Thoughts for the Day

Jesus said, 'The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.'

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In 1912 my mother and her family emigrated to Costa Rica and lived there for many years. While there they discovered a silver mine in the mountains, and I wear a silver ring made from their discovery. Nothing came of it, I suspect the area was too remote to be of any use.

This little parable of the treasure in the field is deceptive, because the man didn't find a pot of coins, which he could just take away with him. Instead he found a seam of gold or silver which he could mine if he owned the land. So he kept it secret until he could buy the field.

This is another image of the Kingdom of Heaven, which when found is like a treasure - something of amazing worth. When a person answers God's call and realises what is on offer, he has to think about the way he lives. Just as the man has to dig up the field to mine the seam, when we accept God into our life we have to 'dig' into ourselves - look deeply at our life to decide if there are things we want to change; and open our bibles to learn more about God. Finding out about the Kingdom of Heaven continues for the rest of our lives, as we keep digging for the treasure!

Wednesday 29th July, follow up thoughts

Lord God,
You offer us a new life
in your Kingdom of love,
through the power of Your Spirit.
May we be worthy of Your trust,
and continue to grow the fruits
of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,
in our lives.
Amen.