Jesus instructed us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in the Book of Matthew.
The beginning of that prayer says “Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Kingdom of God is referred to numerous times in the Bible and refers to a reality; a way of living by a set of principles and rules that govern every aspect of our lives. Those who live in this way are submitting to God’s “governance” of their lives. It’s obvious that The Kingdom of Heaven and its principles are important to God the Father and to Jesus. They also should be extremely important to anyone who claims Jesus as Lord.
In this world, there are many things in which people place great value. We only need to pause for a moment to reflect, and we will all recognize some of the things that are precious to people. Money is high on the list and people are easily captivated by anything that glitters and shines like silver, gold, jewelry, and precious stones like rubies and diamonds. Many of these things are not innately good or bad but should be kept in their right place.
In the book of Proverbs, the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven are compared many times to worldly treasures to underscore the point that God’s laws and instructions are precious-more precious than anything else.
“My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5
“Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” Proverbs 20:15
“Blessed are those who find wisdom,those who gain understanding,for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.She is more precious than rubies;nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:13-15
Jesus used this same comparison in his parables when comparing Kingdom principles to valuable things.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 25:44
“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 25:45-46
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” Luke 15:8
In each of the previous parables, the kingdom of heaven is compared to something recognized as valuable, which is searched for, found, or worked for. The point is that the kingdom of heaven is the most precious of all treasures.
In Luke 19:12-27, known as the parable of the talents, the talents are something of value with great potential. They weren’t searched for or earned; they were given freely. There was, however, an expectation.
The parable begins with this: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ “Luke 19:12-13
Each servant understood that they had been entrusted with something of tremendous value. A talent was equivalent to what a day laborer would earn in about 20 years. We can see the talents in this parable as representing the principles of the kingdom of heaven. Like the servants, every Christian has been given the priceless principles that will lead them into abundant life. We didn’t earn them, yet God delivers to every one of His children those “talents” that we need. We are responsible for how we invest them in our lives as we develop the Kingdom realities that Jesus instructed us to pray for. We will then be rewarded based on our faithfulness with them.
The message in these proverbs and parables is truly clear. God has revealed to us the amazing and precious wisdom of His reign - His kingdom. Living by these precious talents/treasures revealed to us in the Bible can lead us into a reality where His kingdom comes, and His will is done in our hearts and in our lives. The words, wisdom, commands, knowledge and understanding found in the Bible are far more precious and yield far greater benefits than all the shiny trinkets the world offers.