Hitch Hiking

 

"No Servant can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money."

(Luke 16 vs. 13 and Matthew 6 vs. 24)

 

            In the 1950s, as teenagers, hitchhiking was one of our primary means of transportation. We hitched to the ball field, to the next town, the beach; wherever busses did not go we hitched. When mom would give me a nickel for the bus,  we would stand there with my thumb out hoping to save the nickel to buy candy! There were a lot of fond memories generated by the people met and the rides shared. 

            H. Norman Wright in his book All My Strength writes about hitchhikers. Below are his thoughts:

“But consider the hitchhiker for a moment. He wants a free ride. He has no responsibility at all for the vehicle. He doesn't have to buy a car, pay insurance, upkeep or gas. Have you ever had a hitchhiker who volunteered to pay for gas? Not likely. He wants a free ride, a comfortable ride, a safe ride, and sometimes imposes upon you to take him out of your way. It's as though he expects you to do this for him.  

There are a lot of spiritual hitchhikers today. They know the Lord, but they want a free ride. They want all the benefits of being a Christian but none of the responsibilities or the costs. No accountability, no commitment, no willingness to serve, and if it begins to cost, they bailout. 

    The decision to serve God or serve ONES self is a big one. We can't serve both. We can hitchhike in our faith or we can serve our God. The ride is better with Him. 

Thought for Today: Let us think about the hitchhiker and the driver. The driver is a willing giver. The hitchhiker has a need and thus is a taker. That describes Christians very well and it is OK to be a taker. We do need to decide which we are, which we will be rather than what we want to be. This season let us take a step forward and up. Let us pursue a better ride.

 

 

Straight to our Heart

“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD^[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.”

(Isaiah 40 vs. 3) 

            When driving in the UK where the roads are windy and twisty, occasionally we come to a long straight road that goes on for miles. My wife, a Brit, explained to me that those are ancient Roman roads laid out 2000 years ago. I found that impressive. 

            In ancient times leaders built roads for their armies to move. They are long and straight and efficient so they could move quickly. The valleys are filled by pushing the tops of the hills. They facilitated the need. In New England where I grew up, there are very few straight roads. They paved the cow paths and horse trails which tended to follow the river beds. It is tough for strangers to find their way. 

            The message today is that we need to be sure of our road to the lord; that it needs to straight. There needs to be a straight connection between God and our hearts. We need to allow the simplest two way travel possible in our complex world; straight to our heart. 

Thought for Today: Today let’s think about where our road takes us; where are we going. Perhaps we can take a few bends out and travel straight. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we live in a complex world and are surrounded by too much activity and are overcommitted. Today we thank you for being with us and pray that we may keep our hearts open to you and stay on a straight and holy path.

Amen

 

Winning

  Winning

 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of

compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so

that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have

received from God."

 (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) 

            Who in our lives are the winners? Some say the one with the most toys wins. That is a materialistic one-liner that gives me goosebumps. However, in our society today, we pursue "things" instead of happiness and peace. So who are the real winners and how do they win? 

God placed us here to be his stewards with our priority to be sharing the gifts we received from Him with others. That seems to be a very tall order. However, we always feel great when we have reached out and helped a friend or stranger. Is that not when we feel the best? 

God gives us resources in many different forms. We have money that we earn and the knowledge that we have learned. We graciously share these things with our families and children and that makes us feel good. Many people also reach out beyond their family units and share. There are ways to share and sow the seeds that God has given us to plant, and we are real winners when we reach out and share our gifts.

Thought for Today: Let us look for an opportunity to help someone; perhaps someone who is sick, someone hurting or someone lonely. If we fail in finding someone, let’s share some extra with our Church. Sharing a bit will make us feel better. 

Prayer for Today:  Heavenly Father, we are living in a troubled world. Civil unrest, road rage, families in strife, and other tragic incidences. Today we pray for an opportunity to help and share with someone, an opportunity to demonstrate your Grace through our actions.

Amen.