Have you noticed the number of reality shows about gold mining? Gold Diggers, Claim Jumpers, Gold Rush, and Yukon Gold are all reality shows about people searching for gold in a wide variety of locales using a wide variety of methods.
I am not a student of these shows, but I had the opportunity to catch one the other night. What I saw were a number of different groups of people trying to strike it rich in the Yukon. They seemed to be average people wanting to hit the mother load that would set them up financially for life. One particular man in the show had spent all his retirement savings on heavy duty equipment to mine his claim.
He has a huge excavator and a massive wash/screening plant. He fills up the wash plant with bucket loads of gravel with the excavator where it is washed with copious amounts of water and screened through a series of screens until the small gold particles settle down into the bottom level of the plant. Apparently the strategy is to ensure you are continuously feeding the wash plant with gravel to maximize the gold particles getting screened out.
I was amazed at the scale of the operation in which these people are engaged. They are incredibly committed to finding as much gold as they can. It was very impressive to see the extent to which they apply themselves to find what appears to be a small amount of gold.
They are all in. They are focused. They are hard working. They are committed. They are hopeful. They are passionate. They have visions of glory.
I recalled this show when our Pastor shared something this week at a “Hearing God” seminar.
Our church is doing a 5 week series to learn how to hear God and walk more closely with Him. Our Pastor shared how he starts each day by sitting quietly with his journal. He reads scripture, then writes down in his journal what he believes God is speaking to him. He is practicing hearing God. He knows that sometimes he is going to hear accurately and sometimes not.
He likened this process to mining for gold. You have to go through a fair bit of gravel to find some gold. So, he writes down each day what he is hearing. Then, at the end of the week he reviews what he wrote to look for any “veins” of truth he sees in what he has written. Amidst the gravel of his inaccurate hearing he finds nuggets of gold that the Lord has spoken throughout the week.
He is all in. He is focused. He is hard working. He is committed. He is hopeful. He is passionate. He has visions of glory. He is a gold miner of God’s Word.
His journaling practice, his desire to hear God, and the recent gold mining show I watched all ganged up on me.
How committed am I to mine for the Truth? How passionate am I about seeking for wisdom? How hard do I work to discover God’s Word? How focused am I to uncover nuggets of God’s heart?
How about you?
If I’m honest, if I mined for gold with as much passion, commitment and hard work I apply to hearing God’s heart, then I fear I would be a very poor miner indeed.
How about you?
I propose we take a lesson from these crazy, fanatical, passionate and overzealous gold prospectors and dive wholeheartedly into mining for wisdom, Truth and God’s heart. Let’s set aside time to focus our efforts on studying God’s word and listening to God’s heart to discover the riches of the Kingdom of God. The riches there to uncover are exponentially more valuable than gold. These are riches that do not decay and can never be stolen.
True wealth and countless riches are discovered when we give everything we have to stake our claim in the Kingdom of God.
Are you a gold miner? What gold are you working for; the treasures of this world, or the riches of the Kingdom?
Let’s be gold miners of wisdom, Truth, and God’s heart to discover the true riches of His kingdom in us and through us.
Psalm 19:9,10
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
Proverbs 8:17-19
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.”
Matthew 13:44
“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.”