Tag: Gold

Interesting Interviews

Exodus 32, 1 Samuel 17, Job 1

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an exciting episode of, “Interesting Interviews” starring, HolyEll and various characters throughout Bible history! I’m your host, “HolyEll”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

(“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.”)

(HolyEll appears in the midst of Aaron the priest)

HolyEll: Excuse me sir. My name is HolyEll, and I would like to take a moment to better understand your perspective on an issue.

Aaron: Who are you? And, What are you wearing son?

HolyEll: I’m from a time in the future, and I traveled back to get a better understanding of some of the major decisions made in Bible history.

Aaron: Uhh I have no idea what you speak of. At any rate, you may deliver your inquiries.

HolyEll: Alright. Firstly, what are you doing sir?! Are you aware, your brother is currently in the presence of God, gathering essential instructions on how to lead all these people? Why have you allowed the people to cause you to give in to their nonsense?

Aaron: Well, umm… you see, my brother has been gone for quite some time, and the people have grown restless while awaiting his return. So, I submitted to their request to make gods, that will go before them.

HolyEll: A-Aron! Really sir? Do you not recall the recent miraculous events provided you by the hand of the almighty God? Have you so easily forgotten, your brother stood boldly before the Lord and obeyed as He commanded, so that the people could live and prosper? How could you allow yourself to go against the very God who saved and delivered you, in place of idols, which can do nothing except rot, and take up valuable space?

(HolyEll vanishes into thin air, as Aaron wonders in amazement.)

Aaron: Whe…where did he go. My Lord, he certainly made some valid points. Oh dear…

(“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”)

(HolyEll appears in the midst of young David.)

HolyEll: Hey, hey, excuse me young man.

David: Hey there, can you give me a moment. I have a very important job to do right now.

HolyEll: Yes, I know the story, I meant well…right. Before you go to face that giant of a man over there, may I ask you a few questions?

David: I am very determined to fulfill this assignment, so could you make it quick?

HolyEll: Of course! Umm, aren’t you afraid to go up against that guy? I mean, just look at him. It looks like he eats buffalo for breakfast and dinner?

David: What’s a buffalo?

HolyEll: Nevermind that. I saw you pick up five smooth stones. Do you think they’ll work to defeat that big mammoth of a man?

David: I have the Lord on my side, and the extra stones are for anyone else who comes against me after I take the head of that uncircumcised Philistine.

HolyEll: Hey bro, do your thing homie!

(HolyEll vanishes into thin air, as David wonders in amazement.)

David: Bro?… Homie?…. prepare to meet your maker giant AAAHHHHH!

(“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil… And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”)

Job: (Crying and lying on his face in agony)

HolyEll: Umm… excuse me sir. Sorry to bother you, but…may I sit with you for a moment?

Job: Good day to you son. How may help you?

HolyEll: Wow, you’re really nice! You’ve been lying here suffering for countless days, yet you maintain your character.

Job: How do you know about my suffering?

HolyEll: Let’s just say, a little birdie told me all about it. Anyhoo, may I ask you a few questions?

Job: At this point, you may ask as you please. I’ve lost everything. My children, my livestock, even my wife has spoken ill against the Lord. Nevertheless, I will not turn away from the hand of my God, because the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

HolyEll: Man, that’s deep. Mr Job, I’m fully aware of your situation, and how your close friends would not support you in your struggle. Although they meant well, they were unaware of God’s overall plan for your life.

Job: You speak as a wise man, son. Naked I came into this world, and naked I’ll leave. God is always righteous, even in His judgment. There is a reason for my suffering, but my God will continue to get all the glory.

HolyEll: Man…sniff sniff… you’re making me cry.

Job: It’s ok son. I’ve cried rivers of tears already. Just let it flow, and God will turn your tears into joy.

HolyEll: I came with intentions to encourage you, but you’ve blessed me more than I could imagine.

(HolyEll vanishes into thin air, as Job wonders in amazement.)

Job: Who was that young man? Reminds me of myself, during my younger days. Thank you Father for sending a listening ear. All glory belongs to you.

This concludes the exciting episode of, “Interesting Interviews”. Thanks for tuning in, and have a fantabulous journey!

From Suffering To Praise

Acts 4:13-22

The power of God working through the apostles in the New Testament, was typically accepted by the crowds of onlookers, yet shunned by men who were of distinct sects including Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees. These men were religious leaders, who held fast to the traditions of men, more than obeying the words of the Lord. Unlike the other heretical groups, the Sadducees did not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and were vocal (in our text) in acknowledging their distaste with Peter’s teaching through Jesus, and the resurrection from the dead.

In the previous chapter, Peter had healed a crippled beggar who was lame from birth, which caught the attention of many who witnessed the man walking, leaping, and praising God, all the way to the temple. There are many today, who receive a great blessing from God, then turn around and continue in their sin, but the man who was healed, took a straight path to church, after receiving his miracle! Many who heard the words of Peter (while teaching in the temple) totaled nearly 5,000! Wowzer!

After those pesky rulers arrived to the temple, they inquired by what power Peter healed the man. Peter’s response was led by the Holy Ghost, and threatened the religious leaders, who were more concerned with their reputations and positions, than the mighty works of the Lord. Rather than accepting the fact that an obvious miracle had taken place in a man who was lame over 40 years, coupled with the fact this event was also witnessed by many who knew the man, the Sadducees and rulers tried hard to find something to accuse the apostles for. The evidence of a miracle was irrefutable and overwhelming, yet the religious leaders refused to submit to Christ, and continued their efforts to suppress the truth.

How much more evidence does God need to reveal to you, before you surrender your life to Him? The obvious miracle is, we’re still alive, and in decent health, but God has much more in store for those who submit themselves to His will. Don’t be like the Sadducees and religious rulers, who witnessed God’s great work with their own eyes, yet rejected His way. Instead, yield yourselves to the Father, and allow Him to perform great works through you, as you live according to His purpose in the earth.

From Dust To Life

Psalm 103:1-14

Isn’t it fascinating how man chooses to remember those things God forgets, while also forgetting those things God remembers? Sound confusing? Well, it’s truth nonetheless. Man was formed by the Lord God from the dust of the ground, and became a living soul, by the breath God breathed into his nostrils. Of all the precious jewels, stones, and other elements of the earth, why did God choose dust as man’s main ingredient? Could it be, there would come a time in history, when man would become tainted by sin, and need to be reminded how frail and fragile he really is? Or, did God choose the thing that seemed worthless, so that man could avoid the thought of becoming arrogant and haughty? Could you imagine, if man was formed from gold, silver, and other priceless elements? That would be totally awesome, yet would also come with a price.

There are many times in life, when men do forget they are only dirt, yet live as if they are worth everything, rather than forgetting those sins that so easily set them up for failure. When we seek God’s forgiveness from sin and iniquity, and are faithful in our approach to the Throne of Grace, the Father removes our transgressions from us, so far as the east is from the west. While we wallow and squirm in our errors and mistakes, God sits patient, waiting for us to step back on the righteous path, and start moving again.

God knows we are dust, and susceptible to making mistakes, so He set aside unlimited grace and everlasting mercy, so that we could always have a chance to redeem ourselves, if ever we come back to our senses.

“We live this life for purpose and reason, but not too long, for only a season.” – Ell

Worth The Grind, Refined To Shine!

Romans 5:6-11

According to the website howstuffworks.com, the entire process of gold mining can be broken down roughly into four steps: prospecting, mining, extracting and refining. OceanaGold, a Waihi operation, goes into great detail concerning the gold mining process. This process includes:
1. Mining – open pit and underground
-To define the ore from the waste rock, samples are taken and assayed. Assay results are used to mark out areas of ore and waste rock, which are mined separately. Some of the harder areas require blasting to loosen the rock prior to excavation by hydraulic diggers. Dump trucks haul the rock to the primary crushers in the open pit or to the ore stockpiles from underground.
2. Crushing
-The primary crushers located at the open pit mine site, receive ore and waste at separate times. They break the larger rocks down to a size suitable for transport on the conveyor belt.
3. Transport
-A rubber belted conveyor transports the ore and waste rock from the open pit, approximately two kilometres, via a tunnel through Union Hill, to the mill and waste rock embankments. Large electromagnets remove any steel debris excavated from the old Martha Mine workings.
4. Grinding and sizing
-Ore from both open pit and underground is stockpiled separately at the mill before being fed into a S.A.G. mill with lime, water and steel balls. The larger particles from this mill are returned to the S.A.G. mill for more grinding. The finer particles receive more grinding in a ball mill, and are size classified to give a final product of 80% < microns. See more detail on grinding and sizing
5. Leaching and adsorption
-A slurry of ground ore, water and a weak cyanide solution is fed into large steel leach tanks where the gold and silver are dissolved. Following this leaching process the slurry passes through six adsorption tanks containing carbon granules which adsorb the gold and silver. This process removes 93% of the gold and 70% of the silver.
-6. Elution and electrowinning
The loaded carbon is fed into an elution column where the bullion is washed off. The barren carbon is recycled. The wash solution—pregnant electrolyte—is passed through electrowinning cells where gold and silver is won onto stainless steel cathodes.
7. Bullion production
-The loaded cathodes are rinsed to yield a gold and silver bearing sludge which is dried, mixed with fluxes and put into the furnace. After several hours the molten material is poured into a cascade of moulds producing bars of doré bullion.
8. Water treatment
-Some water from dewatering the mine, from the embankment underdrains and decant water from the tailings pond is recycled for use in the grinding circuit. Excess water is pumped to the water treatment plant and treated to the required standards before discharge into the Ohinemuri River.
9. Tailings disposal
-Waste rock from the open pit mine is used to build the embankment structures. The embankments retain the tailings slurry in a pond where solids settle and compact. Water is decanted off and used in the process plant or treated before it is discharged.

Companies around the globe, work the looooooong mining process for years, to recover precious and valuable ore from beneath the rocks. In the eyes of men, the value of gold (and other precious elements) is worth sacrificing days of hard labor, to gain only a little at a time. In addition, the benefits men gain from mining gold include jewelry, finances, such as gold bars or bullion, conductor for electronics, computer edge connectors and memory chips, dental fillings or crowns, as part of a radioactive solution for some medical diagnoses, awards or decorative gilding.

Everyone born into the earth, take on a sinful nature, and are shaped in iniquity. It’s an unfortunate circumstance, but the cause of such a curse was due to the fall of the first man. While men are inherently unclean, they still have hidden value that comes to surface once they allow Jesus to perform the mining process of their hearts.

For centuries, men have sacrifice time and hard labor to possess gold, but Jesus sacrificed His very life, so that the true value of God’s greatest creation could be revealed. Humans are by far, God’s most prized creation, and once a man or woman fully commits themselves to God’s authority, He will literally reveal their shine to all the world.

Believers are the most precious commodities in the earth, and while gold, silver, and platinum may hold some value, those cannot begin to compare to a Saint of the living God. Giving His life on the cross, was an extremely hard thing for Jesus to experience, but all the suffering, shame, pain, and agony He went through, was well worth it, so that the true worth of God’s people could finally come to light.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Saints vs. Ain’ts

Proverbs 8:8-14, 17-21

Is it possible to tell time, from a clock with a broken display? How could one determine the time of day, if the sun, moon, and stars all refused to give off their light? A clock with a damaged display is rendered useless, because what it is expected to produce, is non-existent. In the same manner, without the light of the sun, moon, and stars, the inhabitants of the earth would be left in a confused state. A Christian who chooses to operate outside of the wisdom of God, will discover that their efforts to please Him will be futile. What’s expected of a child of God, can only be brought forth from a sound mind, and wisdom from above. Just like the clock with no display, a professing believer is unable to produce good works, nor keep the commandments of the Lord, when they lack His wisdom.

According to king Solomon (the wisest man to ever live), wisdom is the principal thing. In other words, Christians should seek first to obtain God’s wisdom, rather than gold, silver, rubies, and all things that the average man desires. Nothing that exists on this planet compares to the value of wisdom. While it’s good to have nice things, without God’s wisdom to show you how to keep those things under subjection, pride, arrogance, and other evil ways can easily creep into our hearts unawares. If you claim to be a child of God, and lack His wisdom, think it not strange when the world gives you confusing looks toward your ungodly behavior. The world is expected to produce corrupt fruit, but when they see a believer, they should only see “fruits meet for repentance.” (Matthew 3:8). Allow your actions and behavior to prove what you truly claim to be.

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

All temple furnishings completed

2 Chronicles 4:19-5:1

Detail! Detail! Detail! The body of Christ is joined in union to a God who is keen on doing things specific, and according to detail. This is evident in everything our eyes see on a daily basis. The earth, stars, moon, and sun, were all set in particular places, so they could function properly, and be effective continually. Even the gravity that holds all things together, was designed according to detail, so that all things would remain in their aligned positions. Birds were made specific, so they could inhabit their predestined atmosphere, without issue. Fish were made in such a way, to inhabit aquatic areas, beasts were designed to effectively roam the lands while being sustained in all types of weather, and humans were made beautifully, and capable of sustaining themselves in all manner of environments. Our eyes were uniquely designed to see an image, and automatically adjust, to get the best view (even those who require a little help 🤓). In addition, the human eye can differentiate approximately ten million different colors. That is so cool! Our skin has unique details as well, including five different types of receptors that respond to pain and touch. Our entire body is so detailed, until it would take years to break down the importance, and uniqueness of all its parts.

God took His time, and made us great, and the likeness we share with Him, can be seen in many of the things we do as well. A prime example of our connection with God’s attention to detail, is found in our text. I’ve made mention of the temple king David, and Solomon, planned to build for God in previous lessons, and throughout the building process, David, and his son, were detailed in literally every part of the temple construction. I won’t list those things again, but feel free to check out the text in your free time.

I can say with absolute certainty, you’ve had experiences in your life where details were a major factor to you. Whether you planned for a wedding 💍, funeral 🙁, picnic 🍉, or even getting dressed for school 📚 or work 💼, details are what make you unique. Take a moment, and examine your wonderfully made body, then give God a head nod of appreciation, for making you “one of a kind”!

Walk in love,

Ell

Ark brought to the temple

2 Chronicles 5:2-7

When all the work that went into constructing God’s amazing temple was finally finished, king Solomon was then able to add the final piece, to amplify its magnificence. The ark of the covenant was brought up from Zion, and carried to its proper place, in the temple, by the Levite priests. The Levites were the only men allowed by God to carry the ark from place to place.

Along with the remarkable silver and gold pieces, fine linen, altar of brass, and molten sea that made God’s temple unique in many aspects, the ark of the Lord was indeed, the most relevant construct in the temple. As I read this passage of Scripture, I can’t help but place myself in this time, to try and picture, with my own eyes, the elegance and majesty of such an incredible building! I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing some very impressive buildings, including churches, in my lifetime, but none compare to what king David, and king Solomon were able to put together for the glory of God.

The temple of God was garnished with pure gold, overlaid with precious stones in various areas, adorned with golden cherubim, sculptures of oxen, golden lavers, candlesticks, tables, and basons of gold as well. Those are a few of the major decorations of the temple of God, but my words alone, can’t portray how beautiful this place actually was.

God takes great delight in nice things, but only when those things are intended to bring glory to His name. There’s not one thing man can do on his own (except make a choice; even then, he needs life to do that as well), so all things that are built, or constructed, should always be dedicated to God. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him“(Col 3:17 KJV).

Men build massive buildings, houses, and other things that leave some gazing in awe, but what’s the purpose of doing something great, and not having God’s approval for it? If you have the opportunity to contribute to a structure or building that’s being dedicated to God, do it willingly, and wholeheartedly, knowing that God is well-deserving of all good things.

Walk in love,

Ell

Jonathan and David plan rendezvous

1 Samuel 20:18-23

When going through trouble and hard times, it’s important that prayer, meditation on God’s Word, and fasting, be at the forefront of a person’s thought process. When we’re overwhelmed with the pressures of life, we can literally lose ourselves in stress and worry, if we’re not rooted and grounded in God. Connecting with others who are strong in faith, and sensitive to your situation can also help alleviate the strain of bearing your burdens alone. David was favored by God to gain the trust and respect of Jonathan, who made sure to keep his friend safe from his father’s multiple attempts to kill him. When God has a plan for your life, He’ll assign certain people to help you bring that plan into fruition.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:12-19).

Walk in love,

Ell