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Yesterday we studied the Parable of the Treasure. Now, Jesus continues his teaching with another similar story tied to it. They go together, so let’s read them together.

Matthew 13: 44-45, “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. Again, 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.”

Remember yesterday was all about a man who discovered hidden treasure in a field. He just found it there – stumbled upon it. But now in this story of the pearl, we have a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. A merchant is on a mission to find something specific. He is trained, he is experienced, and he knows exactly what he is looking for.

One wasn’t looking and found hidden treasure. One was searching intentionally and discovered a pearl of great value. And isn’t it the same with finding Jesus. Some of us just stumbled right into Jesus when we weren’t even looking for him – while others of us found him after searching through every other religion, every other way of life and then we finally found Jesus.

Which one is right? BOTH because they both result in the same life changing encounter.

I didn’t go searching for Jesus. I had a beautiful childhood and lived in a sweet little bubble. At 15 my family started going to church and I was happy to go because in my tiny country town there wasn’t much else to do. I wasn’t expecting to meet a Savior, I didn’t even know I needed one – but there he was, so sweetly awaiting our encounter. It wasn’t dramatic. I didn’t have a bunch of bad decisions and regrets to lay on the altar. I just knew there was a prompting from within calling my surrender to his divine guidance.

I was the one who stumbled on hidden treasure in a field when I wasn’t even looking for it. That’s the kingdom of heaven.

Then there’s my friend Cat. In her 30’s she had walked down a path of addiction that had led her to a crashing end. While in rehab trying to get sober and regain her life, she was introduced to a variety of “higher powers” for the choosing. She began studying and trying them. Buddhism was surely it, so she tried it – but felt nothing. So on to the next one. How about Hinduism. No, that wasn’t it.

She left rehab now sober, but still searching. On the way out, her counselor handed her her own personal copy of ‘Jesus Calling’ and said, “At some point you’re going to need this.” Cat tucked that little devotional book away in a closet and returned to life. It was a better life sober, but not a whole life.

When the next big family catastrophe hit, she knew she needed something to carry her through and not return to the familiarity of her addiction, and she remembered the words of the counselor at rehab who had said, “At some point, you’re going to need this.” And Cat knew – if there was ever a time I need something, it’s now.

So, she found that book, ‘Jesus Calling’ in the closet, she opened the page to that day’s date, and there she found every single word she most needed. But more than words, she found the loving, forgiving, life-changing Savior she had been searching for all along. AND SHE KNEW IT. She knew this was THE ONE. Jesus was the pearl of greatest value and nothing would ever be the same for her.

Cat was the one who had been searching for years and finally found her pearl. That’s the kingdom of heaven.

Isn’t it amazing that we have BOTH? Both a Savior who will pursue us when we aren’t even pursuing him – AND a Savior who will patiently wait as we pursue everything that isn’t him and perfectly align an encounter with him when everything else has failed?

Jesus doesn’t fit in our little box. It doesn’t have to be one way. He is THE WAY, and he will make the way to you in