Matthew 13:44
Well, it’s that time of year (the new year that is) for making resolutions. Many people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year in hopes of changing things which didn’t go so well in the previous one. Maybe you’re one of those folks. Resolutions often have to do with things like losing weight, exercising more, being a better spouse, saving more/spending less, taking more time for prayer and Bible study, quitting smoking, more involvement at church, etc.
Almost always within a few weeks, these resolutions have been broken and/or completely forgotten. Rarely do we ever hear someone say in the middle of June: “I’m still sticking to my new year’s resolution to eat more vegetables!”
Why do people fail with these resolutions? There are many answers to that question, but one answer would be most prevalent: We’re not convinced that our resolutions are worth it. Oh, we might say they are and think so, but the results speak for themselves. Our resolutions are not gigantic tasks such as building a regional airport in Belmont County or inventing a material which really works to fill pot holes. We’re talking about being wiser in our money management or spending more time in the scriptures. These things are not difficult! We are just not totally convinced about doing them.
In our text, we have a man who was completely convinced about something he wanted. He discovered a treasure hidden in a field. To him that treasure was truly worth having. So much was it worth having that he hid it again (so no one else would find it) and went and sold everything he had and bought that field! He rejoiced over his find and over his being able to obtain it.
What most people lack concerning their resolutions is the joy which this man had. We don’t see the joyful outcome of keeping our resolutions but only see them as hard work, drudgery and something we have to do differently. We don’t really believe the “treasure” is worth the investment. What is worth the investment to you?