Tag: encouragement

About a year ago, I found this intriguing story, and not sure how I might use it, I filed it away for future use. Today, it hit me! Could I find it again? I did! Read the story below.

The Clay Balls

As a man explored caves by the seashore, he found a canvas bag full of hardened clay balls. Apparently, someone had rolled the clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but intrigued, the man took the bag. 

As he strolled along the beach, he threw the balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it until he dropped one and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Delighted, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each one contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so balls he had left.

Then it struck him. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 balls with their hidden treasure out into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

The clay balls are like the Scriptures. A man goes through his whole life without realizing the value of what he possesses. He has several copies of the Bible, but they mostly remain on a dusty shelf, unread.

Then one day, he finds himself in crisis. In desperation, he opens his Bible, searching for answers. He finds a treasure inside. It’s the answer he needs! It is the hope he needs! It is the comfort he needs! It is the guidance he needs!

He suddenly realizes that just like the man in the story, he has carelessly thrown away the treasures he could have had: wisdom, joy, encouragement, faith, comfort, understanding, and hope. If only he had known what treasures were within his dusty Bible.

Now an old man, he realizes he could have known the wisdom of God in all of the trials and hard times of this life.

“Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
 for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.
 She is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 3:13-15

The Bible is a bottomless treasure chest of beauty and wonder… inspired, true, authoritative, clear, sufficient, powerful, Christ-centered, and precious. May God help us to treat it as such.”

Matt Smethurst, Pastor

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves,” the apostle James writes. “Do what it says” (James 1:22).

Happy is the man who possesses a Bible! Happier still is he who reads it! Happiest of all is he who not only reads it but obeys it.”

J.C. Ryle

Peter says God has given us “everything we need for a godly life” through the knowledge available in the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:3).

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)

And my favorite, Psalm 119

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

Source: 8 Things Your Bible Says About Itself by Matt Smethurst, lead pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia; editor at The Gospel Coalition

Photo by Daniel Dorfer on Unsplash

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