Good morning! Hmm, we get a hint of what the better part of the nation feels on most summer mornings, little or no cooling overnight. I expected the storms arriving last night to cool it down for a nice morning, but 75°? That isn't cool! I realized quickly that this is not a complaint that will impress anyone out east. There the difference between day and night temps may be a few degrees at most due to the way things are out there. Out here in the near desert high plains we expect a difference of 30 or 40 degrees overnight and marvel when it doesn't happen. Of course in the real desert, the temp difference is greater even than we are accustomed to. So, you and me, and everyone else we have to put up with weather, climate, stuff in the air, but that doesn't make us different from anyone else. What is different in me, or the better question, what has Christ changed in me that makes me different from anyone else?
Many people are in difficult financial straits, others are well off in that way. Many have similar ailments to us, others have different health issues. Someone has a similar job to you, maybe a whole bunch of folks do the same job you do each day at work. We gather, we separate, we move or we stay, but all of these things just make us more of the same. If a space alien arrived in his Cadillac o' the Stars Space Cruiser XL-1 to study the exceptional members of the human race, would he see enough in your life or my life to pick us out of the grain fields of humanity? Actually no, and we are proud of that.
Jesus could have come to Earth for the exceptional. He could have picked out the rich young man, the leader of the Pharisees, the high priest, the Roman governor, and others to follow Him. Jesus could have gathered the high and mighty of the land into a Master's class and given them the words of life to disseminate to the people. Yet, Jesus gathered the common folk to Himself. The first group to worship the newly arrived Christ were the shepherds of the field. What was so different about these men of the wilderness? Nothing... until they believed in Jesus.
According to the world's measuring stick, the only thing that stood out about Paul was his zeal to destroy the early followers of Christ. Peter fished in the Sea of Galilee. Matthew was a despised tax collector. Wasn't there a champion of the Sanhedrin Jesus could have picked out? A Greek philosopher of exceptional intelligence and education? No, so Jesus takes the next best thing, an enemy, a fellow that smells of fish and trips over his own tongue a lot, and a guy whose work the people can't stand. Therefore, the people approved of the one, were indifferent about another - meh, Galilee fishermen, a drachma a dozen - and one the people would cheerfully have beaten with the world's measuring stick. No unusual difference among these men. Of course, if we look for something exceptional in us or them, we are looking in the wrong places.
In the now, God has picked out multi-million dollar contract athletes and people with next to, or perhaps less than, nothing in their bank accounts. God has also chosen famous people for His service, and He owns a whole bunch of us that are only recognized by our close friends. God has saved old folks confined to a nursing home, and children roaming freely in the streets. Working stiffs, unemployed people, and everyone in between belong to God's family. Soldiers, sailors, airpersons, and Marines (yes, them too) belong to God's chosen ones, but others of those same groups do not. We don't know what measuring stick God uses, but we know that somehow we were chosen. It certainly isn't the measuring stick of the Law, for all of us have fallen short of that.
What is different about you and me from the mass of the world is who comes to live in us after we believe in Christ. God's own Holy Spirit lives in those who believe in the Christ. That is something special and exceptional! If we want to see a difference that makes you and me stand out in a crowd, look inside to the Spirit of God.
Walk with God today, and give Him a hearty 'Thank you!' for all that He has done for you and me.
Bucky
No comments:
Post a Comment