Mining for Truth

(This post is one of my daughter's writing assignments. Since we are beginning our study in Philippians tonight, it seemed very appropriate.)

People are designed to search for what is of value. As Christians, we know that the most valuable thing of all is the Word of God. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to study it and instead look for feelings and experiences. On the contrary, proper Bible study is very much like mining for precious stones. Just as with mining, Bible study takes hard work, requires patience, but yields rich reward.

Gem mining and Bible study are both hard work. Miners must dig into the earth, often tunneling quite deep. Then they break up and sort through pieces of rock all day, every day. Likewise, Christians must dig deep into the Scriptures, carefully studying what the text says. The Bible will not unpack itself; we have to exert our minds to think.

Both exercises also require patience and perseverance. Miners often have to search for a long time before they find anything. When they do find gemstones, these may be in the form of tiny bits. Similarly, the meaning and purpose of a text of Scripture is not always clear and may take time to understand. Also, we must sometimes be content with gleaning small or repeated truths instead of those that feel big, exciting, or more profound.

Finally, both mining and study of the Word yield valuable results. The stones that miners unearth are used in expensive jewelry. Yet the value of the Word greatly surpasses this. As the revelation of the living God, it carries eternal significance. It is life and spiritual food, without which we would not know God or of salvation.

Thus we have seen that study of the Scriptures is like mining for jewels in that it requires effort, takes perseverance, and results in valuable treasure. Both the miner and the student of the Word must dig constantly, one physically, the other mentally. Both must be patient when they do not find anything immediately. Lastly, the hard work of both ends in the discovery of something precious. Studying the Bible is worth the effort; its priceless, eternal value far outweighs that of any gem.