Peter proved that as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus and stick to the plan, you won't go under. Notice:

So the Summer Olympics are over for another four years. People all over the world are already getting ready for 2012. The commitment and dedication it takes to compete in these games, much less win them, is astounding. The Olympic games show what human beings are capable of, and part of that is all about athletic ability and achievement, but another part of it is the ability to get along with representatives of countries whose governments are not exactly friendly. Over and over you will hear it cited as the most indelible mark of these Olympic games -- their ability to emphasize what we have in common with other nations and ideologies versus what we so often focus on as our differences. This was especially evident this year, with the host being a country with a totalitarian form of government.

In his concluding comments on the Olympics, Cris Collinsworth captured this aspect of the games when he wishfully reasoned, "If we can get along for two weeks, why not three? Why not four?" And it does appear to be almost achievable when you think about it that way.

We have elections coming up in America, and it's going to be hard to think about what we have in common when everything will be geared to emphasize our differences. Even when candidates or their supporters agree on something, the media will be trying to manufacture disagreement because this is what an election is supposed to be all about -- pitting forces against each other, and if there isn't a battle, someone has to make one up. Otherwise, why do we need two candidates and two parties?

While we all can understand why a two-party system is important to a democratic republic, we can also be aware of the distinction between disagreement and animosity. What makes America great is the friendliness and good nature that goes on in Washington between differing lawmakers. These elected officials represent two different parties and at the same time they represent a system that requires them to serve together in order to make it work. That is, in fact, what makes it great. Common ground has to be found. We can't be enemies forever. A nation divided against itself cannot stand.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Fool's Gold."

It's "values clarification time," with the help of our word for today from the Word of God. 1 Timothy 6:8, "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich (that's the people who go after the stuff that glitters) fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

It's so easy to buy the values of a world that measures worth by success, by how much of the glittery stuff you have - to spend major life-energy going after more house, more car, more wardrobe, more position, more prestige. It's gold - but it's fool's gold. Notice the words God uses to describe the pursuit of more: a trap, foolish desires, harmful desires, ruin and destruction, wandering from the faith, grief. The foolishness of all this is summed up in two words God uses to describe security that is based on earth-stuff "so uncertain." That's what He calls it in 1 Timothy 6:17.

So God reveals the scam - what looks so valuable is so worthless, and the spiritual riches that may look so worthless are so valuable. Like fool's gold and real gold. The chapter goes on to describe the real gold. "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." Don't look for those on the Dow-Jones, but they are so much more precious than anything you'll find there and certainly a lot more lasting.

God says when you live your life to give instead of get, you will be one of those who "lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:19) or the gold that is really gold.

Take a moment for a priority check - not about what you believe, but about how you're spending your life. Honestly now, is most of the best of your life tied up in going after fool's gold? Do you even have much energy, much time, much resource left to pursue the gold of what will last for eternity like getting to know Jesus better, getting people to heaven with you, showing Jesus' love to people who really need it, absorbing God's Word? It's time to live for what will last.