Gold or Diamond?


So I have been contemplating a verse in scripture recently. Well, to be honest i have thought about it before, but never to the extent i did this past week.

In Job 23:10 it says:
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold

My thoughts were this:

Lord, why did you say through Job that we would come forth as gold? I look at the trials in life as pressures. When I think of it this way, I think of diamonds. They are created through the application of a great deal of pressure and are also of a great value. As I contemplated on this opinion of mine, I was "presented" with this reasoning.

Well, lets look at a diamond.

Yes it is of great value and it is created through a great deal of pressure. a lot of outside force is needed to compress it and create the gem. It is then put through a time of forming where the jeweler cuts away those parts that are not quite good enough to remain. The value is then determined by the clarity of the diamond. however, it still has an inherent flaw that will dictate it's true final value. This can never be changed. It can never be better. It has a value that cannot be changed. It is also one of the hardest gems that I know of, so it inherently is "stubborn" and resistant to change.

Is that what God wants of me???

Now... what about gold?

It is highly sought after. It too is of great value. Once found it to goes through a refinement. And this is where God really started to show me something.
Gold can have its value changed. Gold is not resistant to change. Gold can have its form manipulated.
Its value is changed in the fire. The impurities are burned off or brought to the surface and removed. Gold can always be put through the fire and become more pure than it was before, therefore becoming greater in value.
It is not resistant to change or being manipulated in that it is formed into so many shapes. it has been used to decorate many different types of objects. The temple of God had gold on so many different surfaces. It has been shaped into spoons, bowls, shields, The Ark of the Covenant... the list goes on. Even today we have "gold plating" on so many different things. this increases the value of the item that it covers.

Is that what God wants of me?

I now believe I have a better understanding of why He chose to say gold. God want me to be Christ like. And as gold does I always have a value. However, God wants to conform me and work on me to increase my value. He wants to help me remove my sinful habits and actions. He wants my desires to become godly and not worldly. He wants to bring glory and honor to himself through my life. This will only be possible as I allow the fires to refine me. This will only happen as I allow God to conform me to his image.

Oh how much I want to be "pure gold" for the glory of God. I no longer want to look at life as a pressure that will form me to diamond. I want the inherent flaws to be able to be burned off and not to always be contained therein. I thank God for this simple application that even my simple mind can grasp and understand.


Laterz...

Comments

  1. McAndrews MisAdventuresMarch 30, 2018 at 1:26 PM

    Wow! I had never thought of that before either! Thank you - God used this in my heart to change my perspective.

    ReplyDelete

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