Is it just me, or is it amazing how we decide some things are precious and others aren’t? Take metal for instance. Some metals we classify as precious. Gold, silver, and platinum are worth a lot of money and have been regarded as precious or valuable for centuries.

In precious metals two things are really what makes them stand apart from their non-precious counterparts, rarity and beauty. Because we like to look or wear these metals, and they are relatively hard to find, they are worth more. It’s basic supply and demand, really.

I’ve got a couple friends who are into precious metals. One even goes out and pans for gold in streams and creeks and has been pretty successful at it. I don’t know much about investing but a quick Google search will reveal a lot of information about investing in these metals. To me it makes sense to invest in something tangible, but I’m not an expert at all. In fact, when it comes to these precious metals, I can echo the words of the Apostle Peter in Acts 3:6, “Silver and gold have I none;”

When Peter said these words he and John were in Jerusalem at the Temple. At the temple gate called Beautiful, they encounter a man who was lame from his mother’s womb. Someone, the account does not say who, was helpful enough to carry the man to said gate every morning so he could beg for alms to those entering and leaving the Temple.

When Peter and John saw the lame man he expected to receive some money from them. After all, the gifts of strangers were his only means of support. Instead of money, though, Peter gives him something much better: the ability to walk!

What Peter says before the man is healed is what struck me as I read this account. He says, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee:” Peter is telling him, “I don’t have any money, but I have something just as precious.”

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you may not have any precious metals, but you have something more precious: eternal life. You may not be able to give away gold or silver to those in need but you can tell the world about how Jesus saved you and how He wants to save them, too.

God has not promised to make us rich or prosperous in this life. There’s nothing wrong with being rich or prosperous financially, but it’s not guaranteed to the Christian. But what we do have is the assurance from the Word of God that we will spend eternity with Him and that is far greater than a life of wealth here on earth.

“And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” -Acts 3:8