We went this week to Fort Worth to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We didn't even know this was over there until this week and we really enjoyed our trip.
This location for the Bureau prints about 60% of all of the money printed in the United States. We were able to take a tour of the plant - millions of dollars had to be in that building! In addition to the tour, this was one of 3 weeks during the year that the craftsmen are set up and you can see some of the old ways and current ways that currency is printed. They are also able to point out some of the security features on our paper dollars that are not noticable unless you know they are there.
One of the things that kept coming back to me again and again, was the amount of detail and the attention to detail that is given to each bill that is printed. The material our paper is printed on is a special blend. It goes through several printing processes. It is allowed to sit and cure for days at a time. And at each turn, it is inspected. If just one note on the entire page has a defect, the whole sheet is thrown out.
We are also put through a "process" in our Christian lives. God prints us on very special "paper" - He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). We are put through different trials and tribulations - all for the purpose of glorifying Him , so "that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 15:6). All of our experiences are to make us more into the image of Jesus Christ -"we all...are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2Cor 3:18). Each of these things prints onto the fabric of our lives. We are intricately detailed - each one of us is unique and has details that only God can see. God is constantly inspecting us and making corrections so that we become more and more like him every day. One thing that is different, though, is that when God finds a defect in us, He does not consider us a lost cause and throw us out. He takes the time and effort to correct that defect. He considers us of such great worth that He spends time with us.
As we finished our tour, there was also a section that emphasized all the precautions that were in place to prevent counterfeiting. What was evident was that in order to recognize a counterfeit, the inspector had to be completely familiar with the "real thing." How true that is for us as well. Not only are we being transformed and inspected by God, we must also know Him and His Word. This is the ONLY thing that allows defense against all of the false teachings in our world today. We too must know the "real thing" if we are to recognize the counterfeit.
What about you this week? As God works on transforming you - are you taking the time to get to know Him? Are you letting Him find your "defects" and correct them to make you more into His image? Are you so familiar with His Word and with Him that you recognize when things are contrary to His teachings?
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