The Price of Gold
By Grant Gaines
Business was booming for the small group of New England fishermen as their Atlantic salmon was selling like wrapping paper at Christmas time. As their catches grew, so did the demand for their product. It wasn’t long before customers from all over the country were inquiring about their famous salmon which opened the door for the men to expand their business by shipping their product across the country.
But as soon as they started shipping their product, they began receiving complaints about the fish lacking the same freshness that originally drew the customers to their local New England fish market in the first place. So the fishermen did a little brainstorming until they eventually came up with the idea to ship the salmon alive in large fish tanks. It seemed like a great idea but complaints were still coming in from their customers about the fish tasting soggy and stale rather than fresh and delicious.
Finally, one of the men came up with the idea to continue shipping the salmon alive in their large fish tank but this time introduce Atlantic cod—a natural predator to salmon—to the tank. Apparently the idea worked—the reviews were once again skyrocketing and the customers could not have been more satisfied with the men’s product.
Apparently, when left all on their own and in perfect conditions, the salmon got lazy and their muscles which were once packed with flavor were broken down and lost its taste by the time they were delivered to their hungry customers. But as soon as the threat of a predator was introduced, the salmon had to be alert and move quickly if they wanted to stay alive which allowed the fish to maintain their freshness and flavor.
That story is not too different from how God works in our lives. Just like the salmon in that story, we too have a tendency of becoming sluggish in our faith unless we are moved off our mark or taken out of our comfort zone. And just like the fishermen who had an invested interest in their product, the Lord also has an invested interest in us.
You see, God wants us to, “…grow in every way [to become] more and more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT). But here’s the problem, left all on our own and in perfect conditions, we don’t naturally become more and more like Christ. Instead, we naturally slide away from becoming like Christ as we become more and more like the world that is around us. Knowing this, and in a fatherly love, God sends us trials to keep us “fresh” and our eyes on Jesus.
James 1:2-3 (NIV) says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” And 1 Peter 1:7 (NLT) echoes the same thing—“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Trials are not fun, but they do have a purpose—to strengthen your faith and deepen your devotion to the Father.
David is a great example of this truth. As you likely know, David was anointed as the king of Israel at an early age (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Many scholars believe that David was between 12-16 years old when the prophet Samuel crowned him as Israel’s second king. But it wasn’t until David was 30 years old that he was finally able to enjoy the responsibilities and luxuries of his kingship (2 Samuel 5:4).
So what did David do in the meantime? Well, if he was left to himself in perfect conditions, David would have likely spent his time hanging out with his friends, taking leadership classes at the local college, or possibly daydreaming about his inauguration parade. But fortunately for the nation of Israel, God did not leave David to himself.
So rather than living a life of pleasure, David lived a life of persecution. Rather than being pampered by his friends, he was pursued by his enemies. And rather than living a life of popularity, David learned what it meant to be in poverty.
It was during these years of trial that David learned what it meant to truly be a king. It was here and not in the palace that he learned how to lead a nation by first shepherding a small herd of sheep (1 Samuel 16:11). It was here and not in the palace that he learned how to direct armies by first directing his own sling and stone (1 Samuel 17). And most importantly, it was here and not in the palace that David first learned how to, “…delight [himself] in the Lord…” (Psalms 37:4, NIV) because God was all he had in these trying times.
David needed his faith expanded before he could accept the expanded responsibilities of a kingdom. God just might be saying the same thing about you right now. It would certainly make sense if His goal really is to make you more and more like Christ. After all, didn’t Jesus have to wear a crown of thorns before He could wear a crown of glory?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
