25 Jul, 2008
Have you trashed the treasure?
It's better to be Godly than rich.
Treasure in the trash: $20K earrings found in NYC
NEW YORK -- Diamonds in the rough? Try a $20,000 pair of the glinting gems in a reeking truckload of trash.
A Staten Island jeweler has gotten her 3-carat diamond earrings back after she, her husband and city sanitation employees sorted through a smelly heap of garbage. The studs were in a small jar of cleaning solution, which a worker at the couple's jewelry store had accidentally thrown away.
The earrings were recovered Thursday at the site of the former Fresh Kills landfill. The giant dump closed in 2001, and the earrings were in a load of trash destined to be compacted and shipped out of state.
Owner Haya Sharon is calls the find "a miracle." The earrings were an anniversary gift from her husband.
photo courtesy images.google.com & story seattlepi.com, 7/19/08
Ezekiel 7:18-20 (NLT)
18 They will dress themselves in burlap;
horror and shame will cover them.
They will shave their heads
in sorrow and remorse.
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.
20 They were proud of their beautiful jewelry
and used it to make detestable idols and vile images.
Therefore, I will make all their wealth
disgusting to them.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about a Godly perspective on possessions?
Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes explain:
7:19 God's people had allowed their love of money to lead them into sin. For this, God would destroy them. Money has a strange power to lead people into sin. Paul said that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). It is ironic that we use a gift of God - money - to buy things that separate us from Him. It is tragic that we spend so much money seeking to satisfy ourselves and so little time seeking God, the true source of satisfaction.
Someone in NYC cleaned some expensive earrings and didn't realize they had trashed the treasure.
Do we take a close look at the "treasures" God has given us? If we're pursuing worldly possessions rather than Godliness we're trashing the relationship and blessings that are part of being a follower of Jesus.
If we're willing to let God help us clean up our perspective on possessions, we will clearly see that we are rich beyond description.
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God for giving you, His child, the treasures of Heaven. Confess any way in which you have been trashing your relationship with Him.
- For two weeks, keep a written journal of how you spend your time and what you are focusing on each day. Let Jesus use this evaluation to help you see if there are any changes needed?
- Whenever you see someone wearing some expensive bling, let Jesus remind you that you're already rich!
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
Use today's story about the expensive earrings found in the trash to start a conversation with others about the pursuit of possessions in this life. If your friend is pretty open to God's Story and your story of faith, you could talk about the fact that though much of the world likes to trash Jesus, you know that He has made you rich.
- August 2008 [19]
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