STAKE A CLAIM

April 12, 2026

On January 24, 1848 James Marshall found flecks of gold in the American River while building a sawmill for John Sutter in Coloma, California.  The two men tried to keep the discovery secret, but word got out and the ’49 Gold Rush began.  300,000 people rushed to California to get rich quick.  San Fransico was abandoned with ships stuck in the harbor as sailors left them to find gold.  When President Polk announced the discovery of gold to Congress, a world-wide rush began.  In 1950 California became a state so that the country could cash in on the discovery.

In January of 1859 “Old Virginny” and Henry Comstock discovered gold-bearing quartz at the head of Gold Canyon in Nevada.  In June of 1859 Nevada miners, while searching for gold, discarded a bluish clay until someone realized it was full of silver.  This caused Californians to rush to northern Nevada to take advantage of the Comstock Lode. Thus, Virginia City was born, and Nevada was made a state so that the U.S. could fund the Civil War effort. 

Mark Twain noted that Virginia City was packed with thousands of fortune-seekers.  A man could simply stake a claim, dig a shaft on a mountain ledge, put up a sign with a fancy name, get his stock printed, put it on the market and sell out for thousands of dollars.

Imagine buying someone’s claim, going to check it out, and finding just a muddy hole on a mountain ledge!  If you’re going to stake a claim, make sure it’s worth something!

In Christ we can stake a claim that’s worth eternal, abundant life!  Sunday I’m peaching on “Stake a Claim” from Joshua 1:1-9.  We’ll talk about “Claim God’s Promises,” verses 1-4; “Claim God’s Presence,” verse 5; and “Claim God’s Power,” verses 6-9.  When Joshua took Moses’ place, he staked a claim for a new life for himself and for Israel.  Let’s stake a claim for a new life in Jesus for us and our nation!

Love,

Jim Meek