Symbol: Gold
Bracelets
Lesson: Don’t
be fooled by supposed “value”
Illustration: You are in a jewelry store and are
shown several bracelets. The first, you are told, is pure gold. It is
completely free. Next to it are other bracelets, all of them shiny and
beautifully crafted. They are made of fool’s gold and are priced at $5,000 each.
Right away your mind starts racing with questions and confusion. Something is
not right. How can a purportedly pure gold bracelet be free? How can mere
fool’s gold trinkets be priced more than the pure, real gold item? Something is
not right. Even though in reality you would lose nothing by taking a chance on
accepting the pure gold item, instead of taking it and having it tested to
ensure you have pure gold, you decide to buy the one of the fool’s gold items.
After all, the design of the fool’s gold items are delicate and intricate where
the supposed pure gold item is sort of plain.
Such is the case when people hear the good news of the Bible
as freely declared by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witnesses claim their offering is the
pure gold of God’s Word. To some, it is sort of plain because there is no
ceremony, ritual or extravagant showiness. In fact, the Witnesses are known for
their meetings being truly educational events without pomp and circumstance. If
those hearing the message would only test what we preach against the measure of
scripture, they’d find out that what is being offered is indeed pure, real gold
of God’s truth. But instead, they want to accept the fool’s gold because it is
so much more beautiful in their eyes. They love all the celebrations, all the
ceremonies, all the music and while all of that may not be bad in and of itself,
it is not what God wants of us.
Notes: (n/a)
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