Working An Idea To Its Fruition

Last Monday I had the worse travel day of my life.  I left my apartment in San Antonio at 4:30AM and did not get back to Blacksburg until midnight.  My flight was delayed in San Antonio.  I waited eight hours in the Atlanta airport.  I was diverted through Lynchburg.  I had to go to Pennsylvania at 7:00AM on Tuesday, so I had to get back.  The airline and airport people weren't mean, but they weren't nice either.  It was just a miserable day.

The Saturday before my wife and I watched the latest Twilight movie on DVD.  All I could say throughout the movie was "Can't we skip to the end?"  I wanted to know the ending, but all of the stuff in-between wasn't important.  Who wins?  The werewolves or the vampires?  I remembered an old song lyric that went "Why can't we skip to the final chapter of the book?"  And that is the same way I felt Monday evening.  Why can't I just skip to Wednesday and forget these travel woes?

The song that the lyric comes from alludes to Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-8).  It discusses how Noah's family on the ark must have been afraid, have must been feeling like I did in the airport:  Why can't this all be over?  The song answers this question with "because we would have missed the point."  But I like Genesis 8:1 better:  "...God remembered Noah....and the waters subsided."

Keith read James 1 last Sunday.  James is imploring us to persevere and be patient.  Life will be difficult, but with Jesus and the Word, we will get through.  James 1:18 tells us that we are chosen so we might be the "firstfruits of His creation."  Like Noah, we are remembered.  We are chosen.  And if we continue to be faithful persevering and patient servants, the waters will subside.  I finally made it back to Blacksburg.  Lord willing,  I will eventually know who wins between the vampires and werewolves.  And if I remain faithful, I will reap even greater rewards.  

And for the record, the last verse of the last chapter of the book states "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen."  One text replaces all with "all the saints."

If you need to commit to Christ and become a saint of if you have lost the grace of Jesus Christ, you have the opportunity to come forward as we sing.