More Than Earthly Riches

Job 22:23-25 (Eliphaz) If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. ²⁴ Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. ²⁵ Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

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

Eliphaz counseled Job, stating that if he will just repent and return to the Almighty, that he will be blessed with the riches of gold and silver.  How often do we here that today from the pulpit or on Christian TV?

The riches that God has promised us are far beyond the riches of gold and silver.  Job understood this.  In Job’s response to these comments by Eliphaz he stated, But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.   Job knew that the true riches were a life that was as pure as gold, a life that God had formed and conformed into His image and likeness. 

Job did eventually have his earthly riches restored, but more importantly he maintained his integrity and was purified by the trial that he went through. 

Only A Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:11-15  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; ¹³ Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

 Far too many in the body of Christ only have a foundation, and nothing built upon it.  Having Jesus Christ as your foundation is a very good thing. We must have Jesus in our lives to be saved, for there is salvation in no other.  But it is also important to build on that foundation with something of quality.

We can build on the foundation with wood, hay, or stubble and still be left with only a foundation in the end.  These all will be burned up and we will be left with a pile of ashes, when we are at the judgment seat of Christ.  I do not want to stand there with only a pile of ashes to show for the life I lived on this earth.  Wood, hay, and stubble all grow on the surface of the earth.  None of them is very costly to buy.  Nor does it take too much work to harvest them for use to build with.

On the other hand gold, silver, and precious stones will not burn up when fire is put to them.  They will last.  Gold, silver, and precious stones are all costly.  They will cost us something, such as time invested, denial of certain earthly pleasures, embracing of the ways of God, etc.  Gold, silver, and precious stones are found under the surface of the earth.  They are found in the deep, dark mine shafts of the earth.  Sometimes the gaining of these will come through times of darkness.  Sometimes it will take a lot of effort to gain them.  Then to be able to build with them there is the purifying and molding process for gold and silver.  Precious stones will need to be cut and polished. This also takes time and effort.  But the end result will be well worth the cost.  The result will be something of eternal value.  It will last for all eternity. 

God Shelf

Recently I was thinking about something I was told by someone who had ministered in India.  They said that often the “converts” in India just add Jesus to their god shelf.  In India they worship many gods and so Jesus just gets added as one more god in the multitude.  But Jesus is not just one more god.  He is the Supreme, Almighty, Most High God.  When we say “yes” to Jesus, we are saying “Yes, I want You to be the Lord of all in my life.”  There is to be no other, for in Jesus alone do we find life.  Jesus is the only way to God the Father.  Salvation is only found in Jesus.  No other god has taken on human flesh and died to redeem mankind from their sin.  No other god can claim the role of Creator. 

We as Christians know these things about Jesus.  But how often do we just add Jesus to the god shelf of our lives?  How many other gods do we serve?  Entertainment?  Pleasure?  Education?  Work? Possesions?  Self? 

2 Kings 17:33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.