My grandpa had gold fever. For years he spent his spare moments gold panning at the ‘crick’. I loved to watch him swirl the water in his pan. “There’s gold Grandpa!” I’d shriek at the first sign of shiny gold in the black sand.
“Not yet,” he’d say. “That’s fool’s gold. See how it floats away? The real stuff is heavy and sinks to the bottom.” He patiently washed away the sand until we saw the real gold, clinging to the bottom of the pan. He fished out the flakes and placed them in a tiny glass vial. I held them up to the light in awe. Real gold!
True Gold
The shiny stuff wasn’t the only gold grandpa sought. He considered God’s Word “More to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). Just like he searched diligently for gold, he searched God’s Word and lived it out in his life. His faith was simple. Profound. Real.
He knew the difference between the cheap, changeable opinions of this world and the true gold of godliness. There was no fool’s gold in his faith.
Finding Gold
Our world today is filled with conflicting voices. Real news. Fake news. Atheistic philosophies. Evangelical zeal. Do you know how to sort it out and find the gold of truth?
Jesus gives us the answer. “The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5).
How do we learn to recognize His voice? There is one answer: careful, prayerful study of God’s Word. His Word is the one tool He has given us to wash away the fool’s gold and uncover the real gold of truth. Just like finding real gold, Bible study takes time, patience, and hard work. There are no shortcuts.
It’s a secret that you and I would do well to rediscover today. Too often we come to God’s Word in a frantic rush and find little more than fool’s gold. Let’s invest time, patience, and hard work in our Bible study so we can uncover the beautiful gold of solid truth.
“Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things; for my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold” (Proverbs 8:6-10).
Not sure how to study the Bible for yourself? Read “A God Led Conversation, Practical Principles for Personal Bible Study, part 1” for practical ways to understand the Bible better today.
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