered as “the guy who climbed the tree”, and that’s not an insignificant detail of the story. In fact, (in my translation, at least), there’s nothing in the beginning of chapter 19 that necessarily states that the events of the two chapters happened in linear order. In fact, it could have been that Luke himself placed the story of Zacchaeus directly after the story of Jesus curing a blind man on purpose, and perhaps to indicate something to the reader.

My interpretation of why these two stories correlate together goes like this; Luke shows that Jesus was capable of curing people of their blindness. He shows us Jesus curing a man of his literal “blindness” to show Jesus’ ability to purify us. After this, he tells the story of Zacchaeus who not only received redemption from Jesus, but he had to exert a clear effort, (so much so that he had to physically and figuratively rise above the crowd), and from there Jesus was able to find him and make his way to him. What Luke seems to be relaying to us here is that Jesus has the capacity to redeem us, but that it’s not enough to know this. Having this knowledge is only the first part, and the second part for us is pursuing him ourselves. Whatever qualities Jesus has to purify us and turn our lives around, it is something that we must actively pursue before we’ll really be able to experience it.

-Dillon Driskill

 

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