Hide and Seek

UV 2257/10000 Hide and Seek
Again, the 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.
Matthew 13 v 44

When Adam and Eve fell from God’s grace, they went and hid behind the trees out of shame and guilt. But today, when we sin we can hide in Jesus. Jesus has revealed all the secrets of heaven- all that we need to gain eternal life. The grace of God revealed in Jesus covers all our sins, past, present and future. It is our clothing, our honour, our righteousness, our food, our shield, our fortress, our promise of eternal life. It is the kingdom of heaven delivered on earth to us through Jesus. This great Truth is the most precious diamond that is hidden in a field. It is the source of our joy and our peace. When we give priority to Jesus and His word and will in our lives, we are selling everything else in order to buy that field with the most valuable treasure in all of the world.

Today, many of us are busy selling the field with our most precious treasure in order to obtain that which is not so valuable. It is obviously most foolish to do so. The decision to sell the field happens as we do not have the faith to realize that the most valuable treasure or diamond is hidden in the field the Lord has given us. We plough for some time in that field but give up too soon. We search for some time but do not persist. We are distracted from the Truth by the pleasures and worries of this world. Since Jesus is a treasure without measure, we are not threatened when others also possess Him. He is a shareable treasure. There is no struggle or competition involved in possessing this treasure of infinite value.

To find the diamond hidden in our field, we need to search and seek with all our heart. We need to seek till we find it. Having found it, we need to keep it in the most secure place- our hearts. In order to keep it in our hearts, we need to empty our hearts of all other treasures and concerns. We should not bargain away our greatest treasure- Jesus for the lesser treasures of this world as Esau did by exchanging his birth right as the elder son for a pot of meat or as Judas did for thirty silver coins. In Jesus are hidden all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom. As we hide in Jesus, the Diamond of Heaven- we need to shine forth with His qualities of the 4 C’s – calmness, compassion, courage and creativity as we confront the temptations and trials of this world. When we act out of fear, it is reaction, when we act out of love and faith, it is creativity. We should play a different kind of hide and seek game that we have been playing this far with God. We should hide in Jesus and seek His word and will in our lives. Hiding His word or keeping and constantly applying it in every field of our lives is equivalent to hiding in Jesus. When we do so, we find the treasure without measure in Him. We should seek our resources to fulfil our need in Him. We should seek His counsel to solve the problems and face the challenges we face in every field of life. We are constantly filled with joy as we are co-owners of the most valuable treasure of heaven and earth.

Prateep V Philip