Fourteen Karat Faith

I read last week that in all of history only 161,000 tons of gold have been mined. That's right, among all the nations in all recorded time, the Earth has given up enough gold to fill just about two Olympic sized swimming pools. One of the main reasons gold remains so valuable today is because it is so rare.

Ancient Egyptians used it to adorn their dead Pharaohs. Present day Americans use it for the rings they present to husbands and wives. Between then and now, the value of this sought after metal has fluctated up and down, but it has always remained precious. Other treasures have not been so fortunate:

• Salt was so valuable in the ancient world that Roman soldiers gladly received a part of their pay in salt. Their term salarium gave us our word "salary." But you and I would not appreciate being paid in salt today.
• Frankincense and Myhrr were so precious that they were used for the most sacred purposes. Worth a king's ransom then, those spices sell for a few bucks a pound in our world.
• Imported apes and baboons were a luxury only kings could afford. They were a gift for royalty and a prized source of entertainment. When you call someone a baboon today, it's generally an insult.
• Ancients paid vast amounts of money for silk, and for fabrics of red and purple. Today we can find those items at Wal-Mart or Target.

So isn't it fascinating that when John the Apostle described the majesty of Heaven, he wrote "And the street of the city was pure gold, as through shining glass." You don't see salt, frankincense, silk or apes anywhere, but you see gold everywhere. Even today, centuries later, gold is so glorious and rare that people give their lives for it. In Heaven, it's merely paving material.

God knew centuries ago that gold would hold its value on the Earth while other substances would not. That's not all He knew either. God realized centuries ago that economies just like ours would crash and burn, and that corporations too big too fail could do just that. So He gave us a glimpse of Heaven to remind us that the most precious treasures of the Earth are like dirt in the Kingdom of Heaven. And that which is most precious in Heaven is the face of Jesus Christ, the son of God whose cross has never lost its value.

Anxious saints in 2009 should learn a lesson from Paul. In these days of chaotic markets on the Earth, set your affections on things above "for you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." When God wipes the dust from His feet, it's always 14kt.