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The Gold Has Lost Its Shine
Lamentations 4:1
"How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street."
God asked the Jews a question that every Christian needs to pose to themselves. He asked how the gold of the temple had become dim. This was the temple that Solomon had built. This was the temple that in its early days was magnificent. This was the temple that people would travel from afar just to see the great building that this temple was. Yet, now the Jews had taken the temple for granted, and the magnificence of the temple had become mundane. It was this attitude that caused the Jews to forsake God and the temple, which led to their destruction.
We must be careful about allowing our gold to lose its shine. Humans are creatures of habit, and our familiarity with people and things can cause the value of something to be unappreciated. Christians will join a good church and think it's the best church in the world, yet, after a few years that church is no longer the great church in the mind of that Christian. What happened? The gold lost its shine. In the first months of marriage, a couple will have the belief that they found the perfect person, and yet, as the months progress they see the weaknesses of their spouse and they no longer cherish them as before. What happened? The gold lost its shine. Let me ask you, has your gold lost its shine? Has your pastor lost his effectiveness in your life because the gold lost its shine? Is a friend of a lifetime taken for granted because the gold lost its shine? Is the house that you live in no longer adequate because the gold lost its shine? Is the job where you are employed no longer a good place to work because the gold lost its shine? What gold has lost its shine in your life? What is it that once used to be precious and valuable to you but now is like everything else? How can we avoid allowing the gold of our lives to lose its shine?
First, remember that nothing is perfect. One of the reasons someone or something loses their luster is because we start to see the weakness. Let me remind you that they were not perfect when you were first acquainted. There is no perfect church, spouse, parent, home, employment or person. The longer you are around something or someone, the easier it is to see weaknesses. Don't let the weaknesses cause your gold to lose its shine.
Second, remove the who or what that has removed the shine from your gold. Negative people will point out the flaws of your church and pastor causing them to lose their shine. Are these perfect? Certainly not, but your church and pastor are probably better than most. Be careful about spending time with those who will cause your gold to lose it's shine. Avoid them so that you can continue to enjoy your gold.
Third, remember to look at what you do have. Because we see the negative so quickly, we can forget to look at what we do have. If you want your gold to keep its shine, then you must regularly look at the value of your gold. Your spouse still has great qualities. Your church still is a great church. Your pastor is still a very helpful man. Your home is still a nice home, etc. Look at what you do have, and not at what you don't have to keep the shine on your gold.
Last, don't let familiarity cause you to take your gold for granted. Familiarity with anything or anyone can quickly take away the value. When you first see gold, you will look at it for a long time. However, if you were to handle gold on a daily basis, gold would become just another metal due to your familiarity with it. The same applies to the gold in your life. Familiarity can remove the luster from your gold. Don't let it! Always remember how blessed you are to have it or them. The gold of your life can always keep its shine if you work hard at remembering its value.