Desires
Once upon a time there lived an archelogist who boasted over his large collection of wax idols from the Andes mountains. They were painted brilliant colors of red, yellow, and orange. On a hot summer day, the air conditioning failed and the idols began to change shape. The archeologist seized one of the idols, weeping as it began to melt. After it had all dripped to the floor, he cried out, "My life has slipped away between my fingers!"
The bloodhound said to himself, 'My master is telling me I am close to finding something!' The dog closed his eyes so tightly that his sight became blindness. His hearing became deafness. His thoughts left him completely. Then -pressing his nose to the ground- he barked vigorously, for he had found the fragrance of the trail.
I saw a farmer the other day. Guess where I saw him. On his farm? No, he was having his hair cut. I also saw a politician. He wasn't giving a speech, though, just picking up some groceries. Last week I visited a man in prison. Did I mind his company? No, it was the best of all. Today I had lunch with a poor man. Will he lead me into poverty? No, he has lead me into riches.
There once lived a woman with a blood disease. Her wounds bled every day and never healed. Although she worked hard every day, she labored much harder to find a cure. When she went to the doctor, the doctor smelled the decay of her blood and he saw the filth of her bandages. 'We must deal with that smell and those unseemly bandages!' He cried. The woman was washed and given fresh bandages and sent on her way. Other people liked her appearance much better, but her sickness remained and she said to herself, 'My condition now is worse than when I went to see that doctor!'
This age may best be compared to that young man who made outward gestures toward a woman, but failed to pursue her decisively. Even though he managed to propose (and she accepted), his confidence in marrying her remained in question to him. He hired a look-a-like to go through with the wedding ceremony in case he would later wish to have it annulled ... but the actor married the woman and then ran off with her.
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Hebrews 12:15-17
(Image from here.)
The bloodhound said to himself, 'My master is telling me I am close to finding something!' The dog closed his eyes so tightly that his sight became blindness. His hearing became deafness. His thoughts left him completely. Then -pressing his nose to the ground- he barked vigorously, for he had found the fragrance of the trail.
I saw a farmer the other day. Guess where I saw him. On his farm? No, he was having his hair cut. I also saw a politician. He wasn't giving a speech, though, just picking up some groceries. Last week I visited a man in prison. Did I mind his company? No, it was the best of all. Today I had lunch with a poor man. Will he lead me into poverty? No, he has lead me into riches.
There once lived a woman with a blood disease. Her wounds bled every day and never healed. Although she worked hard every day, she labored much harder to find a cure. When she went to the doctor, the doctor smelled the decay of her blood and he saw the filth of her bandages. 'We must deal with that smell and those unseemly bandages!' He cried. The woman was washed and given fresh bandages and sent on her way. Other people liked her appearance much better, but her sickness remained and she said to herself, 'My condition now is worse than when I went to see that doctor!'
This age may best be compared to that young man who made outward gestures toward a woman, but failed to pursue her decisively. Even though he managed to propose (and she accepted), his confidence in marrying her remained in question to him. He hired a look-a-like to go through with the wedding ceremony in case he would later wish to have it annulled ... but the actor married the woman and then ran off with her.
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
Hebrews 12:15-17
(Image from here.)
5 Comments:
Only Jesus can heal our blood that is diseased because of sin. The pouring out of His pure sinless blood has covered our sin and set it out of the way as He enters into our lives and begins to heal us from the inside out. God's commitment to us is divine and fully expressed through the gift of His Son. I am thankful for His divine commitment to me for I am not capable of any divine commitment of my own.
I often find myself wishing that I had the time to sit down with "the least of these" and have lunch, talking about their philosophy on life and religion. To plant a seed in their lives with a hot meal and the Word of God . . . if only one came to know Jesus.
JoyIndestructible,
The question everyone must ask is whether the sickness they suffer from is one that may be treated with a cure among other cures or whether it requires a cure which is distinct and set apart and admits of no equivalent. A person can do no better than to have a firm answer to this question, which you seem to have found. May every weary-laden man and woman find their rest in the true cure!
EIM,
Sadly people often fail to do the very things they want to do because they lack the means as you say. A woman may wish to tell her father -who she has argued bitterly against- that she loves him, only to discover that on the day she intended to make her admission ... he was killed in a traffic accident. These things are truly sad and they do happen.
A greater sadness (which I confess I have known personally) is to avoid these decisive gestures because one only sees a person for their appearances. And then when someone truly great comes along he says to such people, 'I tell you the truth, I have never known you. I have no desire for your company.'
BB,
I have taken your words to heart. On the next opportunity, I plan to act and not to walk by, wishing I had a moment to stop. I pray that on that day the soul I sit with will say to himself quietly, "A friend has found me, and I have found a friend in Jesus."
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