Our pursuit of biblical truth is a lot like a prospector searching for gold. Rather than blindly tunneling into any old mountain in hopes of discovering the mother lode, he first looks for evidence of the precious metal on the surface. Likewise, as we see that first glimmer of truth within the pages of God’s Word, it becomes abundantly clear that there is true treasure waiting there to be uncovered. And this provides us the motivation to dig deeper, just like the miner must do when he senses there are riches to be gained. But let’s be honest; digging is a lot of work.

We find, though, that focused effort brings immediate rewards, because there’s a purpose for boring into that mountain. The miner is following a vein and consequently pulls out gold as he goes—sometimes less and sometimes more. God’s Word is a lot like that. As we dig beneath the surface, we are immediately rewarded with truth. Yes, sometimes it goes a little slowly, but other times we hit it big—sometimes even the mother lode. Diligence and perseverance always pay off because the knowledge we gain little by little lays a solid foundation for more.

(Excerpted from “Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself”)