I’ve had the great privilege of teaching the Bible lesson for the older elementary kids this summer at church. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and have been reminded again about how much greater a capacity children have to dig deep in God’s Word than we often give them credit for.
Last night, we were looking at the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value from Matthew 13:44-46:
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
We were talking about how our salvation and the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven are so valuable that they are worth surrendering and sacrificing everything to gain them. We talked about how a life spent following hard and whole-heartedly after Christ, how a life of service and sacrifice yielded great reward, though we may not see that reward on earth. We talked about how to pursue anything other than Christ with greater passion is to, in a very real sense, commit idolatry.
It was then that Michael Jackson was brought up, and how incredibly sad it was that the troubled man spent his entire life focused on and pursuing success and fame, yet in the balance, found himself empty, searching, troubled, and unable to face reality in so many ways. One of the kids said that it reminded them of their memory verse for the week:
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.–Matthew 6:19-21
My great prayer for this generation of young Christians is that they will somehow shake off the chains that are the pursuit of fame and notoriety, more stuff and comfort, and invest their lives in finding greatness in God’s eyes through service and holiness. On the wall beside my computer monitor in my office are some of the words from one of my favorite worship songs. These words represent the prayer for my life and yours as we pursue Christ and store up treasures in Heaven.
“Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life: To know and follow hard after you.”–From “One Pure and Holy Passion” by Mark Altrogge
