It’s embarrassing to share this, but a few months ago I got caught out with an Internet scam. Obviously, it wasn’t something I had planned on doing. I happened to be browsing my Facebook feed when I noticed a ‘Massive Lego Sale’ being advertised. I clicked the link to what appeared to be a toy company in New Zealand selling Lego sets at almost 75% off. I couldn’t believe my luck. I had soon selected a few hundred dollars worth of sets to be birthday and Christmas presents for the kids. I had to move quickly too, because the countdown said there was only 3 hours left in this Massive, One-off Sale! Quite freely, I entered my contact details and credit card number. No sooner had I clicked enter than I had a moment of uncertainty. I quickly checked my account and realised the transaction information didn’t match the company. An online search revealed that the website was a scam, and other people had been caught out. I was able to call the bank and cancel the transaction and the credit card. However, I couldn’t help but feel foolish and stung by the experience.
In this life, we can so easily chase things that we think will make us happy. We give our time, energy and resources to things that look attractive, but ultimately are unsatisfying. These things do not last.
Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is the one thing worth pursuing. It is the thing that lasts. If we perceive that the Kingdom of God is no less than being in relationship with God (Father, Son and Spirit) and in relationship with others as brothers and sisters, then that is where we need to direct our time, energy and resources. So what does it mean to pursue the Kingdom in this way?
Jesus says it’s like ‘giving all that we have’ to purchase a pearl of great price.
What would it look like if we gave ‘all that we had’ to building the Kingdom of God in this place and time? Wouldn’t our hearts follow our investment of time, energy and resources?
And if we are not chasing Kingdom treasure, what are our hearts chasing after?