“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” – Matthew 13:45-46
Scripture reading: Matthew 13:44-53
Because they are found on the ocean floor and are difficult to obtain, pearls are costly. For some who desired to have pearls, it cost them their lives. In this parable, we see a salesman who buys pearls. He probably has done so for years and knows his trade. As he looks for them, he searches high and low, far and near. When he sees a costly pearl, he knows it instantly. Pearls were more precious than gold.
One day, suddenly, he sees a beautiful pearl he has never seen before. He knows he must have this one! He is willing to give up everything! The beauty of this pearl was so attractive that he wanted to make sure he became the owner of this pearl.
So it is with Jesus, the Pearl of great price. We are willing to give up everything simply because of the beauty of Christ. Following Jesus is costly and yet we don’t earn anything by giving up everything.
In Philippians 3, Paul shows that he collected pearls in his past. But when he found Christ… All these other things paled in comparison. He wanted to know Jesus. He wanted to be found in Him. Christ was Paul’s extremely valuable Pearl.
Is Christ supremely valuable to you? Is He worth giving up everything? Has His beauty taken hold of your heart so that you are willing to treasure Christ as nothing else? Do you count everything as a loss for the sheer joy of knowing Christ?
Suggestions for prayer
Pray that the Lord will show you more of the beauty of Christ and pray for joyful surrender of every ‘pearl’ in your life that is less valuable than Christ.
Rev. Pieter van der Hoek served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville ON Canada since May 2017. This year he took a call to the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa USA. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
