The Treasure of His Authority

We've heard the story of the "Pearl of Great Price" in Mathew 13:46, that a merchant sold all that he had, gave up everything for the priceless, flawless treasure he discovered. He was on a journey, a quest everyday for something of value. He was a jewel merchant whose whole life consisted of finding precious jewels and selling them to make a his living. His jewels were sold and he gained the profit. So it amazes me that Jesus states that the man who discovers the kingdom of heaven, the treaures of heaven, doesn't sell that which is precious, but instead gives all he has to keep what was found. There was a paradigm shift in his outlook on his life, he discoveres what really was valuable. As Christians, do we value the "treasures of the kindgom of heaven" above our own lives? Or are we still trying to bargain our lives to the highest bidder?

The Kingdom of Heaven is God's rulership and ownership of our lives, our hearts, our desires, our minds, our thoughts, basically all that we are is His, when we've discovered His wealth and His worth, we relinquish all. We can't accept Him as Savior unless we allow Him to be Lord. In the Kingdom of Heaven, only One should sit on and govern the throne of our hearts. He dictates and decrees, and we obey. We recognize He is the only One worthy of that priviledge.
Years ago I heard the Lord speak to my heart during a difficult time of crisis, where crucial decisions had to be made, "Get off the throne of your heart, and let me sit down". I realized that I had taken the scepter out of the Lord's hand, and was trying to rule and govern my life, and expecting the Lord to bless MY decisions. As though He was an advisor and I would take "into consideration" His Word. That's a dangerous place to find yourself. It wasn't until I found myself, at the end of myself, that I realized how desperately I needed Christ to be in control. My own mind is limited, emotional, and futile without the Lordship of Christ and as 2 Corinthians 10:5 states..my every thought has to be put under the authority of Christ.

The value of the Lord's authority in and over our lives should be to us all most priceless. There is nothing on earth that I could possibly desire that would make me buy back that which was given. I've sold my life to Jesus, HE bought my life with His blood. If I do not value and allow His authority over my life,the Word of the Lord says when we continue to live the way we want in sin and rebellion, we trample underfoot the Son of God. That is a tragic metaphor because usually to trample isn't intentional, usually trampling occurs because of gross disregard and in pursuit of something else. I think of the man who was trampled to death in the store on black friday last year. Those shoppers didn't intend to kill someone that day, but when they arrived at the store their self-absorption disregarded the life of that man, resulting in tragic loss. If we do not allow Christ's Lordship in our lives, the result is tragic. But when we understand, and everyday remind ourselves of His cost, His value, the treasure of His Lordship, we will experience Christ in us the Riches of Glory.