When You Need to Know You are Precious to the Kingdom
Jesus said…
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33
He taught
May Your Kingdom come!
Matthew 6:10
And I realized, I wasn’t sure I knew what to say if someone asked me to explain the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven.
So, I decided to do a little research and thought you might be interested to know what I learned.
The term the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven are used more than 80 times in the New Testament, most often by Jesus Himself. One of Jesus’ earliest proclamations was…
“The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 1:15
- The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are synonyms.
- The Kingdom of God is the Spiritual realm over which God reigns supreme.
- The Kingdom of God is the fulfillment of God’s will on earth.
The basic meaning of the word kingdom in the Bible is God’s kingly rule — His reign, His action, His lordship, His sovereign governance.
Jesus specifically taught a couple of things about the Kingdom through parables … and although I’ve read these verses countless times, I learned something new this week.
In Matthew 13, Jesus is quoted as saying the following about the Kingdom…
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
Matthew 13:44
And…
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”
Matthew 13:45–46
Did you notice the difference in these verses?
In the first one, the Kingdom is the treasure but in the second, the Kingdom is the merchant.
In the first verse, Jesus is telling His followers that the Kingdom of God/Heaven is the most valuable thing they could have.
The Life Application Bible Notes say…
The man who discovered the treasure hidden in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew its value when he found it. And although the transaction cost him everything, he paid nothing for the priceless treasure itself. It came free, with the field. Nothing is more precious than the Kingdom of Heaven, yet God gives it to us as a gift.
As you and I receive God’s gift of Jesus and surrender our all to Him in faith, God gives us everything we need. EVERYTHING!
How can we KNOW? How can we trust that promise?
Because of Jesus’ second description of the Kingdom.
There Jesus said the Kingdom is like the merchant.
The Life Application Bible Notes say here…
Jesus is displaying another aspect of the Kingdom. [Here] the Kingdom pays the ultimate price to possess the pearl, the price God was willing to pay to redeem us.
YOU ARE THE PRECIOUS PEARL OF GREAT VALUE!
I always thought the pearl of great value was faith … like the great treasure in the field I thought it was what I should seek. And this week I realized that Jesus was saying that I am the pearl of great value and so are you.
God saw you and He gave up everything to save you!
You are so precious to Him!
Verses to Remind You How Precious You are to God
Need a reminder? Stop and put your name in the blanks in the verses that follow:
This is how God loved __________: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
God created __________ in His own image. In the image of God He created __________.
Genesis 1:27
__________ is God’s masterpiece. He has created __________ anew in Christ Jesus, to do the good things He planned for us long ago.
God showed His great love for __________ by sending Christ to die for __________ while still a sinner.
Romans 5:8
I know the plans I have for __________,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give __________ a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; __________ you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Matthew 10:30–31
“My grace is all __________ needs. My power works best in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for __________, won’t He also give everything else?
Romans 8:32
See what great love the Father has lavished on __________, that __________ should be called a child of God!
1 John 3:1
If you’re not feeling precious and abundantly loved by the Father, the Lord of all, go back and read these verses one more time.
Because you are the precious pearl of great value. You are precious to the God of the Universe … Creator, Redeemer, and Comforting Holy Spirit. You are so precious to Him that He gave up the glories of heaven to become like you … a human being in every way except sin, so He could suffer your punishment and mine.
That’s how precious we are to Him.
And that’s the message of Christmas, isn’t it?
In the beginning the Word already existed.
John 1:1–5, 14
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through Him,
and nothing was created except through Him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and His life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Celebrate Jesus! The One who calls you precious. The One who loves you so much He gave up everything so He could give you everything.
And so … He invites you, and me, to SEEK the Kingdom of God above all else.
Because it is life’s greatest treasure.
We are invited by God Himself to surrender all of the things we think we want or need and to make it our heart’s desire to KNOW and TRUST FATHER GOD through HIS SON, JESUS.
And I think that makes Christmas the perfect time of year to offer ourselves at the manger and make a commitment to SEEK the KINGDOM of GOD today and every day for the rest of our lives.
Hello Deb, thank you for this informative lesson on the Kingdom of God.
I also write and post almost daily on FB, and that’s where I spotted you.
It is a real pleasure to know you and the work that you do.
God bless your work and your family.
I have subscribed.
I am on your email list.
Bonaventura Apicella
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement! And thank you for subscribing! I look forward to getting to know you. God bless you!
This message, of inserting MY name in the blanks of the Bible passages, was so powerful! Never in my 60 years on this earth would I have dared to do something so bold or prideful (that’s my upbringing). But I plan on praying this every day, thank you!
I remember the first time someone invited me to put my name in John 3:16. It had a huge impact on my heart! I’m so glad this blessed you! Thanks so much for letting me know! God bless you!
Deb, the perspective you put here on the Kingdom of God made me feel precious, indeed! Oh, how He loves us! May we all reflect upon God’s love and grace, and the treasure it brings to our lives.
Blessings!
Yay! I’m so glad! You are indeed precious, my friend! God bless you!
You’ve given me so much to think about, Deb! Thank you for well considered look at the Kingdom of God. It’s always worth the digging to find the treasure.
Amen, Vicki! And what a blessing that God wants us to find and be blessed by His gracious gift! God bless you!
Thank you for this very insightful post, Deb! I’ve never noticed that different emphasis in Jesus’ parable about the merchant and the field, nor about the pearl. You’ve done a lot of homework for us and I appreciate it so much! I always love learning more about the meanings behind key words in the Bible. I hope your Christmas is extra special this year and thank you for all you do for us!
Thank you, Beth! I absolutely love how you can read sections of Scripture again and again … then one day something jumps off the page and by God’s grace, you see it in a whole new way. I also find myself consistently overwhelmed by how the message faithfully points us back to how very much God loves us! Thanks so much for your encouragement! God bless, my friend!
Such a lovely reminder that we are valued by the King, Deb!
Peace and grace,
Tammy
Thank you, Tammy! It’s an awesome precious gift, isn’t it?! Blessings and hugs!
Hi Deb,
Just letting you know that I have chosen you as one of my gifts & links for my gift post to be released later today (Aussie time). 😀
Merry Christmas,
Jennifer
Thank you so much, Jennifer! What a blessing to be included on your wonderful list. Enjoy a beautiful Christmas full of His blessings and love!
Hi Deb! You’re an amazing woman of God, you really are! I love this so much, “I am the pearl of great value and so are you.” How can I have a bad day knowing that?! So beautiful –thank you for all the time you take to share God’s word in your posts.
Thank you, Terri, for your sweet words and kind encouragement. Isn’t it a blessing to rest in the truth that we are perfectly loved by the God of the universe?! God bless you!