It is important to remember what we have.  There is an old saying that you don’t know what you have ’till it’s gone.  I hope that’s not always true.  I’ve known people that were getting ready to sell a car, and wanted it to look it’s best to fetch the best price they could get.  After vacuuming and cleaning the interior, washing and waxing the finish, ArmorAlling the tires, etc. they decided to keep the car.  Sometimes it’s tough to recognize what we are in possession of, but it’s more important for Christians to be able to than anyone else.

Matthew chp. 13 offers many analogies to what the kingdom of God is like.  In verse 45, Jesus compares it to a pearl of great value (or of great price, KJV fans).  He says that if a collector of pearls were to find it in a field, he would sell everything he had and buy that field.  The Kingdom of God is within our grasp, but how often do we neglect to even think about it?  Life is stressful and we’re all pretty busy, yet the world needs more than ever to hear the good news, and if we sit on our hands who will tell them?

Romans 10 (quoting Isaiah 52) says “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”  Paul exhorts Timothy to rightly handle the Word of Truth because that is the most important activity we engage in.  Building churches is great, but it’s so the Word can be preached in them.  Sending missionaries or going on mission trips is great, but remember that the point is to reach people with the gospel message.  Remember Jesus’ warning that the fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few.  We need to remember what we have: the pearl of great price.  We carry around with us in our hearts hope for the hopeless, grace for sinners, peace for the suffering and mourning; but often we’re so wrapped up in our own problems that we get discouraged and DO NOT SHARE IT with others. 

Christian brothers and sisters, you are an ambasador for Christ in a dry and weary land.  This is a message we need not to keep to ourselves!  We have been given a great treasure, and also the responsibility to share it with all who will receive.