“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44)

              What do you get really excited about? Do you get excited when your favorite team wins? How about on the eve of vacation? Or maybe you get super-excited to find a new recipe, or a new restaurant, or a new binge-worthy show streaming on your favorite app? What do you get really excited about?

              Jesus tells us that we should get so excited about God’s kingdom that we will be ready to give up everything for it. We should treat it like the great treasure that it is.

              Now the question becomes what are we willing to give up for that great kingdom?

              Maybe we can start by giving up our dedication to the worldly kingdoms of power, greed, and selfishness. We could let go of old grudges and long-forgotten wounds. Perhaps we can even “sell off” our fears, our prejudices, and our deeply buried hate, all the things that separate us from the kingdom of heaven.

              Jesus said that kingdom is “like a treasure hidden in a field.” If we let go of all those things I mentioned, we just might find God’s kingdom is hidden no more and we will get so excited by what we have found, we will give our whole lives to living in it.