We lived in Theo, Mississippi from the year I was three years old until the year I turned twelve. I had many adventures in that little community and I loved living there. We lived in four different houses during those years. I remember five different little country stores being in the community during that time. There were two pretty close to our house and they were in business at the same time with a third one a few miles down the main highway. One of the two that were close together closed down when I was maybe five years old, but another one opened up across the road so there were three again. We always lived within walking distance of a store and we would walk to our aunt’s house as well.
By the time the fifth store opened, we had moved again, and it was about the same distance from our house as the other two where we usually went, but we only had to walk a short distance on the highway and then cut through a church parking lot. Then it was just a short walk up a gravel road that never had much traffic.
One day, as we were walking to that store, I was dragging behind my grandmother and my two sisters at the time. We weren’t really in any hurry, anyway. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a dollar bill on the ground. A dollar was an awesome discovery at that time, so imagine how excited I was when I picked it up and realized it was a ten-dollar bill. I was so excited! I ran to catch up with my family yelling, “Look what I found, look what I found! I found ten dollars! Y’all walked right over it and didn’t even see it!”
I was rich! We walked on to the store, but I was not trailing behind this time. I was out in front, leading the pack. I went into the store and started looking to see what I could buy. What do you think a kid with ten dollars would buy in a grocery store forty years ago? If you said candy, you’re right. Sodas were only a quarter then, and so were candy bars. You could get ten pieces of candy, like Jolly Ranchers, for a penny. Double Bubble chewing gum was only a few cents each, and a pack of 16 baseball cards with a stick of gum inside was only a quarter. I bought several things for myself and my sisters and still had lots of money left over. That was a great day.
Another time, I found treasure was really like a scavenger hunt or an archeology dig. Back then, Coca-Cola was giving away prizes. I think you could win several different things, including free drinks and money and you didn’t have to wait. You just give the store owner the cap and get your drinks or money. We didn’t have much money to buy drinks, so we didn’t have many opportunities to win, but I had an idea. The bottle caps that could only be opened with a bottle opener were still being made, and the stores in the neighborhood had coke coolers with bottle openers that hung on the front with a long reservoir that held the caps. When they were full, they could be taken off the cooler and emptied into the trash. I asked the owners if we could look through their bottle caps before they threw them away. One store owner, Mrs. Wilbanks, said, “Sure.”
There must have been fifty or sixty caps in there and we looked at every single one of them but only found one winner. It was a prize of ten dollars cash. I gave the cap to Mrs. Wilbanks and she opened the cash register and handed me a ten-dollar bill. I don’t remember what we bought that time, but I’m sure we went wild.
These memories remind me of a parable that Jesus told about finding treasure. He said that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he went and sold everything he had and bought that field (Matt. 13:44).
Jesus told many parables about the kingdom of heaven to show us how valuable it really is. He wants us all in his kingdom. When we understand what a treasure he has to offer us, we will give up all worldly things and put our trust in him.
In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God.”
At first, Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was saying. Many today do not understand what it means to be born again. Jesus explains it more clearly in Matthew 18:3. He said, “Unless you are converted, and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Children are pure and innocent. Jesus, Peter, and Paul compared being born again to becoming like babies; like becoming a new person. We’re basically starting over with a new life like a baby. We drink the pure milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2, I Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:13). We learn like children until we become stronger in knowledge and graduate from milk to solid food. We are learning to be holy instead of the old sinful person we were.
We’re born into this world as servants to sin because of Adam. The new birth is absolutely essential if we want to go to heaven. Without it, we can’t be saved. Remember, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
We’re born into this world as servants to sin because of Adam. The new birth is absolutely essential if we want to go to heaven. Without it, we can’t be saved. Remember, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).
Salvation is free, but each person has to accept it for themselves. If you haven’t been born again, I urge you to ask Jesus to save you right now. If you need more information on how to be saved here’s a link that will help.
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