4/27/2014

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  - Hebrews 13:20-21

   Digging into the earth and searching for  gems and precious metals (mining) involves hard work, often at great expense, but the result can be very rewarding. But riches seldom come to those unwilling to make an effort to uncover hidden treasures. Whole heart-ed commitment to the enterprise is essential to the success of mining operations. In the same way, we must diligently search the remote recesses of our mind looking for the nuggets of “true riches”. We cannot merely dabble in religion and expect the reward promised to those whose faith leads them to “diligently seek Him”. (Hebrews 11:6)

    “But”, some will say, “there have been many hardworking, dedicated miners who never struck it rich.” Yes, stories about worthless rocks are legion. Finding the mother lode may involve chance and uncertainty, but it is different in the spiritual domain. Unlike the world of mining, we can actually do something about the deficiencies that rob us of a “rich” life. This is possible because “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are actually hidden in Christ (Col. 2:2-3).

    When we have Christ, we have all that really matters, but without Him we are spiritually bankrupt. This is why Paul told Timothy to issue warnings like this:

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

- 1 Timothy 6:17-19

    Granted, cultivating a mind-set like this takes both determination and hard work. We cannot be content with merely scratching the surface of our priorities. Uncovering our core values requires some serious digging. We need to mine our mind and assay the object(s) of our affection with absolute honesty. The Lord is not looking for dabblers in religion. He wants people who love Him with ALL of their heart, mind, and soul. (Matt. 22:37) Half-heartedness is unacceptable. Some people may satisfy themselves with the attitude of a hobbyist who enjoys panning for gold on his vacation, but being a Christian must not be our “hobby”, it must be our life. That is why, like the miner who tests (assays) his rocks, we must put our faith to the test (2 Cor. 13:5) to see if it is of the 24 kt variety or a “fools gold” faith. If our digging and evaluation reveals any sign of a shortfall, we must make immediate changes before it is too late.

   Have you mined your mind lately? Is the Lord pleased with the results?     

Ken Dart