The Gold Standard

​GOLD FACTS (from http://gold.yabz.com/facts.htm)

• Gold, like no other metal, has a fascinating history and a special place in the world.  For thousands of years it has been used as an ornament of kings, a currency and standard for global currencies, and more recently, in a wide range of electronic devices and medical applications.  Gold is often referred to as a noble metal. This is because the pure form of gold does not get rusted, corroded or tarnished. It is not soluble in any acid.
• ​Gold is only 2.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness - about the same as a fingernail. Pure gold is so soft and malleable that a strong man can squeeze it and shape it.  Therefore, gold could be used by artisans around the world for as far back as time can tell.
• ​A single ounce of the metal can be drawn into a wire five miles long. Gold can be hammered into sheets so thin that light can pass through.  High purity gold reflects infrared (heat) energy almost completely, making it ideal for heat and radiation reflection.
• ​Gold has been prized by people since the earliest times for making statues and icons and also for jewelry to adorn their bodies. Intricately sculptured art objects and adornment jewelry have been uncovered in the Sumerian royal Tombs in southern Iraq and the tombs of Egyptian kings. Significant buildings and religious temples and statues have been covered with thinly beaten sheets of gold. Due to its rarity, gold has long been considered a symbol of the wealth and power of its possessor.
• ​Jewelry and money have always been closely related. Historically precious metals were used as a store of value and tied around the owner's neck or wrist when traveling. Thus if the caravan was attacked by bandits, the travelers could abandon their bags and flee with their gold. Eventually people noticed that gold and silver looked attractive when worn this way, and these metals started to be used an jewelry. With the development of banking holding money in this way became less prevalent. although even today many people in Asia and the Middle East keep jewelry in place of fiat currency.

​THE WORTH OF EARTHLY/HEAVENLY GOLD

• ​Matthew 6:19-21 - “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
• ​Ezekiel 7:19 - “They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash.  Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the Lord’s anger.  It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up."
• ​1 Corinthians 3:12-15 - Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.  But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.  If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.  But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
• ​Revelation 21:18-21 - The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.  The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

​RECOGNIZE YOUR SPIRITUAL POVERTY​

• ​Revelation 3:14-22 - “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation: “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.  Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
• ​Matthew 5:3,8 - “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. … God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God."

​GREATER THAN EARTHLY GOLD

• ​Psalm 19:7-11 - The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.  The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.  Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.  The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.  They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.  They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
• ​Psalm 119:127 - Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold.
• ​Proverbs 8:17-19 - (wisdom speaking) “I love all who love me.  Those who search will surely find me.  I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice.  My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver!"

​REFINED AND PURIFIED AS GOLD

• ​Proverbs 17:3 - Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
• ​(from http://livingintruthministries.com/2011/07/24/refined-like-gold/) "Gold found in its original form actually resembles coal. A black film covers the outside surface so it doesn’t look like gold at all. The refining process begins by placing the gold over heat.  As it is heated, the black film melts away, revealing the more familiar appearance of gold. However, even in this state the gold contains many impurities.  In order to remove the impurities, the refiner must heat the gold to an even hotter temperature, causing the impurities within to rise to the surface.  The refiner then skims those impurities off the top, bringing the gold to its purest state.  Here is the really cool part; the refiner knows when the gold is in its purest form because he is able to see his reflection in it."

​APPLICATION

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​1 Peter 1:6-7 - So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.  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.