The Gold Coin Lesson

During a brisk morning walk today I picked up a $2 coin from the footpath and placed it in my pocket.  It was no chore to pocket the coin because it has value.  Money is intensely practical, and since most people value gold coins it is not often one finds one laying on the ground.  We are discerning about the things we will pick up from the ground and drop into our pockets.  A soggy Kleenex, a cigarette butt, or an empty can of tuna would most likely be avoided, not gladly gathered.

It is a good thing to consider:  how much do we value the Gospel?  Do our lives indicate we view the Gospel as offering a precious, valuable gift or more like worthless junk mail people despise?  In Australia some people are employed as "walkers" to drop advertising leaflets in letter boxes.  Our letter box, like many others, is adorned with a "No Junk Mail" sign on it.  Maybe it works...somehow junk always finds its way into the box.  In a world filled with junk and rubbish, one of our roles as Christians is to raise awareness of how amazing and wonderful the Gospel truly is.  There is nothing more valuable or precious in this life than having a relationship with God, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life.  This is no sales pitch:  salvation is a gift from God only received through faith in Jesus.

The offer of a "free gift" in mailers typically means something I don't want or need.  I realise the item is basically worthless but a calculated and manipulative ploy to set the hook and reel me in.  These tactics lead to distrust and cynical views of others.  When I picked up that $2 coin from the ground, I didn't feel manipulated or pressured.  My eyes were open to recognise an object of value and I was glad to expend the small effort required to lean over and take it for myself.

Do you know there is more to the Gospel than receiving it for yourself?  If we truly value the Gospel as we ought, I believe we will share it with others too.  God was willing to come to earth as the man Jesus Christ and demonstrate His love for us when we were sinners - like rubbish which litters and corrupts the beautiful world He has made.  By His grace He picks us up and treasures us when we repent and trust in Him.  He values us because of His great love for us, not because of our worthiness.  When we see a person loitering on the corner or walking past, do we value them as much as a gold coin to reach out?  Are we happy to interact with them so their eyes might be opened to the glorious Gospel as a valuable gift worthy of receiving?

God has given us an awesome gift in the Gospel worth sharing.  It shouldn't be an embarrassment to brag on our God and Saviour who has done everything for us, but we can be sheepish sometimes.  God knows I fail!  We can be more reluctant to share the Good News than to pick up rubbish by the road.  In context the verses of 2 Corinthians 9 speak of generosity through giving money and resources, but it does no violence to the text to apply 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 to sharing the Gospel:  "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."  Let us be cheerful and generous givers of the Gospel - not grudgingly to acquire treasure in heaven - but because God has already opened heaven to us.  In light of the love we have received from God, let us freely and gladly offer the Gospel to others.