Living up to our beliefs

"[T]he kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." - Jesus ¹

The cost of the kingdom of Heaven is the cost to the man in this parable - all that he had. But the man jumped at the chance; why? Because he was convinced of the value of that treasure and his opportunity.

Faith is not a leap in the dark, it action based on what we are convinced. Action based on what we hope is not faith, it's hope.

The man in this parable acted according to his faith, we all do whether we realize it or not.

"We often speak of people not living up to their faith. But ... genuine beliefs are made obvious by what people do. We always live up to our beliefs--or down to them, as the case may be..."

Want to know what you really believe? Look at what you are doing.

Having trouble giving your all? Ask Jesus to give you a better look at his treasure; to touch it, feel it, and bury it in your heart. Giving all you have will seem like a bargain!

Jim Elliott put it this way, "He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose."

- fritz

^{1 - Matthew 13:44
2 - The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard published by HarperCollins, copyright 1998
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