Matthew 13: 44–46 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.

Jesus presents the two responses of men in relation to the treasure and the great pearl which is the kingdom of God. During the olden days, there were no banks and people would dig the ground in their own backyard to bury their treasures in it. Jesus said, that some men, when they discover the treasure, respond in whole hearted dedication without giving any other thought, than to have it for what it yields. In simple terms, they let go of everything else in life, just to own this treasure - kingdom of God.

Another group of men that Jesus also spoke about were those who dedicated themselves to the kingdom of God, after estimating the value of all the other pearls which is the claims and gains of this life, to value the kingdom of God more.

To the first group, all that mattered in life was only the kingdom of God and they needed no evaluation. The second group, after carefully evaluating the benefits of this world - embraced the kingdom of God.

Thought for the day: The retirement benefits for those who treasure and value the kingdom of God more than anything else is out-of-the-world!