Revelation 3:15-18 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”
Jesus was speaking to the church at Laodicea, a church which had become large, wealthy and self sufficient. And Therein is the problem. Today we have a new phenomenon, the “Mega Church”. They are rich, have incredible programs and entertainment for every member of the family, but there is one thing missing: The expositional teaching of the Word of God.
As a result of the worldwide increase in wealth, the church has become wealthy also. And when Jesus wrote to the church at Laodicea, he was writing to that final generation of churches just before He returns to earth that will have become wealthy and self reliant. It is not the size of the ministry that is important to Jesus, but the hearts of the people within that particular church. A church of 100 people with hearts right before the Lord, loving Him and living for Him, is more desirable than a church of 17,000 who are living for themselves and the next exciting spectacle at their church.
As we see the increase in the price of Gold, it is an ever present reminder that when we are indeed within those final days before Jesus comes for His church and that within those final days, the hearts of those who claim to know Jesus will have began to grow colder and colder. Why will they grow colder?
Matthew 13:22 “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
We live in a generation of iPad’s, iPod’s and Smart phones which capture our imaginations and time. We are more distracted and distressed because of these technological wonders than any generation before us. During the days of Jesus sojourn here on earth, people were concerned about just getting enough food to eat for the day. Today we are concerned about obtaining the latest technology that has come out and finding the newest “App” for our new devices. We are a rich and prosperous generation, but we have forgotten what is most precious and valuable; Jesus.
Jesus counseled this final church generation to not buy into the world’s “Gold Standard”, but instead to “buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.“
The Gold that Jesus is referring to is His presence in our life, the White Garments are the righteousness we recieve from Him when we repent of our sins and begin to live the rest of our life for Jesus. The eye salve is the clarity of sight that we have when we are daily in His Word reading and meditating upon it so that our hearts and minds are filled with thoughts of Him.
Lest you think that I am preaching to you, let me say that the person I am referring to in regards to the acquiring of techno gadgets is me. I love my electronics and I am like all the rest of this generation that is preoccupied with “The Creation”, instead of “The Creator” who is blessed forever. I must constantly repent of my own worldliness and then write and encourage others who also struggle in these last days with the focus of things in their life.
Be encouraged that as the price of Gold soars, that this increase in wealth only brings us closer to the return of Jesus, which from the looks of things, is about to happen at any moment.
The following article appeared in “The Street”, a publication which tracks the price of Gold throughout the world…
By Alix Steel
NEW YORK (TheStreet ) — Gold prices were popping Tuesday as investors turned to gold as safe-haven asset after a slew of disappointing economic data.
Gold for December delivery was adding $27.30 to $1,274.40 an ounce — a record high — at the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The U.S. dollar index was losing 0.83% to $81.18 while the euro was gaining 0.98% to $1.30 vs. the dollar. The spot gold price was rising almost $30, according to Kitco’s gold index.
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Gold prices soared Tuesday on inflation worries out of the U.K. and a weaker-than-expected eurozone industrial production report.
Inflation fears jump-started the gold market in early trading after the U.K. consumer price index rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier. Economists were expecting a rise of 2.9%, but higher food, clothing and air travel moved the index higher. Gold is the go-to commodity when investors panic over inflation as gold is a form of money that retains some value. Unlike paper currencies, gold’s value can never go to zero.
Can You Buy Gold’s Rally?
Gold prices were also being helped by a weaker industrial production reading out of the EU. Activity for July rose 7.1% year over year vs. the 8% expected. Despite sovereign debt fears, the EU, led by the stronger nations like Germany and France, has been able to keep growing but today’s data signaled a possible reversal or a slowdown.
U.S retail sales for August rose 0.4% vs. the 0.3% expected but didn’t seem to dampen gold’s rally. Investors, trying to protect themselves against more negative news, were buying gold as a safe-haven asset. The gold market is also subject to peer pressure buying. When the gold price moves double-digits, retail investors can jump into the market for fear of missing the boat. Technically, gold might also be reacting to buy stops in the market. If the price hits a certain level, a trader pulls the trigger and buys.
The question is — s this rally sustainable? A massive double-digit surge could also result in profit-taking, leaving some analysts wary.
“I’m thinking maybe we back off to the $1,230s,” says Phil Streible, senior market strategist at Lind-Waldock. “But historically, September is a great month for the gold market so that weakness I would definitely look at as an opportunity to the upside.”
The long-term outlook for gold prices among some experts is still positive. The GFMS Research Group released its Gold Survey 2010 Tuesday; Philip Klapwijk, executive chairman, said gold could “spike comfortably above $1,300 before the year’s out.” Klapwijk anticipates several bouts of profit-taking but that it doesn’t mean gold’s bull run is over. Strong safe- haven demand will continue to support prices.
The report also noted that gold and the U.S. dollar have bucked their inverse correlation. Typically, the two assets move in opposition as a stronger dollar makes the dollar-backed commodity more expensive to buy in other currencies and vice versa. Times of real market panic have altered the dollar/gold inverse relationship as both are bought as safe havens, an alternative to stocks and “riskier” currencies like the euro.
Cramer: Silver’s the New Gold >>
Silver prices were up 33 cents to $20.49 while copper was flat at $3.48 on the weak industrial production data.
Gold mining stocks, a risky but profitable way to buy gold, were rising Tuesday. Agnico-Eagle Mines(AEM) was rising 4.48% to $67.68 while Yamana Gold(AUY) was adding 4.85% to $10.60. Kinross Gold (KGC) was advancing by 4.29% to $17.25 and AngloGold Ashanti (AU) was rising 5.27% to $46.94.
