Gold Fever – God Fever
Right across the world, life will change in a micro second, when the cry rings out, “there’s gold in them thar hills.” Just on everybody drops what they are doing, abandons just on everything, grabs a gold pan, a pick and a shovel, and they are gone; by foot, by horse or mule, wagon, train, canoe, boat, anyway they can get there, and the fastest, to be able to stake out their claim to endless and abundant perceived wealth. Gold fever hold the miners, no matter how hot or cold the environment, even Alaskan Miner, Parker Schnabel tells us, “that he would mine in Hell, if the ground was good enough,” and that is serious Gold Fever. Now the Old Testament has an interesting theme, “Gold = God.” In the Sanctuary, the innermost chamber where God dwelt, was gold furniture, just gold everywhere, and a “Gold Chain” was Law, or God’s Law, and even “Mayoral Chains” denote that they are the authority in town.
In 2019 an Australian man unearthed a 1.4kg (49oz) gold nugget worth an estimated A$100,000 (£54,000; $69,000) using a metal detector. Gold mining in Australia began in the 1850s, and remains a significant industry in the country. But the Biggest is considered by most authorities, to be the very biggest gold nugget ever found, is the “Welcome Stranger” which was found at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia in 1869 by John Deason and Richard Oates. It weighed gross, over 2,520 troy ounces (78 kg; 173 lb) and returned over 2,284 troy ounces (71.0 kg; 156.6 lb) net. Worth about $3,000,000 today, or even more if it still existed as an original raw nugget, and if it did still exist and was being auctioned off as a unique one-of-a-kind, trophy trinket, “I have the Biggest,” the price would be beyond comprehension.
So how keen are we? Do we have Gold Fever – God Fever? Maybe Mark in his Gospel has the answer, Mark 4:19 “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” In this case, we seem to have “Gold Fever,” and the cares of this world holds all attention, and God just gets parked up, to their ultimate eternal ruin. They should have got a very bad case of “God Fever,” and have confessed and forsaken “Unrighteousness,” and then rushed off to stake a claim in the goodness of God, and an inheritance in Eternity in Heaven, in the boundless riches of the New Earth, than to lose all, and to perish with nothing but a few fading crumbs from this short life and existence in this world, died penniless.
If the cry rang out, “Jesus is coming, go ye out to meet him,” how many would drop all and rush forwards, driven by “God Fever,” just wanting to be as close as they can, choosing Heavenly, as being of way more value than any Earthly Treasure. Do you and I have a very bad case of “God Fever?” Maybe if we spent more time in Scripture and in Prayer, this would bring us into a closer relationship, and the “Infectious Love of God as found in Christ Jesus our Lord,” would cause us to fall even deeper in love and devotion to God, and we would be seriously and eternally infected with “God Fever.” Are all our passions and desires of a Heavenly or an Earthly intent, are we gold digging in this life to get further up the ladder, or are we “God Digging,” digging deeper into Scripture and a closer relationship with the one we love above all things, who loved you above all things, and bled and died on Calvary, just for you, to give you life eternal, should you so choose to accept this amazing, once in a lifetime offer. So do we have “Gold Fever – or – God Fever?”
Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Like 12:16-21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, [and] be merry. But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So [is] he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Matthew 19:16-24 “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” So do you have a bad case of “Gold Fever” or “God Fever?”
