{"id":377,"date":"2012-02-11T14:06:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-11T14:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=377"},"modified":"2012-02-11T14:06:00","modified_gmt":"2012-02-11T14:06:00","slug":"my-diamond-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=377","title":{"rendered":"My Diamond Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Years ago, my Grandparents had a terraced garden in their small backyard. They always had great success and many of us were beneficiaries of their efforts. One particular year, Grandpa was laid up after surgery and was not able to help out as he usually did. They asked if I\u2019d like to help. Of course I said yes!<\/span><\/div>\n
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I enjoyed the time I spent at Grandma and Grandpa\u2019s. You knew you\u2019d be well fed and would have a chance to hear Grandpa\u2019s newest tale. But during this particular summer, I was in the garden on most visits. Weeding, watering, pruning, and staking were daily tasks and to be honest, it was therapeutic.<\/span><\/div>\n
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After one particular visit, I noticed that the diamond from my engagement ring was missing. Somewhere in that garden lay my precious stone. It was discouraging to me. I quickly recovered and knew I\u2019d never retrieve it from the soil or the produce. I joked with my Grandparents that if a diamond tree were produced, the diamonds would be mine! <\/span><\/div>\n
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I find it interesting that in Matthew 13, Jesus shares parables with the crowds and the disciples relating the Kingdom of Heaven to several earthly illustrations, most involving working the land in planting or harvesting:\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n
    \n
  • The Parable of the Sower \u2013 hearing the message of the kingdom and how each person responds to it<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Parable of the Weeds \u2013 speaks of the growth of the kingdom of heaven<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast \u2013 the productivity of the kingdom of heaven<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Parable of the Hidden Treasure \u2013 the priceless value of our eternal life<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Parable of the Pearl \u2013 what am I willing to give up for that greatest treasure?<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The Parable of the Net \u2013 victory for the righteous<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Jesus ends this section of parables with this verse. \u201cTherefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his store room new treasures as well as old.\u201d<\/i> (Matthew 13:52) As a teacher, this concept is a wonderful revelation. Not only are we to teach the old treasures, but the new as well. I love that God continues to show me new treasures each time I enter into His presence and spend time in His Word.<\/span> <\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n
    We can learn a few lessons from these parables. First, we see that we are never to stop learning. Dig deep. Search for those hidden treasures in God\u2019s Word. Be open to His guidance, and you will be rewarded with renewed passion for the old treasures and exhilaration for the new.<\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Secondly, what are you willing to sacrifice for God\u2019s Kingdom? Don\u2019t skim over this question or say you\u2019ll think about it later. If you can\u2019t give an answer, might I suggest that you aren\u2019t sacrificing anything? Clearly we are called to give up everything for the Pearl of Great Price. It is the only way we can find our identity in the Kingdom.<\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    That garden never produced a diamond tree. It did however produce very good vegetables, some bonding time with my Grandparents, and a time of reflection for me. Perhaps that hidden treasure is still there, but I know it won\u2019t be found by me.<\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Donna<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Years ago, my Grandparents had a terraced garden in their small backyard. They always had great success and many of us were beneficiaries of their efforts. One particular year, Grandpa was laid up after surgery and was not able to help out as he usually did. They asked if I\u2019d like to help. Of course […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-loving-god","category-serving-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}