The Gold Ring

I ran into a friend at a party one night. I hadn’t seen her in awhile, and a lot had changed in my life since we had last hung out. Mainly, God had fought to regain His position in my life and I was for the first time in my life, truly living for Him. That means different things to different people, but with my previous dependence on alcohol and sex, I had chosen to not drink at this party. My friend, who remembered me from my first semester in college, was a little surprised at my change of heart.

Although nothing was said that night, she contacted me the following day to say that she had noticed the change. What followed could only be from the hand of God. She then proceeded to tell me that she used to be very close to God, but had lost that relationship after coming to college. She didn’t even like to go to church anymore, because she felt like a hypocrite.

A comment she made caught my attention more than anything else. She said that she just felt so lost. It caught my attention because she expressed my exact feelings from not even a full year ago. For some reason, I was reminded of the parable of the lost coin in Luke 15. In it, Christ says,

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NASB)

In telling this parable, I actually replaced the coin with a ring. Why? Probably because I have a horrible memory and never do a good job at remembering scripture in its entirety. But, for the rest of this chapter, I will be referring to the gold coin as the gold ring.

My point in sharing this story with my friend was to convey that you don’t lose your value once you are lost. You are simply misplaced, but you are still worth the same amount. Misty May, the recent US volleyball Olympic gold medal winner, lost her wedding band in the sand while playing. Everything for her stopped when she lost that ring and resumed once she had found it. However, if someone else had found it, they would have gained the value of a gold ring. Its value did not change.

This ended the conversation with my friend and I still pray for her. But this did not end the battle over the gold ring. At this time, Satan began to attack my spirit by attacking my self-worth. Although I know the story of the gold ring, there was something more. I felt like a lost ring that has long last its value. Not only is no one searching, but also if I was ever found, I would be worthless. I am made of impure metal.

Kind of throws a kink into the whole thing doesn’t it? Not as much as you would think.

Malachi 3:2-3 proclaims that our God “is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.” (NASB)

God tells us that He is like a metal worker and will flush out the impurities in us. How does he do this? To answer this question, I think its best to take a look at what the typical process is to refine a choice metal. Although my understand of this process is limited (I am an advertising major after all!) I will offer what I know. The metal is heated to a temperature where it will melt and the impurities rise to the top. Next, these impurities are scraped away and the pure metal is left. Notice how the metal must be heated to the point where molecules break apart from one another before the impurities are released. What does this have to do with making us pure before God’s eyes? How does He make us pure? Through the trials and temptations, and yes, even suffering in our lives. Take a look at Romans 5:3-5.

“We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character; hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (NASB)

and Ephesians 2:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (NASB, emphasis added)

The LORD sees us not as a ring (or a coin) for whose value isn’t even worth searching. No! He sees us as His workmanship and is resolved to work in our lives (there is enough material to write an entire other study on His process of refining and the pain it may cause in our lives) to remove the impurities and make us pure in His sight. For He is like the prodigal father in Luke 15, who rushes to his son and “gives him the best robe, puts a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet” (15:22). For, as Christians, we “have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created” (Colossians 3:10) just as the Father has put a new robe on His returned son.

I pray that you hear this truth in your life and are assured of the love of the Father.

His,

Dustin L. Taylor