Tag Archives: while we were still sinners

Do you want more?

Leave a reply

 

 

 

Everyone wants more.

 

A  recent news story tells of a divorce settlement between an oil tycoon and his ex-wife. The court ruled she would get $1 BILLION dollars, but she is appealing the decision, saying she needs more, much more.

 

Sometimes we think we deserve more. Like the story of the man and wife who died and went to heaven. Waiting at the pearly gates, the wife leaned over to her husband and said, “Whatever you do, don’t ask to get everything you deserve!”

 

We think we are good people, especially when we compare ourselves to certain scoundrels. But measured against God’s standard of holiness, we ALL fall short. We’ve lied or cheated or thought wrongly of others. We’ve gossiped. We’ve turned an indifferent eye when others needed our help. We insisted on having more when others went hungry. We invested a lifetime in hobbies and recreation at the peril of those who’ve never heard the truth about Jesus. We’ve ignored a great God at the preference to our worship of lesser joys. We’ve lived for ourselves and wasted time that we can never regain.

 

And yet, despite our rebellion, while we were still sinners, God gave His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sins. He paid the penalty we deserved and extended grace to us. Instead of an eternity of punishment he granted us an eternity of abundant joy. But we still want more, don’t we?

 

If God’s loving grace doesn’t quench your thirst, if His guiding Spirit leaves you ungrateful, if His power and strength doesn’t fulfill, if His perfect peace doesn’t calm your soul, if His faithful promises don’t impress you, what do you think would be enough for you? If having an immediate any-time audience and personal relationship with the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, The Lord of Lords, Almighty God Himself doesn’t bring satisfaction to your soul, what will you find instead?

 

Would you be happy to hold a billion dollars in your hand for 10 seconds? That is about how long our lives are in comparison to eternity, if that. What if you could fulfill your favorite appetite for a full minute before your body dissolved in the grave? Would that be enough? What if you had your 15 minutes of fame, where the whole world knew your name before forgetting it forever? Would that fill your tank?

 

Maybe this is the day to start appreciating – and sharing – all we are given:
A hug from someone who loves us
An encouraging word from someone who cares
The opportunity to make someone smile and laugh
The time to share someone’s sadness and disappointment
A breath of fresh air
Clean water to quench our thirst
A bite of nutritious food
The amazing gift of a clear conscience
The contentment of being faithful
Quiet time with the one who created and loves you
Letting his light shine into other’s lives

 

We were designed to want more. . . More of God.

And He is waiting for us to say, “Ahh, THAT is quite enough!”

 

 

Does your countenance reflect the love you receive?

Leave a reply

She was a poor farmer’s daughter and lived a hard life. He was a man of position and generosity. She was not a ‘beautiful’ woman by the world’s standards but don’t tell him for the beauty that captured his attention was undeniable. His labor was light and easy. She toiled from sunrise to past sunset. Her caring love for her frail father and siblings was evident in her every action. It was not unusual to hear her singing songs while doing her chores.

When he went into town people stopped to talk with him and sought to learn from his wisdom. Women of means vied for his attention. When she went to town people hardly noticed her. If they did, they took extra steps to avoid her.

And so you can imagine the gasps of overwhelming surprise when it was first rumored that the young man had asked the girl’s father for her hand in marriage. And being the culture it was he inquired about the dowry the father required for the wedding. One cow was the amount set by the father. You could imagine the stunned speechlessness of the town folk when they learned 100 cows and servants to attend them was the dowry the man paid. In our age we have come to appreciate (have we not?) the immense and equal value of women and men. But understand in those days how people would question how any woman could be worth such a fortune, never mind a poor unseemly farm girl.

And yet worth it she was, and more according to the young man. I suppose it is not uncommon even in our days for one’s countenance to reflect how they are valued, admired, and loved by others. And so it was with the young farm girl, when she walked hand in hand with her young husband, to stand tall and with confidence. She was loved perhaps more than any other. And what can I say? Others took notice of her radiant beauty. The young man also was no longer seen for his wealth but for the love that also reflected in the eyes of his bride.

This is not at all a story of gender superiority or submission. But it does tell the tale of the need we each have to love and to be loved. And it relates how the power of being valued speaks to a very deep and dear place in our hearts.

Did you know that God, like the young man, chose US while we were still unworthy? That he sought us from before we were born? That he rescued us from an eternity of despair, not to play the hero role, but because he loves us and values us so much? And do our eyes reflect this immense love or do the daily routines fog our memory of his great gift to us?*

For God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

* based on a tale told by Ray Exum, Second Chicken Soup For the Soul