Are you a spiritual “gold digger”?

Do you want to be reconciled to God, or are you just looking for a way to heaven?

The answer to that question makes or breaks your spiritual life.

The Bible teaches us that we have all become enemies of God, but even in that state, God provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him …

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God,” Romans 5:10-11.

Our relationship and friendship is so important to God that our reconciliation to Him has been a central part of His master plan for humanity all along …

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure,” Ephesians 1:4-5.

But as important as reconciliation is to God, it isn’t important to some of us. There are many people who have no real interest in being reconciled to God, but they don’t want the consequences of an eternity in hell. These people are “spiritual gold diggers” — they don’t want a real, loving relationship with God, they just want the salvation from damnation that only Christ can provide, and any other blessings and “favor” they can get from God.

But sincerely loving, serving, worshiping, adoring, and obeying God?

Not for a spiritual gold digger.

Their attitude is more like the story how one New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Symour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship.

“You must,” Hicks said to Lonsdale. “It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.”

So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy.

“I wish you a happy New Year,” he said, “but only one.”

Like Lonsdale, many of us approach God only begrudgingly. That’s because we aren’t willing to walk away from ALL our sins, we’re not willing to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds so that we think differently, and we aren’t willing to submit the entirety of our lives to the sovereignty of God.

But we cannot be reconciled to God with the hearts and minds of a spiritual gold digger. Jesus put into very blunt terms that IF we WANT to follow Him, here’s how we’ll have to approach Him and what we’ll have to do …

“Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me,'” Luke 9:23.

There must be a change in our relationship with God to gain the blessings of God.

The Civil War was a time of great carnage in our nation. Then Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, died. And Ulysses Grant of the Union died. Their widows, Varina Davis and Julia Grant, settled near each other. They became closest of friends.

Real enemies can reconcile and know authentic friendship.

God wants our friendship.

Even more, His desire is to adopt us and take us into His family as His own sons and daughters. He desires nothing less than full relationship that comes through the reconciliation provided through Jesus Christ.

When it comes to relating to God, gold diggers need not apply!

Scotty