Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” Matthew 13:52

I want to leave you all with this as we wrap up our week. As you live your days, seek to be with Jesus and to know Him above all else.

These teachers of the law that Jesus was referring to in verse 52 were people who had spent their entire lives studying what we now know as the Old Testament, and in case you don’t know, a lot of the Old Testament includes prophecies about the Messiah - Jesus. The Old Testament pointed to Jesus a lot, but the people who knew it the most couldn’t recognize Him when He was standing right in front of them. They had the old treasures of the law but most of them didn’t have the new treasures that Jesus was referring to. They didn’t know Him.

I want to share a quote with you that I think sums this up well. “The world wants peace, but rejects the Prince of Peace. The world wants love, but rejects the Author of Love. The world wants life, but rejects the One who gave His (life) to save theirs. The world desperately wants Jesus but they’re too busy rejecting Him to realize He’s the answer.”

I don’t want that for you. I don’t want that for us, but I know that it is a possibility. I know that we can know all the laws and want all the right things, just like the teachers of the law, but still live life without knowing Jesus. So, I encourage you as followers of Jesus to keep doing what you’re doing. Keep reading God’s Word in an attempt to know who Jesus is and to build a relationship with Him. Keep coming to church on Sunday and worshiping the Prince of Peace, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, the One who gave His life to save yours. Keep going to House Church. Keep showing up to your Biblical community, and experience the life, joy, and help that comes from being known like you were meant to be known. Keep creating time and space to be with Jesus in your daily rhythms, and keep taking the small opportunities that you have during the day to love the people around you. Keep following Jesus. Following the laws and doing all the right things is great, but it’s empty if you don’t have a relationship with the One who wrote them. Follow Jesus. With all of your days, follow Jesus.

Reflection:

• Prayer: God, thank You again for loving me. Thank You for being a God who reveals Himself to His people and who has a relationship with them. Thank You for choosing to have a relationship with me, for being with me always, and for never leaving me. Please strengthen me to be with You and to follow You all the days of my life. And as I go, help me to help others do the same. We thank You, we love You, and we’re grateful for You. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.

Family Application: Guess What I Found

• We all like to tell others about exciting events and experiences we enjoy, like going on vacation, receiving a gift, meeting someone famous, or learning about interesting places and people. What is one of the first things we all do when returning to school following summer break? We tell our friends about trips we took, people we visited, and fun things we enjoyed (think water park!!). What about that hidden treasure we talked about finding yesterday? Absolutely! No doubt about it – we would tell EVERYONE!
• Jesus reminded his disciples that because the Kingdom of Heaven is even more valuable than treasure, it is one of those exciting things we will want to tell others about. When we think of its value, how there’s nothing like it in the world, how beneficial it is for us, and that others may not know of its importance, we should tell others so they will understand and enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven just as we do. God loves everyone so much that He wants us all to enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven, so he sent Jesus to earth to tell us about it. Once we’ve heard, believed, and experienced it, He wants us to share it with our friends, family, neighbors, and others we meet.
• Prayer: God, I want my friends and others I know and meet to know You like I have come to know You. I want to tell them about You and Your Kingdom of Heaven. Please use me to tell them.