I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
[Revelation 3:18]

Imagine the following scenario:

You’re going to buy a ring for a close friend, rather it be a boy/girlfriend, your mother on Mother’s day; regardless of who it is, they’re very important to you. Very close to your heart. At the market there are two salesmen. The first one offers you a BEAUTIFUL looking ring, but after closer inspection, you suspect it’s the kind of ring that could have the gold rub off, and turn your finger green. But the price is GREAT! The second man offers you a completely GORGEOUS ring, 100% gold, but the price is seemingly outrageous. Which one do you buy?

Well, let me clue you in. The First salesman is Satan. His offer is a cheap one, it seems great at first, but it eventually leaves you wanting more. The Second salesman is Jesus Christ. His price may seem steep, but His is the greatest offer of all. What he gives is pure, inside and out, from start to finish; and it fulfills you always. Who’s Gold are you buying?

We are born into the flesh, we as Humans have a sinful nature. Satan’s offer will always look better. It will be easier, cheaper. You can do whatever you want, when you want. God’s offer seems steep. It requires a life of pure, Christ-like living. It requires us to meet a set of standards. And sometimes, we won’t like it. But we want to become more like Christ, we want his Gold.

Jesus Christ Himself counsels us to buy His Gold, tried by the fire. There is a key phrase here: “Tried by the fire.” When a ring is made, it has to be purified in the fire. Let me tell you, sometimes the fire gets hot. And sometimes it might sting, or burn a little. But these burns rid us of our impurities.  II Timothy 3:12 says, ” Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” The Word of God never promised us an easy ride.  I Peter 1:7 tells us that our faith will be tried by fire.  ” That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: ” We will be tried by the fire, and the fire will get Hot.  But it’s the fire that burns out our impurities, and makes us more like Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Who’s Gold are you buying?