Read: Psalm 119:72-105 and Philippians 3:1-14
In November 2000 I was watching a news documentary about the country of Madagascar and gems that have been discovered there. There are numerous types of precious stones being uncovered all over the country. The program showed the people busily working to retrieve them from the earth. The discovery had caused quite a stir within the jewelry industry.
What I found most intriguing about the whole situation was the attitude of the people of Madagascar. They were happily digging up the gems and handing them over to a business from Europe . . . for pennies! The people were totally oblivious to the fact that the gems could bring millions of dollars into the economy of their country. There was no one present who understood the value of these colorful stones they were mining. As I watched them handling the gems, it was as if the priceless stones were no more to them than a rock or pebble. And, of course, no one from the business receiving the benefit of their ignorance was willing to tell them otherwise.
King David was well aware of the valued treasure he had in God and His Word. In Psalm 119 he wrote, "The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." David longed to know more about God. He knew that knowledge of the Holy One was available to him in God's Word. He also knew that this knowledge was priceless.
How awesome to serve a God that desires to be known by His creation. How incredible the treasure that He has preserved for us in His Word. Through numerous authors of varying ages and eras, our Creator has communicated valuable "gems" through which He reveals Himself to us. We can happily dig up these precious stones by reading and daily meditation in the Bible, praying that the Holy Spirit will bring revelation of who God is.
As we stand at the threshold of a New Year, there are several questions requiring that we look intently at ourselves. How are we handling the gems? Are we digging them up and treating them as if they were merely worthless words? Do we handle them with the intent of handing them over to someone else to win their approval? Are we digging for them at all? Are we ignorant of the true value of what we have in our hands?
God deeply desires that we know Him. His Word, like the soil of Madagascar, is rich with resources revealing His nature. Just as the gems that they have uncovered are multifaceted, so is our God. There is much to be known of Him if we are willing to be taught by Him. The apostle Paul shares his heart with us in the book of Philippians. To paraphrase the thoughts of chapter 3, he says, "I want to know Christ, anything less than that is garbage."
That should be our cry as well. NO activity of life should replace seeking intimate fellowship with God. Church programs, rituals, or ministries are no substitute for being in the embrace of the Lord. All that we do FOR Him is to be an expression of what we have WITH Him. Otherwise we are kidding ourselves and those that we presume to serve.
Prayer
The greatest thing in all my life is to know You. Amen.
