CHOOSE GOLD

As the people of God, we are called to choose gold. In order to understand what it means to choose gold in the spiritual, it is helpful to first take a closer look on what gold is used for in the natural.

© CreationSwap | Julie Ayers 2015

GOLD JEWELRY

Gold jewelry is considered the most precious jewelry in the world. It used only in very important occasions and it is associated with royalty as they are known to wear golden crowns.

Psalm 45:9
Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

God wants to mold us into something as precious as gold. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, it is said that is it is gold which is useful to the Master and prepared for every good work. 

2 Timothy 2:20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

The good news is that it does not matter where we've come from or what background we may have. It is a message of hope to us that though we may feel like we're not amounting to much today but if we allow God to cleanse us, He can make us a vessel of honor. God desires and He has the power to transform us to become like gold - valuable and precious in His sight.

GOLD MEDALS

When we remember gold, we also associate it with medals. Gold medals are only given to the top performers as rewards for their excellent work. But what we want are not gold medals merely here on earth. Instead, what we should aim for is gold in Heaven - to be commended by God that when we reach Heaven, God would say of us "well done, My good and faithful servant!"

Gold medals are not given for free. If we want to gain that gold in Heaven, God calls us to be people of discipline - those who are not slaves to their own bodies and those who are not ruled by their own emotions. 

1 Corinthians 9:24-26 (AMP)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours! Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither]. Therefore I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing]. But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].

GOLD STANDARD

Another thing that we can associate with gold is gold standard. A gold standard is the best benchmark by which others are gauged because it is of supreme quality. It is the ideal scenario. God wants to make us like gold standards - people of excellence that others would want to follow to walk the same path we are walking towards God.

GOLD VS. BRASS

It is also important to discern what gold is not. At a glance, brass looks like gold but they are very different. Firstly, in monetary value, brass doesn't even come close to gold. Brass is cheap while gold has a high price to pay. In fact, brass is used for items of low value like cheap jewelry, locks, gears, doorknobs, and other items that are not too much of importance. Thus, if we just settle for brass, we will be of very little value and use. To choose brass is to settle for good enough. But gold is for those who are willing to pay the high price.

Brass jewelry (shopping.indiatimes.com)

Another difference between gold and brass is that brass has a lower melting point than gold. This means that gold is sturdier because it will last longer when subject to fire. This speaks to us of how if we will settle for brass Christianity, it will take much less adversity and trials to break us down. So let us choose gold and not settle for brass. 

CHOOSE GOLD

How does one choose gold?

1. Choose to build with gold. Choose to build your life and ministry to be something that lasts, with choice materials that will stand the heat. We must realize that good works that are not from good hearts and pure motives will be burned when subjected to the fire.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

What are gold quality materials?

• Good character: Build your life and ministry with the right heart, right attitude and with righteousness.
• Word of God: Build your life and ministry according to the Word and not with temporal materials. The way we relate with others must be based on truth. Our decisions in life must be based on hearing God’s voice and not on our own self-will.
• Spirit of Excellence: Give your best in everything you do for God be it in giving time to read the Bible, worshiping God with raising our hands, and making a joyful noise unto the Lord!

If there should be anything in life that we should invest in the finest of materials in, it is in our Christianity.

2. Choose to wear gold. Choose to have the character of the Lord woven into your nature. For something to be woven into your nature means it becomes a part of you. It is not something you can wear and then put off. It is integral to who you are. This means that whether we are in trials or not, we can reflect the character of God.

Psalm 45:13
The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold.

The result is being glorious. In Hebrew, the word 'glorious' connotes weightiness, magnificence, stateliness. As God’s nature is worked out in us, the weightiness of our Christianity also develops.

We can discern weight. This is why we can sense when someone of real stature in the Kingdom of God has entered a room. We recognize it because they carry the anointing of God. They do not only receive anointing, they carry it. Their message can be very simple yet you can feel its force. Their message, lives, demeanor, and actions bring forth a greater fear of the Lord in us. Why? Because the character of the King of kings has been woven in them. They carry His stature and a measure of His authority.

Even non-believers can recognize weight. They can distinguish the difference in the weight of Christians - those who are real and those who are not, those who carry a light weight versus the heavy weight of God's presence. When we have real weight, it can bring hope to others. When we wear the character of God, we also carry His power. And so we must ask ourselves the question - is there any weight to our Christianity?

3. Choose to buy gold. Let us choose to be purified until all the alloys are removed because it is those alloys that make gold harder. As fire refines gold, it makes gold soft and pure. In the same way, it takes soft hearts and humility to allow God to subject us to the fire so that we can become like pure gold.

Revelations 3:18
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

The difference of gold from other metals is in what they end up being like after the fire. What happens to us after our fiery trials? Are we reflecting the image of the Lord? To be people of the very character of God, it takes being victorious in our trials. It is to go through our trials with joy, with patience, and with faith.

May we be people who would be willing to pay the price, willing to go through the fire, to buy pure gold from the Lord - for this is the true riches.