Worth
At first glance I didn't catch what the scripture was saying here. I thought it was pretty much the same story, just told in two different scenarios. Notice that the first says the TREASURE is like the kingdom of heaven. It's worth is more valuable than all of our possessions combined. I thought the next verse was saying the same thing about the PEARL. However, the kingdom of heaven is compared to the MERCHANT! When it noticed a pearl of great value he gave it all to get it. God did this through Jesus. He gave his son so that he could have us! God was willing to give it all up in order to have you, now that is amazing! You have great value, greater than the finest pearls. We get so caught up in "sell everything you own." If that's what it takes for you to follow Jesus, then do it. God wants you to love him so much it's like you hate everything else in comparison. If you can use your resources to advance the kingdom of heaven, even better. In our culture it takes resources to reach millions of people with the gospel. Above all, YOU are the treasure that God has been looking for, and you have been chosen by him.
