Give Up Your Gold
By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
Read Hebrews 11:24-27.
Gold is nothing more than a yellow rock, but it has been treasured as a valuable commodity in nearly every civilization down through history. As the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses could have had lots of it. Life in the palace was comfortable and luxurious. He might even have become pharaoh himself one day. But the Bible says he traded gold for glory.
Moses gave up a life of power and luxury for the sake of Christ. Moses was obedient to God because he knew that the treasure of knowing Him was infinitely more valuable than mere gold. In contrast, generations before Moses was born, Joseph was a high-ranking official in Pharaoh's court. He had plenty of gold, but it didn't have a hold on his heart. His calling was to remain in the palace and influence life in Egypt from his powerful position.
You see, the "gold" we must avoid is not earthly riches in and of themselves, but whatever idols stands in the way of our obedience to God's calling on our lives. And that is why the Word of God commends Moses for giving up the world's gold for God's glory. He let go of all the gold of Egypt in order to obey the call of God on his life.
So we must ask ourselves: What kind of "gold" has a hold on me? What is keeping me from obeying the will of God for me? Whatever it may be, Christ is far better.
Prayer: Lord, lead me by Your Spirit to identify the idols in my heart that are keeping me from cherishing the glory of Your presence. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Hebrews 11:25).
