How Bad Do I Want It?

Diatomaceous earth is really amazing stuff.  The ancient beds of microscopic marine life are found in various places from where it is mined for a variety of purposes.  It has the ability to absorb large amounts of water so it is used in things like kitty litter.  It also has lots of microscopic sharp edges.  Because of this, it is used as a pest control agent.  When snails and slugs crawl over it, these sharp edges abrade their skin so bad that they will die from their wounds.

You would think that with such tender bodies, snails and slugs would avoid sharp surfaces.  Hence my surprise when I witnessed the following scene:



There must be something really special about the fruits of these cactus that cause the snail to risk injury to get to it.  It wasn’t like there was a lack of succulent green vegetation to chew on.

Jesus also told a story about someone who wanted something so bad that he engaged in some very risky behavior.  The kingdom of heaven, He said, 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.  (Matthew 13:44 NIV)  This man knew that the value of the treasure was so great it was worth the cost.

How valuable is the kingdom of heaven to me?  What am I willing to “sell” to get it?  Anything? Everything?

At another point Jesus told the people who were hanging out with him what this might look like: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  (Mark 8:34-35 NIV)

Sometimes I like to think that I am doing a good job of following Jesus.  I have left my home, sold most of possessions, quit my job and moved to another country where I am studying one of the more difficult languages in the world in order to tell people how much God loves them.

But I have not sold all of my possessions and I still have a house (almost paid for) and a retirement fund (though it’s not worth a whole lot in the present market.)  And find myself being occupied sometimes more by my possessions than by Jesus. And I find myself relying sometimes more on my accumulated wealth than on the One who owns everything.  And when I put to much hope in my possessions that will one day turn to dust, I am unwilling to take risks for Jesus.

Lord, help me to be like the snail, willing to risk his very life to obtain that which is of greatest value.