3 posts tagged “afterthoughts”

Where would you go, if you could go anywhere? Perhaps I should simplify the question and ask, where would you go if money were no object and I was picking up the tab? You mean it wouldn't cost me a penny? Yep, that's what I mean! Air fare, hotel, spending money? You got it! Even the most extravagant of my wishes will be master to your wallet? Double yep! Wow!

Think carefully. Don't squander this opportunity. You don't often come across someone as generous as I! Ok, so where would you go? Would you escape from the late winter/early spring blahs and fly to some exotic tropical retreat to be pruned and pampered? Would you visit the family you never see enough, and treat them to the time of their lives? Would you see the pyramids, spy the Eiffel tower, or visit Mickey? How about Venice with the one you love? Rome? Humm . . . Keep going, there are lots of places to pick from, aren't there?

What if I told you that I just found a way to travel back in time? Where would you go, and who would you visit? Would you join Neil Armstrong as he took mankind’s first step on the moon? Would you step off the ship with Columbus? Would you sign on as Leonardo's (DaVinci, not DiCaprio) brush cleaner?

Perhaps you would rather return to the days when the world was covered with old growth forests and the seas were full of fish, and "pollution" was a word as yet uninvented? Or, maybe you’re much more practical and just want to travel back to a time when life didn't seem as complicated as it is now?

Ok, let's go off on another tangent. What about travelling back into Biblical times? If you could pick a couple of events to view what would they be? Creation itself? Imagine having a front row seat at the moment the universe came into being! Imagine watching the Master Painter create everything from billions of stars to butterflies! Ok, may-be that's a little too "out there" for you. How about the parting of the Red Sea? You've seen a facsimile of it on television for the past thirty years or so. How about visiting the real thing? How about picking up a starfish off the damp sea floor for a souvenir? And, what about the fall of Jericho? Wouldn't you like to be in on that and blow your own horn?

What about the events that took place during the time of Jesus? Would you want to be in the crowd when Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount? Oh, to hear those words actually spoken by our Lord! Not for you? Ok, how about the feeding of the 5,000? Wouldn't it be wonderful to eat a miracle? Maybe you'd love to see Jesus walk on the water or raise Lazarus from the grave? That would certainly send your faith into orbit!

Ok, I got it, who of us wouldn't want the opportunity to be there with Mary, Peter and John as they saw the empty tomb and the resurrected Lord, the first time? Oh, to be there when Thomas fell at Jesus' feet and declared, "My Lord and My God!" To be there for those 40 days and learn from the resurrected Lord -- WOW!

I wonder if any of us would travel back to the cross to witness the birth of full and complete forgiveness? I 'kinda figure that not many would. It would be too difficult, too painful. But wouldn't it also be the greatest opportunity a follower of Christ could ever have? To look into those eyes, to see that face, to hear those words, "Father, forgive them!" And, unlike the crowd, we would know that the words were meant for us! Imagine! Imagine seeing love in action. Imagine seeing God's Son proclaim, through exhausted tears mixed with royal triumph, "It is finished!"

Well, we really don't have to imagine about either of these last two events. We can visit them anytime. In fact we must visit them every day! Why? Because we are nothing if we don't visit the cross, or look upon the empty tomb. Life is empty for me if the cross I can't see, and life's too large a cross to bear if the empty tomb's not there! Whenever I sin, whenever I fail, the cross reminds me of forgiveness---past, present and future. Whenever I doubt His love, I look at the cross and see His perfect love already proven, already given. I need to visit the cross each day.

I also need to visit the empty tomb each day as well. Why? To remind me that life has victory that is full and eternal. Some days, victory is hidden beneath a vail of pain or sorrow just as it was that first Easter. But, when I look at the tomb and realize that the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in me (Eph 1:18-20), victory becomes a tangible hook on which to hang my hat. The day-to-day battles may be won or lost, but by visiting the tomb I can't deny that I am, and forever will be, victorious in Christ.

Visit the cross and the empty tomb? No need not to. God already paid for the tour! Act now and, as an added bonus, receive a cruise to eternity! Talk about your Love Boat! Now, that's a trip no one should miss! Where would YOU go?

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."   Hebrews 4:14-16

The story is told of a country lad who was hired for a salesman's job at a city department store.  It was one of those massive stores that has every department imaginable.  In fact it was the biggest store in the world - you could get anything there.

The boss said, "You can start tomorrow, Friday morning, and I'll come and see you when we close up."

When the boss looked up the young man the next day at closing time, he saw him shaking hands with a beaming customer.  After they parted, he walked over and asked, "Well, that looked good!  How many sales did you make today?"

"That was the only one," said the young salesman.

"Only one!?!" blurted the boss.  "Most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day.  You'll have to do better than that!  Well, how much was the sale worth?"

"$227,340 and change," said the young man.

The boss paused for a moment, blinking a few times.  "H... H... How did you manage that?!?"

"Well, when he came in this morning and I sold him a small fish hook.  Then, I sold him a medium hook, and then a really large hook. Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one, and then a big one. I then sold him a spear gun, a wetsuit, scuba gear, nets, chum, and coolers.  I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast. We decided he would probably need a new boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty-foot schooner with the twin engines. Then, he said that his Volkswagen probably wouldn't be able to pull it, so I took him to the car department and sold him the new Deluxe Cruiser, with a winch, storage rack, rust proofing, and a built-in refrigerator.  Oh, and floor mats."

The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook?!"

"No," answered the salesman. "He came in to buy a blanket."

"A blanket?"

"Yeah, an extra blanket for the couch.  He just had a fight with his wife. I said to him, 'Well, your weekend's ruined, so you may as well go fishing...'"

One thing leads to another.  And that's the way it should work in our spiritual lives. As we grow and mature in Christ, we continue to add virtue upon virtue.

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Wherever you are in your spiritual life, I pray that you'll take a step up today, adding something that will make you a little more in the image of Jesus Christ.  As you add one thing to another, you'll be closer to that goal by the end of the year.

Have a great day!

Sometimes in life,
You find a special friend,
Someone who changes your life
Just by being a part of it

Someone who makes you laugh
Until you can't stop
Someone who makes you believe
That there really is good in the world

Someone who convinces you that
There really is an unlocked door
Just waiting for you to open it.
This is a Forever Friendship

When you're down,
And the world seems dark and empty,
Your forever friend lifts you up in spirit
And makes that dark and empty world
Suddenly seem bright and full.

Your forever friend gets you through
The hard times, the sad times,
And the confusing times.
If you turn and walk away,
Your forever friend follows.

If you lose your way,
Your forever friend guides you
And cheers you on.
Your forever friend holds your hand
And tells you that everything
Is going to be okay.

And if you find such a friend,
You feel happy and complete,
Because you need not worry.
You have a forever friend for life,
And forever has no end.

"Two are better than one...
If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.
But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV, NLT)