"The Real Pearl Here?"

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I don't know about you but I love this verse! What a thought - "The word of God is living and powerful." Today I want to talk to you about two verses that have been just that at different times of my life. They can be found in Matthew chapter 13 and they are verses 45 and 46. They tell us about a parable, that Jesus shared with His disciples in order to teach them (and us) a great truth! It is commonly known as 'The Pearl Of Great Price,' and here is what it says:   "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." These two little verses teach a great truth about what it means to 'value' something so much that we are willing to give up everything to have it!

The question I always wonder and ask myself when I read this is, "In this parable, are we the merchant, or the pearl?"

If we are the pearl than Jesus is the man who thinks that we are of such great value that He sacrifices everything to obtain us ...which He did when He died for us on the cross!

But, if we are the man and the pearl is Jesus, than it means we recognize that He is of such great value, that He is worth giving up everything else  ... so that we can have Him in our lives!

I'll be honest with you and tell you that there have been times in my life when I read this 'living, actively powerful word' and all that I could see was what I needed to hear at the time. That He loved me! I was the pearl and He loved me so much that He sacrificed it all to save me. What an amazingly comforting revelation  when I needed to know that I was loved! Then at other times what it revealed to me was my need to see Him as the pearl! It spoke to me of my need to change my priorities so that He was the pearl and it was about my need to give up my wants and desires and to love Him above all else! Again, what an amazing revelation to speak to my heart! Not my will but His be done! Why? Because I love Him above all else!

I personally tend to think that Jesus told it they way that He did on purpose. Maybe He meant for us to not know for sure because this way it is can be a great example of us placing 'great value' on the other. It not only reveals to us His love and sacrifice for us and but it can also paint a picture of how much we should love Him! Maybe what it really does, is teach us to 'value' both sides of our relationship, and maybe, just maybe, that nugget of truth is the real pearl here? 

So, the next time you see a pearl? Will it remind you of His amazing love for you ... or .... how much you love Him ... or ... that our relationship with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is really about the fact that we both place 'great value' and treasure each other!