Once there was a father who had three sons.  The father loved his sons very much and spent a lot of time with them. The father was very wealthy and wouldn’t hesitate to spend his money on his sons.  After his sons grew up and had families of their own the father announced to them one day that he would be leaving.  At first they thought he meant he was going on a trip but then he explained that it had always been his lifelong passion to live on a very small island in the ocean.  He had visited a particular island once and had often thought about returning there to live out the rest of his life.  The father’s desire was to live on this peaceful, remote island even though he would have none of the comforts of home.  There were no hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and as a great shock to the three sons, no means of communication or transportation off the island.  Traveling to the island was very expensive, and without the proper equipment, quite dangerous.  Once the father was there he would be there and would no longer be able to visit or communicate with his sons.

The sons were shocked to learn that their father would be leaving and they wouldn’t be able to talk to him or see him ever again.  They held a going away party for their father and he distributed all of his wealth to his three sons.  Each one of them received millions of dollars.  Within a few days, the father was gone.

The first son didn’t miss his father too much.  He took his father’s money and gambled with it.  He was so impressed by the millions of dollars he received that the thought of winning even more was quite appealing to him.  But he ended up losing everything and was soon back to his old lifestyle, although this time without his father to bail him out.

The second son missed his father.  But he absorbed himself into his family.  They bought a new house and cars and he set aside money for his children’s education.  He started a business for himself and was soon on his way to be able to leave a rich inheritance for his children.

The third son longed for his father.  He wanted to sit down with him over a cup of coffee and glean from his father’s wisdom and insight.  He wanted to share once again the time they spent on fishing trips and family get-togethers.  The third son took his father’s money and researched how he could set up a communication system to the island.  He purchased a large enough yacht that would make it to the island without trouble and with plenty of fuel.  This son spent all of his father’s money on ways to see him and talk with him once again.

Which son are we like?  Are we willing to do as the third son and take all that our heavenly Father blesses us with and use it to pursue Him with?  Are we willing to give it all up to be with Him?  Not to squander, not even to do the ‘responsible’ thing with.  But to spend all we have been given in pursuit and worship of Him?

Like Mary, who poured the whole bottle of oil over Jesus.  Many thought it was wasteful, but it was really worship (Matthew 26:6-13).

Like the man who was in search of precious peals and when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46).

How much is He really worth to us?