What People Gather
The man would draw nuggets of gold, which he had dug from his mine, and then cast them along life's pathway, as gifts to whoever would take them. Most of the people gathered the scattered debris that blew across the landscape, they gathered the trash left by care-less travelers, they gathered the filth deposited by the refuse dealers. Surprisingly, very few gathered the nuggets. They lived in poverty and darkness, they wore rags, they lost home and covering, they starved and died, because they refused to gather the wealth that was there for the taking. Someone has said that evangelism is, "One hungry man telling another hungry man where to find bread."
Precious few people perceive the power that is packed into the Prophetic and the Proclaimed word of God.
Romans 1:16
The Imagery
The following notes are the background to my imagery. I try to give more than a surface meaning to my allegories and metaphors.
Gold Nuggets... The value of eternal wealth.
Dug From Mine... Derived from dedication and personal sacrifice.
Cast Along Life's Pathway... Shared in the marketplaces, the social settings and the workplaces of life.
Scattered Debris... The humanistic focus on useful resources (education, medicine, law, government, science).
Trash, Careless Travelers... Unessential but useful resources that are neither good nor bad (exaggerated and humanistic focus on sports, recreation, amusement, the arts), and the people whose lives are defined by these resources.
Filth, Refuse Dealers... Vain philosophy, false religion, pornography, destructive elements and the people who promote these things.
Whenever the resources of life become the focus (replacing the focus on eternal truths and Biblical values), they become temporal, secular and counterproductive to a life of real worth.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The Imagery
The following notes are the background to my imagery. I try to give more than a surface meaning to my allegories and metaphors.
Gold Nuggets... The value of eternal wealth.
Dug From Mine... Derived from dedication and personal sacrifice.
Cast Along Life's Pathway... Shared in the marketplaces, the social settings and the workplaces of life.
Scattered Debris... The humanistic focus on useful resources (education, medicine, law, government, science).
Trash, Careless Travelers... Unessential but useful resources that are neither good nor bad (exaggerated and humanistic focus on sports, recreation, amusement, the arts), and the people whose lives are defined by these resources.
Filth, Refuse Dealers... Vain philosophy, false religion, pornography, destructive elements and the people who promote these things.
Whenever the resources of life become the focus (replacing the focus on eternal truths and Biblical values), they become temporal, secular and counterproductive to a life of real worth.
Launch Out and Hold Fast,
Pastor David L. Gould
