by Pastor Afolabi Oladele
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matthew 13:44
Matthew 13:44 is about divesting yourself of what is less valuable viz – activities, burdens; and things in order to gain what is priceless. It’s all about the importance of the destination and being willing to make the right choices regarding what’s the priority to take along. What changes to our priorities, values, possessions and other worldly ties as God leads us, do we need to make? Critical to that determination is how well you answer these questions:
- What is my destination?
- How important is this to me; and what am I willing to lose in the light of what I stand to gain?
Let us consider together a scripture that we commonly quote in 2 Peter 1:3-11. Please point to me which of these are material things that drive our day to day living? Oh, we need to work to eat, to clothe, to do several things. Please understand me, the issue is that we must not so be absorbed in the material that we cannot receive the spiritual (an apt description of the Christian today). It is amazing how accumulations of life can bog us down, frustrate us and even ruin our lives. Let’s look at this in two dimensions as we form our prayer points for this crossover service.
Consider the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-25. To get a full picture of this man, the context, you need to read the accounts in Mark 10:17-27 and Luke 18:18-24. To fully understand the lessons here, you must also read Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV/NLT) and see the two things in the heart of man – world on one hand and eternity on the other. That’s the heart of this story and what God is putting every Christian on the stand for – who is the King of your heart? If ever there was time to consciously know your destination and decide what to give up to get there, it is now. Jesus never went after the young man, though He loved him. The rich young man was bogged down by earthly possessions (world) and traded it for the real destination, the eternal life that was the hunger of his heart.
I am sure a good number of you have a nagging question, Is the Lord asking us to liquidate our bank accounts, to sell everything I have and give all away and live in poverty? I will answer you in light of where Jesus was in His ministry here! This incident happened on His way to be crucified, the last days of His ministry on earth. He knew that after His death, the persecution that would befall the early church, as well as the pending destruction by Rome of the Temple and its institutions and how the disciples would be driven away to the ends of the earth, bearing the gospel.
Given this situation the Lord knew it would be more profitable for the man to divest himself of all financial ties that would hold Him down! The Lord knew better, He saw far beyond what the man could. While the man was tied down, the Lord spoke something that should catch the attention of everyone reading this in Matthew 19:24-30.
This then leads me to the second dimension of what you need as you look forward into 2020.
Turn with me to John 5:1-8. I have a question for you, and a few points to note: What was wrong with this sick man’s response in verse 7 to Jesus’ question in verse 6?
His mind was already fixated on how God could heal him! We are also like that. God will provide for me only this way or that way? Who told you so? The man neither knew Jesus, nor was able to recognise a ‘kairos moment.’
I know I have a thus-saith-the-Lord here. You need your mind to be healed of the weakness of mind that ties you to status quo and experience, and learn to hear, discern and see how God wants to move in these times.
- A few points to note:
- Note the hour of grace was come
- Note the sheep, their quality as helpless people;
- Note that there were many who were waiting there and only one was the Lord sent to – respecting what we need also to respect, watching the Father to see what He is doing and what He wants us to do (John 5: 19-29, 30); and
- Note the challenging moments the Lord faced from the religious system and in
- A season of a feast!
All I have shared in these two principal scriptures are laden with prophetic insight that I pray you will discern and walk right. I have not spoken to you in fear of what may come, rather I have emphasised to you the power of God working on behalf of all who will come under the shadow of His power! Do not fall prey to Matthew 13:22, a quick follow up to the warning in Matthew 6:19-24. Let God sit on the throne of your heart, and then we will all be able to keep material wealth (which will be challenged) or the absence of it in a healthy perspective. This was Paul’s admonition also in 1 Cor. 7:30-31 (NLT).
I pray a spiritually fruitful and victorious 2020 for us all in Jesus name. Amen.
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