Seeking the Kingdom

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
"Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." [Matthew 13:44-51]

When one discovers the kingdom of God there is excitment and "joy" in the process. It grips one's soul. In fact, it causes one to bet the ranch on that single leap of faith. While the mark of a Christian is love for God and the church, the true test results of a conversion experience within the kingdom is "joy". Yet, why are there so many who claim to be believers whose lives are bitter and full of complaints? Jesus asks his disciples "Do you get this? This is what the kingdom of God is like!" While they answered "yes" to his question, I sense that the church today is in the same boat. We think we know the answers; but, in reality our nets are full of both good and bad. We should not be surprised by that result. Rather, we need to focus on our individual joy and committment to sell all we have to gain entrance to the kingdom of God. It is our not our job to judge. That will be up to God and his angels some day. But, this message needs to be proclaimed to a lost and dying world.