Finding Gems

 

 Photo courtesy of Matt Seymour

 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17

Have you ever been gem mining? My grandson always loved swishing a pan of sand in the water and finding little gems. The water helped the sand pass through the sieve, leaving the goodies in the pan. If the sieve had a hole in it or was coming loose from the side, the gemstones would slip through and be lost. That would never do. We needed a good sieve so he could come away with a nice pocket full of rocks.

Just like gem mining, we need a good sieve in life.  It's often hard to figure out the truth. We hear so many versions of "truth". Everyone has their own definition of truth. We are expected to affirm everyone's idea of truth. But do they know where their truth comes from? Do they know what purpose they serve in life? Pilot asked the question, "What is truth?" We need a good sieve to pass all this information through. One with no holes or loose edges that would allow an untruth to pass through into our hearts and minds. 

 Jesus said that God's word is truth. How do we filter everything through God's word? It's hard to understand. It's a big book. We don't have time. These are the typical excuses. My grandson didn't pour water over the pan of sand and just wait for the gems to appear. He had to swish it and dip it again and again. Each time he swished, he took out little treasures until he devoured the whole $15 bucket. So too, we must take little bits, letting the Water of Life swish over the words, revealing the gems a few at a time. Here are a few tips I use:

• Commit to reading one chapter each day, just one.
• Pray before reading to commit that chapter to God's revealing.
• Look for the gem, the one thing God is speaking to you about in the chapter.
• Journal your find.
• Write an application for yourself.
• Write a prayer about that application.
• Share your gem with someone else, a spouse, your family, a friend, etc. 

One find leads to another. As soon as my grandson finished one bucket of sand he always wanted more. When you begin to find the gems in God's word and apply them to your life and the things you hear and see and read, you too will be hungry for another chapter of truth. 

Heavenly Father, help us pass everything through the sieve of truth. Help us remember that Your word is true and that there is no other truth. Help us commit to allowing the Water of Life to reveal truth to us through Your word. In Jesus's name. Amen.