1 Peter 1

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

God's love for me is great... but how much love do I really give in return? If our faith is worth more than gold, why is it that we place more energy and time into gaining "gold" (via our jobs, our love for money, our quest for success and academia) than we do in strengthening our faith? The goal of my faith should be the salvation of souls, not personal fulfillment or individual growth, but a care for the eternal....
God continues to teach me more and more about his desires for my life!