The Student’s Desk

How Much is Heaven Worth?

The Student’s Desk fortnightly devotion.

Preparation to Pray

Psalm 19:7-11 (ESV)

      The law of the Lord is perfect,

          reviving the soul;

     the testimony of the Lord is sure,

          making wise the simple;

      the precepts of the Lord are right,

          rejoicing the heart;

     the commandment of the Lord is pure,

          enlightening the eyes;

      the fear of the Lord is clean,

          enduring forever;

     the rules of the Lord are true,

          and righteous altogether.

      More to be desired are they than gold,

          even much fine gold;

     sweeter also than honey

          and drippings of the honeycomb.

      Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

          in keeping them there is great reward.

Prayer

Lord, again we thank you that we can gather in your name and meet as your people. As we meet as your people, it is our desire to thank you for all you’ve done for us, to pray to and to learn from you. Lord, we are so blessed in our lives to have so much choice. There seems to be no end of entrainment and other things to amuse us. And we acknowledge this blessing comes from you. But Lord, so often we falter and pay more attention to the things we’re blessed with, rather than you who blesses. Help us Lord to value what you’ve promised us. Like the Psalmist, help us take unbridled delight in your word, and to get excited about you. As we look at what Jesus teaches us may we know the true worth of heaven, and the true worth of following Jesus, and want that more than anything else.

In Jesus name we pray.

Matthew 13:44-46

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

How much is heaven worth?

How much is heaven worth? Ever thought about it? What would you be prepared to give up for heaven? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it?

Speaking of how much things are worth, let’s think about shopping. We all been shopping, haven’t we? Do we like it? There’s nothing like a good shop and finding the one thing you’ve been looking for. What I like is finding a really good bargain and getting something dirt cheap. I get a real kick out of it.

I had a shopping experience like that recently. I had been looking for another bike for a while, and these particular bikes aren’t cheap! I saw one advertised for a really good price. The only catch was it was in Hobart! But it was such good value, I thought it was worth dropping everything I was doing, flying from Sydney to Hobart to spend the money I had and buy this bike. And I did.

Well, Jesus says that’s how we should think about heaven. We should be prepared to give up a whole lot for the heaven. Because heaven is going to be a hundred times better than what we have to give up. Jesus tells two stories of two different men who had a similar experience to me when I bought my bike. One finds buried treasure, and the other spots a pearl. They’re both big finds, a once in a lifetime opportunity. To get what they found, they sell everything they had! They had to sell the house, their clothes, the family goat, the kitchen sink, the whole lot had to go! There wasn’t anything more precious to them then what they had just found.

Jesus is saying that is what the heaven is like. It’s precious! It’s worth more then everything else we own, or hope to own. And while heaven is living with God for eternity, it’s also about following Jesus now. And we’ve been saying that following Jesus means forgiving others when they do the wrong thing by us; listening to what Jesus teaches us; to tell others how much God loves us, both in what we say and what we do; and to trust God for everything we need. Following Jesus is also about trusting in his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. It’s only because of what Jesus did for us that we can even think about going to heaven! Jesus is the one who will get us there. All the more reason to follow Jesus.

Here’s the challenge: Are we following Jesus, or are other things getting in the way? If we’re letting other things get in the way, then we’re saying those things are worth more than following Jesus, and that’s not true. Following Jesus is worth much more! I wasn’t going to let a few essays and a plane flight get in the way of a good buy of a bike. Neither should we let other things get in the way of following Jesus. Heaven’s worth it!

© The Student’s Desk, 2007.

November 2, 2007 - Posted by Jason | Devotionals, Parables, Religious | Bible, Christian, Christianity, Devotion, devotional, Theology