"I know where it is!" exclaimed the man in an excited voice.

My wife puzzled over this strange phone call. "It has to be there!" he continued, and asked that I return his call as soon as possible.

I had mailed him some treasure magazines with articles on the famous "Lost Adams diggings"—a rich vein of gold discovered by a man named Adams, whose entire mining party was massacred by Indians before they could haul out the riches.

As a result of reading these articles, my friend became convinced that he knew where to find this long-lost source of great wealth. However, since he was confined to a wheelchair, he was unable to get to it. Because my magazines led to his conclusion, he offered me the opportunity to split the booty in exchange for driving him to the location and trekking up to retrieve the gold.

After listening to him speak in considerable detail and at great length on the subject, it became obvious that this was not a crackpot but a very credible source of information on the subject that he had thoroughly researched.

What should I do? I pondered the matter for some time, wondering whether to invest the time and money to check out his story. Some months later, I read an article claiming that the site had been discovered. Can you imagine my reaction, thinking that I had missed out on, literally, a golden opportunity! I immediately called the man back, and he assured me that the article was a false alarm. After heaving a sigh of relief, I decided to make plans for the trip without further delay.

I wish that I could tell you that we found the gold. We did not. But I do not regret making the trip, because the experience taught me valuable lessons about the spiritual riches that God offers us.

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold," says Proverbs 3:13.

We should value these spiritual riches enough to invest the time and effort to seek them. Jesus says in Matthew 13:44 (NLT), "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field—and to get the treasure…!"

Adams died in 1886 never having relocated the gold, despite several unsuccessful trips and considerable investment of time and money. But God promises success to anyone who diligently seeks to recover the true riches,"If you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God" (Proverbs 2:3-5).

Long before my "Lost Adams" adventure, I discovered vast spiritual riches in the biblical Holy Days that were forsaken by mainstream Christianity centuries ago. I have been working the claim for more than forty years and have mined untold riches of knowledge leading to more thorough understanding on such core issues as the past, present and future roles of Jesus Christ in the plan of God; the gospel of the Kingdom of God and our eternal destiny.

Many lost mines and hidden treasures have never been found due to the greed of those who kept these secrets to themselves to the day of their death. Unlike the limited supply and value of material wealth, the riches of God are abundant enough for all to share. As in digging treasures of gold or silver out of the earth, a commitment of time and effort is necessary to dig out the nuggets of truth embedded in the Holy Days.

The United Church of God provides a wealth of information on this vital topic. We have gleaned it through many years of observing these days, some of which we will be observing this month. Best of all, our "treasure maps" are free.

So get ready to start digging! To receive your own treasure maps, just download, request a printed copy or read online now our free booklets: Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? and The Gospel of the Kingdom?