Thoughts for the Day

‘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.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Version)

Thoughts

Do you or family members play computer games that require you to find some amazing treasure? After all the trials and tribulations of the game do you manage to find the ultimate goal? Or do you fancy owning a metal-detector, and daydream about finding an ancient hoard of coins? Well I suppose we can all daydream, and imagine winning an amazing house in a competition, or millions on the lottery.

Matthew uses the term Kingdom of Heaven rather than the Kingdom of God in his parable. He is writing for Jews and is careful not to use the word 'God'. The Kingdom of Heaven, he says, is like finding treasure hidden in a field. This is so amazing that the person does all he can to buy the field so he can own the treasure. But why is the Kingdom of Heaven so precious? In our world a king is the head of a nation, and is the sovereign ruler of their nation. God's Kingdom is the same, but it is only partly here now. However, we know that He will defeat all others at the end of time when Jesus will return.

As God's subjects do we value His Kingdom of love, and do all we can to encourage others to join us? Do we really value the treasure we have been offered? Perhaps we need to look at the nations of this world, including our own, and compare them to a kingdom that puts love at its heart, and see it for the treasure that it truly is.

O King of Heaven,
Father of us all,
may we truly appreciate
the treasure that You offer us
in Your Kingdom of love.
May we put more effort and energy
into encouraging others to join us,
and pray daily for the coming of
the Kingdom of Heaven.
Amen.