The Value in doing Daily Devotions by Ps Jim Jung

There is treasure to be found

I heard a story of a miner who had his heart set on making a fortune searching for gold. He secured a claim where the conditions were right, the mineral composition was perfect and the prospect of finding gold was high. Throughout the coming season, he moved a great deal of material in his quest for riches but ultimately only discovered a small quantity of gold. His disappointment was overwhelming. Unbeknown to him, much of the earth he was digging was rich with a rare mineral worth three times as much as the gold he sought. Mounds of this unique mineral were scattered around his campsite as he abandoned his claim, dejected and despondent.

His mining days were over. Unfortunately, he missed the richness of what the mine was producing and instead of rejoicing at his discovery; he was blinded by simply copying what everyone else was looking for.

How often do we read the Bible and just seek out the known verses that have been gold for us in the past. Perhaps they were our parent’s favourite verses or passages that we discovered in years gone by. Could we be like a miner and gloss over other riches contained within the pages of these 66 divinely inspired books? Have we missed the richness of some of the detail of the Word for our lives? Could it be that mounds of rare minerals are piled up around our lives as we search for hidden treasures?

A ministry friend once said that we could come to the Bible in one of three frames of mind:

For Information – where we have just come to discover where to mine for gold.

For Inspiration – where we have come to try to gain some clues as to where the gold could be hidden (particularly when we are in trouble!). The bible becomes a treasure map, or a formula for my particular need. The reality is that information only fills us with knowledge and inspiration leaks away over time as our situation or circumstances change. We can also come to the Bible though:

For Incarnation – where we mine for the richness of what the Holy Spirit would say to us. It becomes a hidden truth in our heart that works its way into our attitudes, actions, and motives. An incarnational Word of the Lord becomes like motor oil in an engine where it works its way into every facet, affecting the operation of the entire machine.

If we want to find the treasures contained within the Bible, we need to ensure we are open to the Holy Spirit as He reveals rare minerals, as well as the gold we know is there. We want the Word to become alive within our lives; giving birth to new victories and accessing unclaimed graces.

Reading the Bible each day through a reading plan (like the one at the front of this APP) allows the Holy Spirit to expose my life to various terrain. It’s like digging into a rich vein of unimaginable wisdom which God ordains for my life. The Psalmist says it like this:

“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” (Psalm 139:16 NASB)