Do Not Wait Until Tomorrow

The book of Proverbs tells us, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” We are never guaranteed tomorrow. Therefore, do not wait until tomorrow to get your spiritual life in order. We have a sense of urgency in so many areas of our lives, but often, when it comes to things spiritual, we act as if our time is infinite. Our Lord tells us that our most urgent concern should be our spiritual life.

Gospel - Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:

"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,

which a person finds and hides again,

and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant

searching for fine pearls.

When he finds a pearl of great price,

he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a buried treasure. This analogy is appropriate given that Jesus has previously discussed that the kingdom is not revealed to all. Like a buried treasure, there is something of great value in Jesus’s preaching; however, not all are aware of it.

There is also a new concept presented in this parable: that of urgency. We need to urgently respond to the Gospel: to the good news of the kingdom. The person in this parable recognizes the opportunity he has been given, an opportunity that occurs once in a lifetime, and he is willing to sacrifice everything to obtain it. He sells everything he has to purchase the field containing the treasure. This is what the kingdom of heaven will do when one realizes its value. It will change their priorities. Things that were of value and importance no longer are when compared to the value of God’s kingdom. This is why the disciples left everything to follow Jesus.

The secondary parable given here, the pearl of great price, helps to reinforce the sense of urgency needed in responding to the kingdom. Pearls were considered more valuable than gold. Just as with the hurried treasure, once the person discovered the pearl, they sold all they had to obtain it. The kingdom is just like that. One joyfully gives up the things they treasured in the past to obtain the kingdom. The kingdom must be valued above all else.

Daily Application

The parable of the buried treasure and the pearl of great price shows us that when it comes to the spiritual life, two things are essential. First, we must have a sense of urgency. Second, we must be willing to give up everything to follow Christ. Both of these can be obstacles in our spiritual growth. However, we must get over these obstacles if we want to enter the kingdom.

In both parables, the man who discovered the treasure acted quickly. He did not wait until tomorrow or next year to secure the treasure. So too must it be when it comes to the spiritual life. When we realize who Jesus is and why we need him, we should not delay. We must act immediately to get our lives in order. Far too often, we put off our spiritual life for a later date. We don’t repent of our sins and amend our ways. We assume we will have tomorrow. However, we are never guaranteed tomorrow, and when we die, it is too late.

Getting our lives in order may require hard decisions. We may need to give up everything we know in order to follow Christ. This includes sin that we have a particular attachment to. It may also include friends or even family members who cause us to fall into sin and pull us away from Christ. We have to realize that there is nothing at all in this world that is so valuable that it is not worth giving up if it means we gain the kingdom.

All of this is hard. It is hard to set aside a life that we have known and perhaps even become comfortable with to pursue a life for Christ. Pursuing a life for Christ is not easy. Our Lord himself tells us that we must pick up our cross daily to follow him. Yet if we do not embrace the challenge in this life, we will embrace a far greater challenge in the life that is to come, the challenge of eternal separation from God. Do not wait until tomorrow to get your spiritual life in order.