Mia McGrath is a 24-year old model who went viral recently after revealing that she had saved $97,000. She achieved that feat by adopting an austere lifestyle. She lived on basic meals like bread and eggs, mainly cooked by herself. She avoided other unnecessary expenses as well. She toed this path of sacrifice because of one goal she set – financial independence at a young age. She had to forgo many things and delay gratification for that singular goal.

It is easy to confuse a daydream with a dream. A goal that is not backed up by commensurate sacrifice is nothing more than a daydream.

Economists talk of opportunity cost, known as the alternative forgone. It is what you let go in order to attain some other things. This is not just an economic principle, it is also a spiritual rule for kingdom living. When James and John came to Jesus to ask for the highest seats in the kingdom, Jesus first asked them if they could drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism. In effect, Jesus told them that they had to give out something – their lives – to ever qualify to see the goal they set. In our text, the merchant man gave up everything to purchase that one pearl of great worth. Often we come across people with grandiose goals but with little appetite for sacrifice. It is easy to confuse a daydream with a dream. A goal that is not backed up by commensurate sacrifice is nothing more than a daydream.