The Lone Star Sapphire

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20 ESV). Unless you are a trivia student you would not recognize the significance of a sapphire named “the Lone Star.” The story is somewhat obscure. However, sometime in the 1960’s, a rock hound named Rob Cutshaw was hunting for gems in the mountains of North Carolina. He would collect them for sale to various buyers he had business dealing with through his little shop. He knew enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, however, he was not an expert. He left the appraising of his rocks to other people. As much as he enjoyed the work, it didn’t always pay the bills. He would also supplement his income by cutting and selling firewood during the colder months of the year. When he found one particular stone, that he described as "purdy and big," he thought someone might want to buy it. He tried to sell the specimen, but was unsuccessful. He guessed the blue chunk could bring as much as $500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power bill. So, it merely sat in his closet for decades until recently when it was rediscovered by Harold Roper in June, 1989. “The Lone Star” blue star sapphire weighs 9,719.5 carats. It is 17 times larger than any other known sapphire in the world! The value of the stone is incalculable! In our reading today, the Apostle Paul writes to the Philippians to thank them for their offering to him. Then he states this incredible principle that God will supply all their needs “according to His riches in glory.” While I don’t know of anyone who has even attempted to translate the riches of God’s glory into a numerical value, certainly it is more than a mere sapphire that happens to be the biggest ever discovered. After all, God made that sapphire! It’s strange to me that so many Christians seem content to live spiritually impoverished lives. The greatest poverty of all is not physical poverty (as profound as that is in our world) but spiritual poverty, poverty of spirit and of the soul. It is the poverty of being out of fellowship with our creator! Solomon, with all his possessions understood how empty life was when lived apart from a relationship with God. In fact, he said that it is only God Himself who gives us the ability to truly enjoy those things God has given to us. (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20). Don’t put your greatest treasure in the closet only to be forgotten. Renew and revitalize your relationship with Christ each day! You will not be disappointed in the results!