MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD |
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By Reverend William Claire Greiner |
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Recently we were privileged to visit Alaska. One of the ports of call was Skagway where 100 years earlier more than 100,000 people stampeded in search of gold. They literally fought for their lives in temperatures that dropped to -50 degrees in winter. Lawlessness and murder were rampant. One of the mountain passes near Skagway was dubbed Dead Horse Trail because of the stench of rotting horses. Many of the men lost their minds. Others lost their lives from ravaging fever after dieting on rotting horse flesh. Screams of pain echoed through the canyons like deranged spirits throughout the winter of 1897. All because of man's quest for gold. Throughout
history, wars have been fought over gold. It was gold that motivated
Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to try and conquer the world. In the
16th century the conquistadors of Spain plundered Latin America
for its gold. Gold-laden ships bound for Spain gave rise to the
"golden age of piracy". In Mark 10:14 &16 we read that Jesus "took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them." He said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." God warns us not to trifle with the eternal soul of a child. Matthew 18:5,6 — "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:10,11— "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." The price of gold fluctuates from day to day, according to the stock markets in London, Hong Kong and New York, but God’s premium on children never changes. The stock-market of Heaven is consistent There are no bears or bulls. The value of a soul is eternally fixed. That is a wise and safe investment! And each child is equally precious to the Lord.
A store owner hung a sign above his door that read "Puppies For Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared and asked, "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked. The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50." The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, followed by five tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I want to buy." The store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you." The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for." The store owner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies." To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!" We all need someone who understands! All children are different. They come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are more attractive and lovable than others. But each one has an eternal soul for whom Jesus paid the supreme price on the cross. That’s why each child is more precious than gold!
One of the outstanding characteristics of gold is that it is extremely malleable. That means it can be easily shaped and molded. Gold can be hammered as thin as 4 millionths of an inch. At that point it becomes semi-transparent. An ounce of gold can be stretched into a wire 40 miles long. The same ounce of gold can be flattened into a sheet that will cover 100 square feet. WEBSTER DEFINES MALLEABLE AS: "capable of being shaped or formed, as by pressure. capable of being altered or influenced. pliable, pliant." How beautifully that characterizes children. Children are TRUSTFUL, TEACHABLE AND TENDER. Someone once remarked: "Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression." Because of their tender, malleable hearts, children respond to the invitation to trust Christ. Their hearts are sensitive to the working of the Holy Spirit. Without doubt children can be born again. In Matthew 18:6 Jesus speaks of boys and girls as"these little ones which believe in me." Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the mightiest intellect of the American pulpit was saved at the age of 7. Count Zinzendorf, leader of the Moravians, signed his name at the age of 4 to a covenant that read: "Dear Savior, do Thou be mine and I will be Thine." One of the earliest uses of gold, which continues to this day, was to make coins that bore the imprint of a king or an emperor. In a more wonderful and exciting way a child can be saved and bear the imprint of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. Even as gold is a good conductor of electricity, so, children can be great conductors of the power of the living Christ in their lives, touching and transforming others. Children make great missionaries. Gypsy Smith: "Save an old person and you save a unit. Save a boy or girl, and you save a whole multiplication table." Because of its softness, gold is easily scratched and damaged. So, too, children, because of their tender hearts, can be easily scarred and ruined for life. That is why Satan has targeted them. In their formative years, he seeks to distort their morals and values and purity. He would seek to harden their hearts in their formative years. Even as gold becomes harder and less pliant when other metals are mixed with it to form an alloy, so children become hardened through the introduction of sin and impurities. These subtly are introduced through music, entertainment, associates, literature, the internet. Throughout history, wars have been fought over gold. It was gold that motivated Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to try and conquer the world. In the 16th century the conquistadors of Spain plundered Latin America for its gold. Gold-laden ships bound for Spain gave rise to the "golden age of piracy". There
is a greater war and piracy being waged today, and that is for the souls
of our children. ILLUSTRATION: Chuck Colson told about a funeral in Chicago — the funeral of Robert Sandifer, known as "Yummy." Not many tears because "Yummy" had been arrested 23 times for felonies such as robbery and burglary. In fact, at the time he was killed by his own gang members, he was wanted for the murder of a 14-year-old girl. The odd thing was that in the coffin, "Yummy" held a teddy bear in his arms. But I suppose that is not so odd, when you remember that "yummy" was only 11 years old. That is the new face of crime in America: children killing children. It’s dangerous being a child today. It has been said that gold is an index of a nation's wealth. Our children are an index to our nation’s moral and spiritual wealth. Politicians often ask: "What kind of a future are we going to bequeath to our youth?" We should rather ask: "What kind of youth are we going to bequeath to the future?" Are they going to be materialistic, selfish, godless, immoral and lawless. I fear for America tonight. We have lost our way morally and spiritually, and I fear we might be losing this generation. Truth is no longer paramount and there are no more absolutes. Gold is heavy when compared to most other metals. It is twice as heavy as silver and lead. If you fill a 1-litre milk carton with gold it will weigh approximately 41 pounds. How heavy does the worth and welfare of our children weigh upon our souls? Children are lost and perishing, and that should grip our hearts, and motivate us to action. God says in Matthew 18:14, "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." It seems we have a burden for everything else except the lostness of boys and girls. A child is more than someone who can wash his hands without getting the soap wet. A child is a priceless individual with an eternal destiny. Satan has blinds our eyes to what is really worthwhile in life. He sidetracks us with "fool’s gold." Do you know what "fool’s gold" is? It refers to a number of minerals that only a fool could believe are real gold — shiny golden colored flakes sparkling in rocks! Satan would deceive us and have us believe there are shiny, glittering things in life that are more important than the souls of children. Humanism, materialism, secularism are all a part of "fool’s gold." What are our priorities tonight? 5 minutes into eternity what are we going to think of those things we thought were so important in life? The "fool’s gold" we desperately sought for — the success, the fame, the fortune, the fancy furnishings.... while the real treasure went unnoticed and unmined. In the last 500 years, only about 80,000 tons of gold have been taken from the Earth--a quantity that could be contained in a cube measuring about 50 feet on a side. (The amount of steel produced every day in the United States is about two times this total.) Countless numbers of children tonight are still lost in darkness. And God needs you, and He needs me to start panning for gold! Each of us can make a difference.
ILLUSTRATION: There was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. But before beginning his work he would walk the beach. One day he noticed a young man reaching down at the water’s edge and picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. He approached the man and called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "I’m throwing starfish into the ocean." "Why are you doing that?" "Because the sun is up and the tide is going out," he responded. "And if I don't throw them into the ocean they will die." "But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish scattered all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea. "It made a difference for that one," he said. There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference in shaping the future of our homes and our nation. God needs you to help make a difference. MATTHEW 6:19-21 — "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Where is your heart tonight? Is it focused on the gold of this world, or the eternal souls of boys and girls?
Dick Lowe, the prospector who owned the richest claim per square foot ever staked in the Yukon, became an alcoholic, married a dance-hall girl, blew his cash and died penniless in San Francisco. "What is a man profited if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26). MATTHEW 6:19-21 — "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be? In your pocketbook? In an appropriate space down at the office? Where is your heart tonight? Is it focused on the things of this world, or the eternal souls of boys and girls? Countless
numbers of children are lost in darkness, lambs in the cold without a
shepherd. God needs you, and He needs me to start panning for spiritual
gold! Each of us can make a difference! When
I stand at the judgment seat of Christ I don't know about you, but I have a feeling in my soul that this old, decaying world is falling apart with all the earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, new deadly viruses, plagues, nuclear disasters, etc. There is an unleashing of evil as we have never seen, except perhaps as in the days of Noah. Anti-Christian sentiment is running rampant in nation. Time is running out. The Lord's return is at hand. We must rethink our priorities, remember our potential and reinforce our program in reaching the lost boys and girls for Jesus Christ. Jesus says, "There are other sheep which I must bring." The shadows lengthen with a
warning When the Books at last are
opened, — W.C. Greiner
—Amy Carmichael |
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