Hidden Gems

            There is a popular TV show named, “Antiques Roadshow.” It goes about and looks at people's items that they know very little about, but they hopefully think it may be worth a lot of money. People generally like to roam about the countryside scouring various flea markets in hope of finding a long lost painting worth over six figures. Maybe that old sword that has been in the attic for years is really a rare item and worth a lot of money. I recall one such find where a person thought they had an expensive violin but it turned out to be almost worthless. The bow for that violin however, did turn out to be worth about 6 thousand dollars. Valuable gems are not restricted only to material items, but are certainly available in the Scriptures if you take the time to look for them. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”

            This passage reminds us of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and how that it came at exactly the right time. It was the right time when Jesus took on flesh and was born in a manger in the city of Bethlehem. The timing would fit perfectly the prophecies that were written hundreds of years prior to His coming. The common language of the day in which we find the incarnation of Jesus was also important. The language of the day was Greek and most of the New Testament is written in the Greek language. The complexities of the language bring about the hidden gems that are scattered throughout the New Testament. Everything about the language is important as we find God saying exactly what He wanted to say to each and every one of us. Take for instance the word “love.” While we have one word for “love” there are several different Greek words. We find that evident in John 21 when Jesus is conversing with Peter and Jesus asks Peter if He loves Him. Peter answers that he does love Jesus, but both of them use different Greek words and the exchange continues until finally both are using the same Greek word and then Peter uses two different Greek words of the word, “know.” Hence, we find another gem that sends goose bumps up your spine. Another example of a gem is found in Ephesians 2:8-9 in the tenses and construction of the passage and how it supports eternal security of the believer. You don't have to go to a garage sale to find these gems, but you do have to spend time in God's Word actually studying what it says. This is where the meditation is important. One man described meditation as being similar to a cow chewing a cud. It eats it over and over again and so should we mull over the words again and again squeezing every drop of understanding and wisdom from a passage of Scripture. We sometimes become more concerned with reading our five chapters a day so we can complete the reading of the Scriptures again this year than spending time meditating over a passage. It would perhaps be profitable for us to read our five chapters and find at least one verse to meditate on during the day. Ask as many questions as you can about the passage and find out what it says and what it doesn't say. You will find many blessings that will excite you for many days to come as you study God's Word. Praise God today that He has given us a personal copy of His Word.