In the spring of 1608 the settlers at Jamestown, Virginia discovered gold.  At least they thought they did.  They almost abandoned any efforts at planting crops, preparing buildings, and readying themselves for winter.  They had found gold and devoted themselves to steadily digging out and washing the precious metal.  The colonists probably would not even have survived the summer and fall if the Indians had not fed them.

However, they were able to send a ship back to England with a heavy load of the metal for which they had labored all spring.  Unfortunately their gold turned out to be iron pyrite, also called "fools' gold."  They had given their time, their talent, and all their energies to "fools' gold."

How often we are found devoting all of our attention and time to the "fools' gold"...stuff of life we think is important.  Yet, the whole time the really important things in our lives go unnoticed and unattended.  These things which consume our time may be urgent things, which on the surface, we are convinced, are vital.  In reality, they are only the urgent.  Oh...I know...the urgent will fight, claw, and scream for attention.  It will demand our time and even make us feel we have done the right thing by soothing our nerves.  But the problem of it all is this" While you and I were putting out fires of the urgent, the important was going unnoticed.  And interestingly, the important is neither noisy nor demanding.  Unlike the urgent it patiently and quietly waits for us to realize its significance.

Some of us are already "under the pile" of the urgent.  The vital priorities of a personal relationship with God, spouse, children,  church and God's Kingdom  have been nudged out by the tyranny of the urgent.

This year will you be one who will become consumed with chasing after the"fools' gold" of activity, notoriety, social status, children's popularity and status, pleasures, comfort, etc. only to find out in the end that, indeed, that is all it is..."fools' gold"...nothing more? 

Let's begin this year with a renewed commitment and passion for having  "Great Commandment Hearts" (Matthew 22:36-40) and "Great Commission Lifestyles" (Matthew 28:19-20)...that Christ might be glorified through our lives and His church.