Economy is tough: buy Gold !

"Recent economic turmoil in the stock market, caused by the tariffs introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump, has led investors to flee volatile stocks in favor of purchasing gold. Gold is considered a safer investment, and its price has increased significantly. If you know anything about economics or finance, you’ll understand that gold is a precious asset—and those who possess it in abundance are truly wealthy. If you want to grow your wealth, invest in gold.

How is gold processed? There are a few key steps:

1. Extraction from ore.

2. Refining to remove impurities.

3. Melting and casting for various applications.

We are living in a time of spiritual poverty, and Jesus is telling us to buy gold from Him—'gold tried in the fire' (Revelation 3:18). Jesus said if you want to be rich, you must invest in this gold.

How do I know if I am spiritually poor? According to 2 Timothy 3:1–5, I am poor if I am:

• A lover of self.

• Covetous, boastful, or proud.

• Disobedient to parents.

• Unthankful or unholy.

• A truce-breaker, false accuser, or traitor.

• Without love, a lover of money, or brutal.

• Lacking self-control or rash.

• A lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God.

In Revelation 3:17, Jesus says that we are 'wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.' He counsels us: 'I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire.'

What is 'gold tried in the fire'? 1 Peter 1:7 says: 'That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.'

'Gold tried in the fire' represents the problems and difficulties God allows into our lives to test our faith. If you want to be rich in the eyes of God, you must embrace these trials. Instead of trying to pray the problems away, we should pray for the strength to endure them.

The Refiner’s Tool: Relationships One of God’s favorite tools to refine us is relationships. Marriage is a great tool used by God to bring us from spiritual poverty to wealth. Relationships are difficult for us because the Bible says we are naturally 'lovers of ourselves,' yet love requires us to be patient, kind, and not self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Marriage is designed to show us our spiritual poverty, our lack of love, and our self-absorption. A young person might enter marriage seeking companionship and intimacy, but they are often shocked by the 'fiery trials' of living with someone who is just as self-centered as they are!

Refining in the Fire of Marriage

1. Husbands: 'Love your wife as Christ loved the church.' This is no easy task. How can I love a wife who makes me unhappy, who is not submissive, or who is disrespectful? Then I remember: 'Love is patient; love suffers long.' I must pray, 'Lord, help me to be patient and kind with my wife.' That is gold tried in the fire.

2. Wives: 'Submit to your husband.' This, too, is no easy task. How can I submit to a husband who is bitter, who says mean things, or who doesn't show me affection? Then I remember: 'Love keeps no record of wrongs and always perseveres.' I say, 'Lord, give me gold tried in the fire; help me to submit despite the 'fire' he puts me through, so that I may be rich in faith.'

The trials of life—sickness, financial lack, or relational strife—are simply tools in the hands of God. A difficult marriage is a refining tool for our character. Jesus wants to make us like Him: loving, patient, tender, and forgiving.

If we want to be rich in character, we must embrace the trials. When they come, let us not despair. Let us grab the hand of Jesus and say, 'Lord, sell me gold tried in the fire; use this trial to purify my character and develop in me all Your beauty.' Spiritual poverty is to be selfish; spiritual riches is to be a loving, Christ-like person. Buy, buy, buy of Jesus!"

The pursuit of love

 Love.

Love is something we all desire. The airwaves are filled with love songs; we find love in movies and literature, and these stories appear so beautiful to us. The idea of love makes us feel good; just thinking about it awakens beautiful emotions in our hearts, leading us to wonder, "Why isn’t this my reality?" or "Why can't I find that kind of love?"

Love begins to feel difficult to find the moment we start believing, "I deserve love."

Do I deserve love? It sounds crazy for me to ask that, right? You might ask, "What do you mean?" or "Of course you deserve love." But let me ask you: Why do you believe you deserve it? What is it about you that makes you worthy of being loved? You see, many times we say things without fully understanding their meaning—and as a result, we end up suffering.

According to the dictionary, the word deserve means:

To do something, or have or show qualities, worthy of a reward or punishment.

In other words, to "deserve" something means you have performed actions that result in a specific outcome as a consequence. So, let me ask you again: Do you still believe you "deserve" love? Have you done things that make you worthy of being loved?

Before you answer, let’s define love. Modern dictionaries often define love as "an intense feeling of deep affection." Affection, in turn, is described as "a gentle feeling of fondness."

Here lies the root of our struggle: Most of us view love as a feeling. Because of this, love becomes as unstable as our emotions. We fall in and out of love the way Florida weather changes—suddenly and unpredictably. This kind of love is mere emotionalism; it is the love of children. It is the love portrayed in pop songs and movies. It is the love most people seek, yet it is unsustainable because it isn't real.

A Better Source Let’s ask a better source. "Bible, what is love?" The Bible answers, "I am glad you asked."

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." — 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

Thank you, Bible. This is a much better definition. Now, back to the question: Do you think you deserve this kind of love? Why do you believe you are worth it?

The Concept of Pursuit Does God "deserve" love? You might say, "Yes, Ric, 1 John 4:19 says we love Him because He first loved us." What an amazing truth! God "deserves" our love because He first pursued us. He worked for it; He demonstrated it.

While a child deserves the love of their parents because they did not ask to be born, love in adult relationships is trickier. It is hard to claim we deserve something we haven't worked for. You may say, "I deserve God’s love," and I would agree. But do you deserve Heaven? Heaven is reserved for those who pursue it.

Likewise, in human relationships, love is truly enjoyed only by those who pursue it, not those who wait for it to come to them. Whoever wants to be loved must be active in loving others. If I want to be loved, I must pursue love.

How do I pursue love?

1. Go to the Source: Connect with God.

2. Pursue the Attributes: * If I want patience, I must practice patience.

   • If I want kindness, I must be kind.

   • If I want others to keep no record of my wrongs, I must stop keeping a record of theirs.

   • If I want trust, I must build trust.

Our society is full of "lazy lovers"—dreamers who want to be swept off their feet without doing anything to "deserve" that love. But love is an action verb. It requires persevering effort.

A husband shouldn't wait for his wife to love him first; he should actively pursue her. A wife shouldn't wait for her husband to cherish her first; she should actively pursue him. As both parties actively pursue the other, love blossoms. Pursue love from God, shower those around you with it, and you will eventually receive a harvest of love.

True Riches

"If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:11, KJV)

The New International Version puts it this way: "So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"

Would you want to be rich? You likely already know the answer, but the truth is that the majority of humankind would prefer to be rich rather than poor. And yet, only a few people are truly wealthy, while the rest remain in the middle class or in poverty.

Which would you rather be:

1. A farmer?

2. A beggar?

I know the answer already. You would choose to be a farmer. Who in their right mind would want to be a beggar? A farmer provides for society; he is a person with resources. A beggar, on the other hand, simply begs and consumes. A farmer works hard to produce and provide, while a beggar waits for resources to be given to him. One of the reasons the wealthy are few is that it requires significant effort to become rich.

The Supply Chain of Wealth While the beggar waits for someone to feed him, the person who desires to be rich is working. He is looking for something he can provide to others. He is seeking out a manufacturer who can sell him raw materials at a low cost. To be rich, one must work hard: seek a product, find a manufacturer, bring that product to the store, and advertise it to consumers at a fair price. The rich man becomes a pillar of his community because he seeks to provide. The beggar is often rejected because he only seeks to get.

As it is in the material world, so it is in the spiritual. Our world is full of spiritual beggars. In the physical realm, we feel safe walking through an affluent neighborhood but remain on guard in a destitute one. Everyone wants to marry into riches; no one chooses poverty. Our world is dangerous today because it is destitute of "true riches"—spiritual riches.

What are Spiritual Riches? I can have all the money in the world, but if I lack spiritual riches, I am nothing but a beggar. According to the Word, spiritual riches are:

• Meekness and Gentleness

• Joy and Peace

• Longsuffering (Patience)

• Self-control

• Faith and Goodness

• Love

The majority of human beings are "broke" when it comes to these riches. Why? Because we either don’t know where to get them, or we prefer to beg for them from other people. A life lived as a beggar is miserable; a person devoid of spiritual riches will always have a miserable existence.

The Love of a Beggar When it comes to love, a beggar is one who is always seeking love to consume. A "farmer" (a spiritually rich person) is one who seeks love from the Manufacturer (God) in order to provide it to others.

Our society has become a consuming one. Our "manufacturers" have moved out of the country; as a result, we produce nothing and only consume. In a relationship, a consumer mindset expects others to love us while we produce no love in return.

God: The Great Manufacturer If you want to be rich, you must seek the greatest Manufacturer in the universe. God is the source of all true riches, and He is willing to "sell" them to us "without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1). Christ has already paid the invoice for all the goods we need. All we have to do is become entrepreneurs in the sharing of these spiritual goods.

It takes work to be a loving person. It takes effort to be patient and to persevere. God is calling us to be "spiritual entrepreneurs." He is calling us to be loving, kind, and peaceful—but you won't find those goods by begging from the other beggars of this world. You must go to the Source yourself.

A beggar believes it is better to receive than to give, but a rich man knows it is better to give than to receive. It is as we give that our wealth increases. A businessman is happiest when his store is sold out and empty, because then he can return to the Manufacturer to buy more. A poor man hoards what he receives; a rich man distributes.

The Call to Wealth The true child of God is a billionaire when it comes to true wealth. He receives from God and "sells" to humanity. He seeks love from the Source to bring it to others, encouraging them to go to God so they, too, may become rich in mercy and goodness.

Instead of waiting for someone to come and love us (the beggar mindset), let us become entrepreneurs of love. Let us empty the "store" of our hearts by giving love away, so that we have more space to receive from God. Your wealth will increase the more you give. Seek true riches, and let God be the source of your wealth.

The healing virtue of love

 "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matthew 24:12, KJV)

The New Living Translation says: "Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold."

Sin Destroys the Heart Sin destroys the heart and, by extension, destroys love. The Bible defines sin as the transgression of the law—specifically, the law of God, which is the law of love. No matter how minute, sin destroys something within us. As sin increases in our lives and the world around us, suffering of all types follows in its wake.

Sin is essentially selfishness at work. It is the desire to exalt the self and prioritize one’s own feelings, even at the cost of someone else. "Me, myself, and I" is the ultimate goal of sin.

Why do people commit sin? We often do so because we want to feel good, to be loved, or to gain something for ourselves. While it seems insane because sin leads to death, it is a human reality. No one commits sin because they want evil to come to them; people sin because, in our twisted and deceitful minds, we think it will bring about some form of good.

Take the sin of fornication, for example. A person may seek the pleasure of the moment without considering the long-term impact. Once the act is done, depression, sadness, emptiness, and guilt often follow, and the heart becomes hardened. Bitter arguments and blame arise where people were initially seeking pleasure. Sin is self-seeking, and it eventually leads to a "living death." It is no wonder that mental health issues are at an all-time high; selfishness is killing our souls.

Love Heals the Soul The aim of life is to love and be loved. God is love, and out of His abundance, He created us to enjoy His affection and share it with others.

What is love? Love is putting the well-being of another first. It is self-sacrifice. When I love someone, I seek to pay attention to them and understand how to best meet their needs. Love is not concerned with having its own needs met first; rather, it is in showing care to others that we awaken love in their hearts.

Love is not emotionalism. While emotions are a part of the experience, love itself is a deep principle of doing what is right and good, even when it is temporarily painful. It was painful for Christ to lay down His life on the cross, but He did it anyway because He loves us. Love is intentional. It is waking up in the morning and asking, "How can I best serve God and humanity today?"

Seeking only to be loved will eventually make us selfish and dissatisfied. Selfishness is the great enemy of love. Because love is not our natural default, it must be a daily choice—a choice to understand, focus on, and cherish the other person.

Love is spiritual. It is the lack of love that causes us to be restless in our pursuit of materialistic aims. Love brings rest, calmness, and peace. In our society of "spoiled princesses" and selfish pursuits, true love has become rare. Many see marriage as an idol, expecting it to bring them love even if they themselves are unloving. But marriage will not change a selfish person overnight. A husband who truly loves his wife will value her more than his own life, and a wife who loves her husband will support his leadership.

 Genuine love heals. It begins when "my needs" stop being the priority. A kind word calms wrath; a good deed makes another feel appreciated. Love is intentional, and it requires us to slow down. When we are in a constant rush, we cannot notice the "fine print" of another person’s life.

This world may make you feel like just another number, but God sees you as if you are the only one who exists. Pursue genuine love from God and be a vessel of that love to others. As wickedness increases and hearts grow cold, let us ask God to keep our hearts warm, that we may be loving and lovable Christians, bringing healing to a broken world.