Panning For Gold

The Circuit Overseer has just given us two more wonderful wonderful talks.  The second one was based on 1 John 3:19,20, which says: “By this we shall know that we originate with the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before him as regards whatever our hearts may condemn us in, because God is greater than our hearts and knows all things."

And I want to say something about the image the Speaker used to explain what is meant by "greater than our hearts".  He was helping us to get Jehovah's perspective on things.

Imagine a prospector - in the Klondyke maybe - panning for gold.  He has sieve after sieve full of stones and rubble, which he discards as he looks for gold. Then he finds some. Maybe its only a tiny nugget - but that is very precious to him. He takes it, polishes it and treasures it, leaving all the rubble behind at the stream.

Jehovah searches all hearts. And he is looking for the good in us.  He wants to find something that will make him think, yes, if I took this person, and put them in the restored earthly Paradise, and gave them a thousand years (the length of the Millennial reign) of perfect teaching, what a wonderful and valuable person I will have.

We can get so disheartened by our faults and failings, our past mistakes, and selfishness, that we could end up losing heart and giving up.  We need to see things as God sees them.   He looks for the gold in us, and discards the rest.

He made an interesting point.  Jehovah, who is perfect, is not a perfectionist.  We, imperfect as we are, tend to be. We expect perfection from others, and maybe from ourselves too.  But Jehovah knows and understands just how imperfect we are.

Psalm 103:14 says:  "For he himself well knows the formation of us, Remembering that we are dust."  

He knows how we were made, what fragile creatures we are, and he knows the fatal damage that was done to us by what happened in Eden.  He want everyone of us back safely, but he will never violate the free will he gave us. We have to turn to him, and accept his help.


Jacks came round for supper last night.  We had an Abel & Cole chicken pie, with mash, leeks and carrots, followed by ice-cream (rhubarb - rather strange), local cheeses (including a lovely Sussex Brie) and choc mints with coffee.   We got the cheese from the new Farm Shop at Crossbush.  

We all lamented our ageing decrepit states, and had a good laugh as well.