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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Fulfillment (04/06/06)
When I was a child I loved to go gold digging with my brothers. We’d scrape and and churn through the dirt for hours, convinced we were hunting for nuggets of priceless value. What we dug up didn’t look like much; just stones of mottled grey and brown, sheathed in clay and soil. But then we would wash them under gushing tap-water, transforming them before our eyes from useless chunks to beautiful clusters of gold.

Much to our disappointment, this miraculous transformation never lasted. The scorching Australian sun would inevitably lick them dry within minutes. With the moisture seared out of them, they would return, Cinderella like, to their original form.

God’s Word says that when we become adults we are to put away childish things. Yet something draws us back to the dirt. We scratch about, looking for the precious pleasures of life: a fulfilling job, plenty of money, a good time. We pour all of our energy into these things, so much so that they appear to glisten with joy, just as the worthless stones of my childhood gleamed with water. But it always fades away. Eventually, the dream job is lost, the money disappears and the good times crumble at our feet.

In our own might and under our own influence, all we will ever dig up from life are worthless rocks. It is only in Christ that we can find true fulfilment. He is the ultimate fulfiller of life, the one who “fills everything in every way” . He Himself is the pure gold of life that we are searching for.

Ephesians 1:23
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This article has been read 1219 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Lynda Schultz 
04/13/06
Great devotional. Great application. I come from gold mining country and remember well the hunt for what always turned out to be fool's gold.
Janelle Bailey
04/14/06
Thanks Linda. I can't believe I goofed and wrote a "d" instead of an "s" in Fool's Gold. Thanks for noticing that it's meant to be "fool's"
Suzanne R
04/14/06
I think you've got some beautiful sentences here - great expressions. And I too remember going panning for gold but only finding fool's gold.

So ... Janelle Bailey, eh ... not possibly Janelle from GBC???? Send me a personal message (hit PM) if you are. Either way, you're obviously a fellow Aussie - great to have you on the site and looking forward to seeing you around more.
Suzanne R
04/14/06
Woops ... not 'hit pm' but click on my name.

Again, I love this!
Karen Ward
04/14/06
Reminiscent and a great analogy. I think this was well written, and I loved your last line. I'm an Aussie too, so welcome!
Janelle Bailey
04/15/06
Hi, I didn't know there were so many Aussies on Faithwriters. Nice to meet you all. Susannah, not sure if I know what GBC is. Perhaps you're thinking of another Janelle Bailey.
Suzanne R
04/15/06
I obviously am thinking of another Janelle Bailey ... small world. There is a fantastic group of us Aussies and Kiwis in FaithWriters - come and visit the FaithWriters message boards - we've started a special thread just to welcome you. You'll need to register for it, but it is easy. Here's the link to the 'Welcome Janelle' thread: http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=45010#45010

I probably shouldn't be using the comments section here for chatter ... but don't know how else to reach you ... come to the message boards though, and you'll see a warm welcome.
Marilyn Schnepp 
04/15/06
After deleting the two "ands" in the first sentence...this entry is a perfect example of a well honed devotional. Well done...and makes an important point. Nice job.
Jan Ackerson
04/16/06
Well done! Devotionals are best when given out in small, tasty bites, and this is a perfect example.
Julianne Jones
04/16/06
A great little devotional that fits the topic nicely. Well done.
And G'day from another Aussie!
dub W
04/17/06
A beautiful devotion. I can only repeat what has been said above. Well done.