Some of us, we cherished it.
For some of us, it has been a hurtful year and this is the year we would like to forget. For some of us, it’s just another year. The decisions that we made, the circumstances that we faced, and the news that we received set the patterns of our lives. It made a deep impact in our lives that will ripple through for many years.
This is life on earth and it’s part of our journey. In this world we will face many troubles of many kinds. We fall, we stumble, but we don’t have to be crushed. As 2017 becomes a distant shadow, a new beginning is what we can hope for. I would like to encourage you to invite and set your eyes on Jesus. Because no matter what situations and circumstances that you will be facing, He will carry you through it. He will never leave you nor forsake you and you can rest on Him. A new hope... A new beginning... Start it with Jesus... Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) #hopeisinJesus #comfortandpeaceisinChrist #goodbye2017#happynewyear #newbeginning
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About two months ago, a co-worker and long time friend told me something that had happened over the weekend. It was captivating.
When he was driving on the road, he saw something up ahead and it was a something that did not belong in the middle of the road. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a squirrel. It wasn't an animal carcass. As he was getting closer to it, he guessed that it could have been a purse. So, when he passed it, he realized that it wasn’t a purse, but it was a man purse. Was it worth going back, he asked to himself. But in his mind, he needed to get to his destination. He was too busy to go back and it might have disrupted his day. When he looked in his rear-view mirror, the item was getting further and further away. He looked around for other cars thinking maybe they would pick it up, but there was no one else. It was just him, the car, and the item on the road. He was contemplating if he should turn around to pick it up. Deep down inside, he knew it belonged to someone. He looked in his rear-view mirror again and his eyes were fixated on the item. As he was gazing at the item, he was driving farther away from it and it was disappearing from his vision slowly. But with a convicted heart, he turned around, parked his car on the side of the road, and unbuckled his seat belt. As he opened the door, Florida’s hot summer breeze came rushing to the car like opening a hot oven that was set to 350 degrees. With Florida’s brutal heat and humidity, sweat came pouring out of his pores immediately. "Need to take shower again", he thought. He jogged to the middle of the road, picked up the item, blew the sand off, and observed it for a few seconds; it was a small black case made out of nylon. "Maybe there’s money in it", he thought. Standing in the middle of the road on a bright shiny day with the sun scorching his skin, he squinted to look to his left and then to his right. There were no signs of approaching vehicles. He unzipped the case and opened it. A familiar smell came to him, like an old book from a thrift store. As he was examining the book, the texts were small and some were printed in red. He flipped through the old and worn pages and noticed that many of the pages were highlighted with handwritten notes on the sides. In between some of the pages, there were letters and additional notes. The book looked like it went through a long distance: high mileage journey. It went through some serious battles; like stains from coffee, wrinkles from being read multiple times, some pages were ripped and torn and yet stayed in tact. The pages were brownish in color; deteriorated due to the climate that it had gone through. The words were still clear and readable. Some words were underlined and circled. Sighed. Amazed. A Bible on his hand. He thought that whoever owned it was serious and paid attention to it. He searched for identification so he could return it to the owner, but he did not find any information. However, he saw a paper bulletin from a church with an address and a phone number. He closed the Bible and zipped it. He turned around and saw his car parked on the side of the road, with the engine was still running. Oh it’s nice and comfortable in there with the AC running. He walked to the car, opened the door, sat down on the driver’s seat and placed the Bible on the front passenger seat. He took a deep breath and was glad to get out of the heat. He cranked up the AC, cranked up the stereo listening to Hank Williams Jr. He turned his car around and drove off… After he told me the story, "Are you going to return the Bible to the owner" I asked? “Yes,” he replied. TWO MONTHS PASSED BY... “Did you return the Bible?” I asked. He took a deep breath and looked down on the floor, “No” with a convicted voice. “Why not?” “I don’t have the time.” “Where is it?” I asked. “At the back seat window of my car.” He replied. “I think it’s time for you to give it back. It’s more than just a Bible.” I smiled and walked away. My friend used to go to church with his grandma when he was a child, but ever since she passed away, he hasn't gone back to church. Before finding the Bible on the road, I’d invited him to church numerous times, but he never came through. However, he told me to keep asking him. The story that he told me was symbolic. It was an illustration of what many of us go through in life. If you’re living and breathing, you’re on a journey. Believe it or not because after life on earth, we are destined to go to one of two places for eternity. My friend was on a journey and along the way, him and the Bible crossed paths. Not knowing what it was, he contemplated and eventually it captivated him. He almost didn’t turn around because he was too busy. Well, sometimes when we encounter Jesus, we contemplate it. We're too busy in life and maybe we'll follow Jesus later. When my friend picked it up, he thought it was money. When he opened it, it was a Bible. He did not realize that it was bigger than an earthly treasure. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was within his grasp. Perhaps you know about Jesus Christ and you know that you need to accept Him as your Lord and Savior. He is within your grasp but you never took that extra step. The only real and true treasure that we could ever possess is having a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior. It can never be taken away and it doesn’t depreciate. When he got back in the car, he placed the Bible on the front passenger seat and thought of nothing else. Some of us when we hear the name of Jesus, we tend to brush it off and put Him on the passenger side. We would say something like this, I'll save Him for later. I'll call on Him when I need Him. But for now, I'll be the one who is behind the wheels. I'm too comfortable. Satan wants us to be comfortable so that we don’t want to make that commitment by giving our life to Christ. We want to do what we want to do and we want to drive our own life! So, when I asked him if he had returned the Bible and he said no and it’s at the backseat window. Why? Maybe each time he looks in to his rear-view mirror, it would remind him to return it. As you can see, the Bible went from his front passenger seat and all the way to the back-seat window. It had gotten to a point that seeing Jesus is through a rear-view mirror. The more you push Jesus away, the farther your heart for Him will be. That's why when you are being called and you feel that tug in your heart, it's time to take that bold step and follow Jesus. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. The Bible that he found was worn and torn and it went through a battle. Where are we with our walk with Christ? At one point we we're in full throttle for Christ! We were fueled by the Word of God, but along our journey, we stumbled, we were set off course and drifted away. Our Bible just sits on our night stand untouched and still crispy and barely read. We’re too busy to pray. We’re too tired to read and study the Bible. The Bible is there on the night stand because it looks good. We say we’re Christians because it sounds good, but we’re no longer living like Christians. Unlike the Bible he found, it was beat up, torn, worn, and ripped. The person went through many trials and temptations. The person used the Word of God and through many prayers to fight his battles spiritually. The person was a warrior for God. The questions that I am going to ask, How long do you have to grip and hold on to the stirring wheel before handing it to Jesus? You may be within the proximity of Jesus and He is next to you, but how long until you ask Him to take control of your life? How many times have you pushed it off with Jesus now in the backseat of your life? How long will Jesus be in your rear-view mirror? If you keep pushing Him away, you're going to end up putting Him in your trunk. There will be a time when your car could no longer move an inch and your journey here on earth is over, but the question is, who’s behind the wheels who will take you to your eternal destination? |
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