Gold Mine
Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 12:46 pm
No one can deny that our generation and our American society in general is one that is driven by materialism and wealth. It is for this reason that our economy stands where it is now. This is, however, not a political essay, although hopefully the things said here in this essay and, in fact, this whole website, if taken to heart, can and will help the whole economical and political downslide to cease.
I drive a 1992 Dodge Dakota. It is white with quite a few sizable chips in the paint. As I sit in it right now, starting this article, it has 365,539 miles on it. This is not a typo. It runs great with only a few minor glitches that are easily handled. I can run it down I-40 coming home from Joplin at 75 (or 80…..) mph with cold air blowing on my face and good music pumping through the stereo system. It can do pretty much anything that I ask it to do. To be honest, it had been a fantastic first truck and I really enjoy driving it, that is, until I pull up next to a 2009 Dodge Ram Rumble Bee edition…..All of a sudden my truck isn’t so cool or nice. My pastor refers to this phenomena as “automotive envy” and while we cannot be sure, we are almost positive it is a sin. We all suffer from it whether it be automotive, electronic, housing or otherwise. We all think that our stuff is pretty nice until we compare it with the newest and the best. We spend so much money and time trying to accumulate stuff that we forget what is really important.
Starting in Matthew 5, Jesus begins preaching the Sermon on the Mount and for the next 3 chapters he delivers one of the most powerful sermons ever. From the Beattitudes to law, anger, lust prayer and divorce, there is nothing that Jesus neglects to address in his sermon. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The first part of this verse is pretty easy to unpack so I won’t spend much time on it. Basically, “Don’t worry about worldly possessions because worldly possessions don’t matter.” The second part, however, is vitally important and, I think, often times misinterpreted. The average, materialistic American mind would read the second half of this passage and think, “Oh well, apparently worldly possessions mean nothing, so I can just use the time that I would spend getting rich, doing good things in the world so that when I get to heaven my crown will be prettier, or maybe I can even get a bigger mansion.” My friends we are dillusional. We understand when Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we cannot work our way into heaven but we still think that our works will be compensated for in heaven through materialistic and physical means. I don’t know about you but all the compensation I need is for Jesus to look me in the face and say “Well done good and faithful servant.” Please don’t get me wrong, our works are important: how else are we supposed to show our faith? But our works can’t save us and our works can’t get us a better seat in heaven. We read this passage and think that is is about money and time management. Ladies and gentlemen, this is an evangelical message! Any ideas as to what the treasures in heaven could be? I don’t know…..how about the souls that we are, for lack of a better term, responsible for!! What greater reward treasure could you think of than a soul that you baptized in a frigid mountain pond when you were 19 years old running up to you and thanking you with everything they could muster for the time that you invested into their lives? You may not even remember what you did but it does not detract from the importance that it was in their life. If we as Christians would spend the time that we usually focus on personal gain evangelizing and being serious about our faith instead, the Christian faith would be much more highly regarded and well though of, not to mention much more advanced.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s men would give up everything they owned and move their families hundreds of miles across treacherous plains and deserts to mine the rivers of California and eventually up into Alaska. They would sell off all their possessions except for some food and a couple of pans to search for gold with. To them, that was all they needed, at least until they hit the “Mother Lode”. What faith they had! They were supremely confident that they would find what they were looking for and find it fast.
Ladies and Gentlemen, why can’t we do this? Would our care increase if we truly believed that a life could be saved? We have been provided with all that we need. God has given us his tools, that is, His Word, His Holy Spirit, and our intellect and reasonableness. All we have to do us utilize these. The SpiritFire Revolution is armed and standing on the banks of the huge river of secularism with sleeves rolled up, ready to dive in and recover the treasure that we know is buried deep within. We can’t wait to see what we can find, but the question begs: Will you join us?
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