Hitch Hiking

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, hitchhiking was a primary means of transportation for teenagers. We hitched to the ball field, the next town, the beach; we hitched wherever busses did not go. We have fond memories of the people we met and the rides shared. When mom would give me a nickel for the bus, I would stand there with my thumb out, hoping to save the nickel to buy candy. 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. They bail out without accountability, commitment, willingness to serve, and if it begins to cost. The decision to serve God or serve ONES self is a big one. We can't do both. We can hitchhike in our faith, or we can serve our God. The ride is better with Him. Thought for Today: Let's think about the hitchhiker and the driver. The hitchhiker has a need and thus is a taker. The driver is a willing giver. That describes Christians well, and it is OK to be a taker. We must decide who we are and who 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. Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, today we offer prayers of thanks for the opportunity to serve and contribute to peace on earth. Amen