Many people seek for greater things such as greater meaning, greater understanding, greater wealth, greater relationships, greater significance, etc. The Bible is clear that we are to seek, we are to ask, and we are to knock (Matthew 7:7). In essence the Bible encourages all people to improve and become the person God created them to be. Taking this one step further, Jesus begins to encourage people to not only believe upon Him but to expect to do even greater works than He did (John 14:12). Lastly, God states that He has given you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven … so that you can bind and loosen things in your life, your family’s life and other people’s life. Let it be known that for everyone that has allowed their past to block their future, feels inadequate, feels a failure, feels dysfunctional, feels incompetent, feels unworthy, feels relationally inept … God has given you the keys to start finding and unlocking the pearl that is within you!!
Without a doubt, God has designed us to become more than many of us have become. However, few people have realized the simple process in which this takes place. That simple process can be explained in Scripture by stating what the Kingdom of Heaven is truly like. Open your hearts and listen and pray over the following Scripture passage.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
This passage in the Bible is vital to understand a simple process that many people overlook. You will note that in this passage the object of discovery is a pearl of great value. You will also note that the subject surrounding the object of great value is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was instructing us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant who looking for fine pearls and finally finds one of great value. When the merchant finds the one of great value he is willing to exchange all else to get the one of greatest value. Therefore the Kingdom of God includes an exchange process as we progress through our asking, seeking, and knocking. The doors of opportunity begin to open and close with the key of exchange!
This passage is the key of your personal journey through the Pearl Within Journal. The Kingdom of Heaven and the Keys that God gave you to loosen and bind the issues within the Kingdom, is very similar to the journey of finding the great pearl within you. In order to recognize and obtain the great pearl you must exchange the issues of life. Simply put, the key(s) to the Kingdom of God that allow you to loosen and bind (Matthew 16:19) is the very process of exchange.
This process is so simple that at first glance it may appear complicated. The great news is that throughout scripture and our everyday life the process of exchange is shown as the key to getting the very things that God intended for us. Below is a long list of exchanges that have taken place that have advanced the Kingdom.
· God so love the world that He exchanged His one and only begotten Son so that we might believe and be saved.
· Jesus was on the Cross and exchanged His blood and body for our eternal salvation. He set the example of exchange for us to follow. This is why he commands us to also exchange by ‘taking up our cross, daily.’
· Adam and Eve exchanged a life of perfection for a sinful future by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
· Adam and Eve exchanged one more time by shedding the blood of an animal to cover up their new found sin.
· Noah exchanged the destruction of his family by having faith that rain would flood the earth even when there had never been any rain. He exchanged his role as a shepherd and shipbuilder for the title of a righteous preacher through his act of faith.
· Jacob exchanged His name for Israel upon confession of who he really was.
· Jonah exchanged his position in the belly of the whale when he committed to go to Nineveh.
· Joshua exchanged his lack of hope for victory when he listened to the voice of God to get up from prayer and move forward into action.
· Solomon exchanged his inexperience as a King, with the greatest wisdom in the world by acting and believing in His dream.
· Rahab, the prostitute, exchanged her faith for a place in the linage of Jesus.
· The Apostle Paul exchanged his position as a martyr of Christians by asking God what He wanted from his life when he fell of his horse on the way to Damascus.
· Joseph and Mary exchanged their shame of having a child out of wedlock and became the parents of the greatest prophet and Messiah by believing what the angel of the Lord said to them.
· The Apostle John exchanged his fear of isolation and visions and wrote the greatest revelation of all time … called the book of Revelation.
· Every sinner exchanged their life of sin by confessing that Jesus died on the cross for sinful life.
· Many people in the New Testament exchanged their faith for a healing; as God said ‘Your faith has made you whole”.
Simple and Personal Life Examples
· I exchanged my single life for a married life. The things I used to do with my single friends were exchanged for activities with my spouse and family.
· I exchanged marriage vows with my spouse making a commitment to be devoted to my spouse till death.
· I exchanged my feelings of a dysfunctional family by confessing that all families were born sinful, and therefore dysfunctional.
· I exchanged my college tuition for a college degree.
· I exchanged my college degree with a job in the computer industry.
· I exchanged my past failings with God’s forgiveness by confessing the past failings. In exchange, God gave me a future direction.
· I exchanged my love for alcohol with a love for God’s Word, once I realized I could ask for deliverance.
· I exchanged some of my retirement fund for a loan for my daughter’s education.
As you can see by these examples the process of exchange is what advanced the Kingdom of God and my personal life. Old Testament and New Testament people advanced the Kingdom and unlocked doors by exchanging what they had for something better. This is why Jesus stated that we can have the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and bind and loosen things on earth. Even though this is a limited list of exchanges, any of us would be hard pressed to find examples where things are advanced or improved without a form of exchange.
Consider the mere fact that Jesus was used as the ransom and sacrifice for my sins. Even though He paid the price through the sacrifice, three forms of exchange had to take place for the ransom or sacrifice to have meaning.
1. God had to exchange with Humanity by giving His one and only Son in an earthy form.
2. Jesus had to exchange His position and come to earth and die a sacrificial death.
3. Each sinner has to exchange by confessing that Jesus Christ died for their sins, before the ransom or sacrifice is applied to them personally.
Even though we claim that salvation is free; we need to admit that there was a price to be paid, and that I cannot claim my own salvation without exchanging with God my confession that I was born a sinner.
The simplicity of the process of exchange is best explained by understanding the simplicity of a relationship. In every living relationship there is a process of exchange. There is no healthy relationship where there is no ongoing exchange. This includes relationships with God, spouses, children, friends, family, co-workers, but most of all with ourself. Note again that Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant of pearls who is willing to exchange for the great pearl they have found. Possibly Jesus used this parable to indicate that we must be like a merchant, knowing full well that a merchant is an ‘exchanger’ of goods. A merchant is also always asking, seeking, and knocking for greater goods to improve their position. If we are commanded to continue to ask, seek, and knock we should conclude that we are always finding/learning of greater things that we can exchange with. In fact, we can take all the irritants of our life, and begin to exchange for greater things, once the light of knowledge, truth, revelation are properly reflected on my irritants that have the potential to become my greatest Pearl.
This process of exchange will be the basis for every chapter within the Journal. In other words the keys to your personal healing and the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven cannot be used without an exchange that will take place. Are you willing to exchange in an effort to see God’s full light come into each area of your life to make your past, present and future the full rainbow of perfect light, color, and reflection that God intended it to be? Your Pearl Within is waiting for the full light of God to be reflected!
If the key to finding the Pearl Within is the action or process of exchange, every chapter of this journal will require action on your part to exchange things from your past, present, and future in order to identify the fullness and completeness of who God created you to become. Because God did not wake up today and change His mind about you, or who He created you to become, He desires you to ask, seek, knock as you exchange your entire past, present and future ambitions. This process for the theological at heart would be known as the process of redemption.(1) God instituted the process of redemption through many facets including covenants, testaments, and promises throughout scripture. However the full nature of redemption does not reach full value and maturity until we meet Christ in heaven (Ephesians 1:14). This indicates that the exchange and/or redemptive process to be an ongoing transaction of exchange. This is very much what God intended when He said that we would be in His image and progress through stages of ever increasing Glory. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Let’s begin the process of ever-increasing Glory in your life by allowing you the opportunity and privilege to exchange who you and others thought you were, with who God created you to be; as this is truly your Pearl Within! Make sure you write down the Pearl(s) that you find within yourself, in the spaces provided called “Personal Pearls of Wisdom.”
It will excite you to learn that in Genesis 9:13-17 that God made a covenant (agreement of exchange) that he will use a cloud and the rainbow to remind Himself and us of His everlasting agreement of love for humanity. The rainbow that is created by light-rays of reflection and refraction are a great reminder of God’s light that is able to reflect and refract of the beauty of who he created you to be. This beauty can be found if you search and decide to exchange with Him.
Note: Because this journey is so interactive and requires you to exchange with God we have provided a Blog called The Pearl Within Blog at focusonheaven.com/pearlwithin.htm. Please use the Blog to openly discuss your findings and exchanges.
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