Matthew 13:44 (ESV)
⁴⁴ “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.

How would you react if you were on a hike one day and you happened to come across a lot of money? That’s the scenario Jesus presents in this parable to illustrate the value of Christianity.

The term parable basically means to compare something to something else. The point being made with this particular comparison is that the kingdom of heaven — the church, Christianity — is worth a lot more than whatever it costs you and me to be a faithful Christian. Whatever sacrifices required of us to be a faithful servant in God’s kingdom are more than worth it. We will gladly make those sacrifices if we truly understand the value of being a child of God.

The man in the parable wasn’t looking for treasure. He found it accidentally, but having found it he immediately recognized its value. Christianity is the same way. Some sitting around you on Sunday mornings weren’t looking for the truth…but they came across it anyway. Maybe a friend who is a Christian invited them to a church activity, Bible class, or worship service, and they went for no other reason to hang out because they had nothing else to do that day. Yet they ended up hearing the gospel, they recognized what state they were in and what they needed to do, and they did it because they recognized the importance of saving their soul.

Christians, do we recognize the value of what we have…or do we take it for granted?