<\/a>In the darkest places of the earth we find God\u2019s greatest treasure. The purest pearls are found in oysters at the bottom of the sea; oil must be extracted from the inner core of the earth, and diamonds are dug out of dirt and rocks.<\/p>\n

The dark corners of jail and prison cells also hold some of God\u2019s rich wealth. As prisoners with nothing but time on our hands, we seek God\u2019s face. We are confined to serve time or await trials. Yet what we\u2019ve done and how we found ourselves in this situation, and what God\u2019s Sovereign hand allows, can turn into a divine opportunity to bring the richness of his Spirit to us.<\/p>\n

In the darkness, God downloads to those of us who seek Him through worship and His Word. The Word comes alive, and stony hearts break to allow true life to come forth.<\/p>\n

In the painful process of being broken, we are separated from loved ones. We live with legal charges or convictions. God reaches into the dark place and prepares us for His purpose. Called to tread on our defeated enemy, we are free regardless of the walls. In spite of the shackles, God calls us \u201cFree!\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be mistaken. God\u2019s wealth includes inmates: His sons and daughters who behind bars daily experience the joy of liberty as we transform time into treasure.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nDr. Ruth L. is currently in prison serving out her sentence. She faithfully attends the Bible Study and loves Reach UP<\/em> Magazine.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the darkest places of the earth we find God\u2019s greatest treasure. The purest pearls are found in oysters at the bottom of the sea; oil must be extracted from the inner core of the earth, and diamonds are dug out of dirt and rocks. The dark corners of jail and prison cells also hold…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4309,"featured_media":6414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"article-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[405],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n