Gold Fever!

We had the pleasure of talking with all four of our kids over the weekend as they called to congratulate us on our 40^th wedding anniversary.  As I thought about those conversations while preparing to brew a fresh pot of Starbucks “Kati Kati” Blend ® whole bean coffee this morning, I marveled at the reaches of modern technology.  (Kati Kati means ‘between’ in Swahili, and this blend strikes the delicate balance between vibrant tangy notes from Kenya and the multilayered flavors and aromas of Ethiopian coffees – as per the description on the bag!),

From our home on the east coast I spoke with our youngest son in Oklahoma City, text back and forth with our youngest daughter in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, talked and text with our oldest daughter as they walked around their neighborhood a few miles north of us and then used the speaker phone so my wife could hear the conversation with our oldest son as he and his family were driving the winding terrain along California State Highway 49 in the midst of the Gold Country heading to a camping adventure near Downieville, California.

Downieville is located at the confluence of the Downie River and the north fork of the Yuba River where gold was discovered in the late 1840’s.  Our family had been through that area on a couple occasions in the past as we headed to different camping vacations in the lush green mountainous area.  It is not uncommon to still see small operations set up on the banks of the rivers as they mechanically pan for gold which still shows up in sparse but regular discoveries.  I asked Josh if they planned on doing any panning and he said that his father-in-law did pack some equipment in order to try their luck!

I thought more about panning for gold when I read from Colossians 2:3 during my Bible Study time today.  Here the Apostle shares with his readers that “God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.”  The idea of hidden treasure got me to recollecting the stories I had read about the miners who plied the rough terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California as they searched for the hidden treasures of gold that were secreted along the many river and creek beds and in veins throughout the tall mountains.

Those who made the initial discoveries had it relatively easy as they many times found gold shimmering in the pristine streams or visible on outcroppings along the sides of the mountains.  The crowds that followed had to work hard to find anymore as they had to literally dig miles of tunnels through the hard rock geography.  Many worked for years in the rain, mud and winter snows only to come up with very little or nothing at all.  The area known as the Gold Country is also dotted with cemeteries that mark the graves of those who died while searching for the hidden treasures.

The Word tells us that there are hidden treasures to be found in Christ.  In fact, Paul says that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Him!  I’ll be honest with you here… I know very few individuals who search for that hidden treasure with the same dedication, frenzy, or enthusiasm that marked the hundreds of men who filled the ships that were literally left to rot as they clogged the harbor in San Francisco as their point of departure to the gold mines in the mid 1800’s.  Do you know that they still find remains of those ships when they dig for modern construction projects in San Francisco near the bay that was since filled in around those ships!

What kind of hunger do you have for the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that can only be found in the Word of God?  Do you have gold fever?  The fever that draws you ever closer to the gold of God and the life that He has planned for you to live and share with your world?  I know that I’ve felt it at different times throughout my Christian life, but the everyday activities, responsibilities and cares of the world tend to dull its edge.  Do you know what I mean?

The battle that we have been engaged in over the last six years for my wife’s health has certainly increased my hunger for the treasures of God, because I know that it is the ONLY answer for her… but I’ve still got a ways to go.  How about you?  Where do you think that you stand in the search for His hidden treasures?  Keep that question in mind this week… and have a good week as you draw closer to and more in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Who's FEVER am I expecting to have today?”