Ever panned for gold? During a family vacation, we went to Reed Gold Mine in Midland, N.C. The kids got a pan and were shown how to swirl the pan and how to detect the gold in the pan. There were stories of people who found gold nuggets — several hundred dollars’ worth. We never found nuggets, but there were flakes of gold found. Enough flakes and you might hit the motherlode and strike it rich. The fever could intensify — there were some people who couldn’t stop. They gave themselves over to the fever and wherever they could, they would pan for gold. We never got the fever, but if we had found that big nugget, no telling how much of the fever we would have had.

The Bible is filled with gold. Looking for it is the key. Sometimes it’s as simple as just reading it. Sometimes it takes studying it. The greatest way to find it, however, is to know him. That’s right — get to know him. Who? Jesus.

I bet (I’m not a betting man) that if you were to start reading the words of Jesus, you would find huge nuggets of golden truth.

Before you “start panning,” however, let me warn you about something. When you start reading, you will find that Jesus will start speaking to you. When that happens, your life will be turned upside down. Just the idea that you could hear Jesus speak to you may cause others to think you’re crazy. What’s even crazier is that when you get to know Jesus, he will make sense. In fact, you will find Jesus to be a real friend. He wants there to be a relationship between you two. That’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?

Let me share another nugget from his Word. We see things in a very “human” way. Jesus sees things in a very “heavenly” way. He knows your need and can meet it. What you don’t know is that our needs are so small compared to his resources. Get this — there is no need you have that he can’t meet. In Luke 6:38, Jesus gives us this nugget: “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Jesus is waiting to be your friend. He has resources he wants to plug into your life, and he’ll never run out.

If this doesn’t get you to catch the “Bible fever,” I’m not sure there’s much else that will.

The Rev. Scott K. Van Bibber is pastor of New Hope Church of the Nazarene. Sermon Notes is a column by local religious leaders.