Gold or Faith?

Gold.

You have just been given a brick of gold.  How do you feel about that brick of gold? Seriously, use your imagination. Someone anonymously gives you a brick of gold- it's all yours to do with as you please. So you take that gold brick and you put it away somewhere safe to contemplate the situation. What do you imagine your first thoughts of that gold will be? How much it's worth, what you can do with the money you might get from it, these are logical thoughts for someone who has suddenly received something of such great worth. Would you forget about it? Would you not think about it? Would you ignore the fact that you have a brick of gold in your possession? Seriously, would you completely go on as if you didn't have that gold?

I know many people live in different situations, but me in my own situation can't imagine forgetting I have a gold brick in my possession. That gold would be very important to me.

We know that people do a lot of things when money comes into play. Some ruin their lives over the possession of money. Others think nothing of ruining other people's lives over money.

The point I’m trying to make here is money is important but only in its proper place. There are many things more important than money. And yes, I'm speaking as a person who isn't poor. I'm not rich, but I'm not poor. Some might say that it is easy for me to say something like that because I'm not poor, but it's not easy for me to say that because I'm not poor, it's easy for me to say this because it's the truth- God's truth.

One of the things more important than money is- the TRIAL OF OUR FAITH. 

Notice please, I didn't say faith in and of itself, I said - TRIAL OF OUR FAITH.  I'm not belittling faith by saying that, I'm saying the Bible says this--

1Pe_1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold…

The trial of our faith.

What is the trial of our faith?

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

1Pe 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 

1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

The trial of our faith is…  suffering as Christ suffered.

Being reproached for the name of Christ.

Psa 66:10  For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 

Psa 66:11  Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 

Psa 66:12  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. 

Being brought into the net.

Affliction laid upon us.

Men ruling over us.

Fire and water trials.

Think about it for a moment… we are tried in many different ways, and we are tried to God's glory. We can't comprehend WHY, we may only feel the horrors of the trial without having understanding.

So often you hear people exclaim- how could God let such an awful thing happen to this or that person, and there is no answer other than He has His reasons and we will trust in those reasons without comprehension. That isn't an answer that is good enough for a lot of people. They want to blame God for the awful trials they undergo or others undergo, they don't want to trust in God because the trials are too horrific. It is a trial of faith for sure- all the awful things we go through and the trial of our faith is more precious than anything else. Our trial of faith is truly having our belief in the love of our God tested to the furthest way possible.

Please, Father in Heaven, please keep us during the trial of our faith no matter what form it takes and how severely we are tried. Please be our hope, our strength, our sound mind, please be for us all we cannot be on our own.

All through Jesus Christ our Lord may we be YOURS!

Amen.