Rick Anderson's Blog, page 8

Wardrobe Malfunction

Wardrobe Malfunction

There was a large, community event in Nacogdoches this past weekend called "Holiday in the Pines" which was a market extravaganza centered on the upcoming Christmas holiday.  As a vendor, I had a booth along with two others as we sold our books to folks that were looking for Christmas gifts.

The event began on Thursday evening with a VIP opening from 6-9 pm.  I had dressed up in a sport coat and slacks for the evening and was really glad that I did as most everyone had on nice outfits.

I had a nice time visiting with old friends and making new ones into the evening when somewhere around 8 pm, the hostess brought around shrimp brochette for the vendors.  I gladly accepted their offer and began to chow down on the shrimp.

Suddenly, a small piece of the brochette dropped into my lap.  I glanced quickly down to find the fallen morsel when to my horror, another sight caught my eye.  WARDROBE MALFUNCTION!!

I had been visiting with hundreds of people for the last two hours while the seam in the crotch of my pants was ripped wide open!  My most intimate apparel had just been aired out in front of a host of friends and strangers.  I was mortified!!

I quickly covered up and maintained that position for the remainder of the evening.  Needless to say, I felt bared before the entire world and was humbled.

The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 4:12-14; For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.  So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.

Sometimes I am horrified to know that God is aware of my innermost thoughts.  There are times when I wouldn't want anyone to know what I'm thinking and would be mortified if it ever was exposed to anyone.

Even so, we have an Advocate who intercedes for us at the right hand of God.  We don't have to worry, but confess our sins and shortcomings to Him and He will plead our case before the Father.

Hebrews 4 goes on to say in the following verses; This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

I pray that you reach out to this gracious God today and receive His mercy and grace that is freely offered to all who will come.

 

Motorcycle Ride

The church doors opened and people began to file out after shaking hands with the preacher who stood just inside the doorway to the sanctuary.  Several motorcycles of various colors and brands were parked out front and gleamed in the bright sunshine.

The bikers dressed in their jeans and leather vests chatted as they walked down the stairs to the parking lot.  They congregated at the bottom of the stairs as several folks from the congregation began to talk with them, curious about their motorcycles.

The motorcyclists were a part of the Christian Motorcycle Association that had done a presentation about their ministries both to fellow bikers in the USA along with efforts to minister around the world for the sake of Christ.  Everyone had been richly blessed by the realization of their far-reaching ministry efforts.

One lady, Ms. Laura, had taken particular interest and had made a B-line for the group of bikers at the bottom of the stairway.  She quickly made friends with Jim and Karen, one of the biker couples, and walked with them to take a look at their bike.

"Do you want to ride?" Karen asked.

"Well, my legs are so short that I can't get on it!" Ms. Laura replied.

"We'll help you on it," Karen said as she and Jim began to help Ms. Laura onto the huge motorcycle.

"I haven't ridden on one of these in years!" Ms. Laura cried as she straddled the beast.  Jim jumped on the bike in front of her and cranked up the big hog.  Vroom!  Vroom!

They pulled out onto the highway and slowly made their way toward the square in downtown Garrison where he gingerly made the block before bringing her back to the front of the church.  Everyone was excited and pictures were taken!

They helped Ms. Laura off the bike and everyone was all smiles because of the joy that they had seen written all over her face.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4; "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again– rejoice!"  Maybe we all need a little dose of Ms. Laura's motorcycle ride to make us smile.

Did I forget to tell you that Ms. Laura will soon be 92 years young?  Maybe she could teach us all something about having the 'joy of the Lord'!  Touch someone with God's love today and make them smile.

 

A Drink of Water

Drink of Water

The sound of the ocean surf crashing filled my consciousness as I took a deep breath of the salt air, letting it fill my lungs to overflowing.  Seagulls flew by looking for a morsel of food.  What's that I hear?  It's someone crying!

The cry continued to drag me from my spot in paradise to the reality that I was only dreaming.  I awoke abruptly and ricocheted back to the real world where I lay in my bed.  In an instant, I heard the cry again and realized that it was my seven-year old daughter, Lucy.

I got up and paced toward her room.  She was stood in the hallway outside the closed bathroom door.  "What's wrong?" I demanded.

"I need a drink!" she cried but continued to stand in the hallway.

"Well, go get one," I replied, not fully realizing why she hadn't just gotten a drink.  She stood in front of the closed door.  I reached and opened the door.  She shifted to the left and tried to get into the bathroom through the wall.  I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in front of the open doorway.

"I need a drink!" she cried again.  I assumed that she was going to use the cup that she used when rinsing after she brushed her teeth, so I nudged her into the bathroom.  The motion sensitive night light lit up the entire room.

She stepped up on her stool in front of the sink, reached and grabbed her toothbrush.  "No, Lucy!  It's not time to brush your teeth!  Get the cup and get some water!" I instructed as I took the toothbrush away.

"I need a drink!" She cried once more.  I took her cup, placed it into her hand and turned on the cold water.  She finally filled the cup and took a long drink before returning to bed.

I'm not sure if she was sleep walking or just half asleep, but she had certainly gotten confused about how to find the source for a drink of water.

King David knew what it meant to be thirsty way back in the Old Testament when he found himself as a refugee in the wilderness.  David knew how to find relief for his thirst. He tells us in Psalm 63:1; "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water."

For many of us, we have become thirsty for the living God, yet we have blundered around in the darkness not knowing how to find relief for our parched souls.  We've sought all manner of ways to fill the longing within us instead of reaching for the source of true refreshment.  We've run into walls, stood to the side of open doors and reached for the toothbrush when what we truly needed was a refreshing drink of water.

Jesus makes clear his offer in a conversation with a Samaritan woman recorded in John 4.  Jesus asked the woman to get him a drink and she asked him why.  His response cuts to the heart of the matter:  "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."  Jesus goes on to say, "Anyone who drinks this (earthly) water will soon become thirsty again.  But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."

Jesus uses the analogy of a drink of water to illustrate how He can quench the thirst of our souls and how He can satisfy our deepest longings.  Only He can redeem, refresh and renew us.  Only He can save us from our sins.  Only He can help us to walk in newness of life, empowered by the Holy Spirit that lives within as a free gift of God's grace.  Only He can give us life everlasting and the hope of resurrection.

Today, if your soul is thirsty, look to Jesus.  Drink from His abundant spring that gives life.  Trust in Him with your all and He will bless you immeasurably.

 

More Precious than Gold

Spike Buck

Years ago, I took my stepson, Bobby, deer hunting.  As a twelve year-old, Bobby had never actually shot at a deer before, so we sat together in a box stand overlooking a corn feeder that hung at the end of an oat patch about seventy yards away from us.

About 4:30 p.m., a spike buck stepped cautiously into the oat patch and made his way to the corn feeder where he began to graze on the corn that was on the ground.  I whispered, "Get ready, Bob."

As Bob hoisted the .300 Savage up and pointed the muzzle out the window of the stand, he began to breath so fast and hard that I thought he was going to hyperventilate.  "Calm down.  Breathe slow and deep," I encouraged.

My encouragement went unheeded as he kept on breathing fast and hard.  I could hear his heart pounding in his chest.  He peered through the scope.  I could see the end of the barrel whirling like a tilt-a-whirl.  "Find him in the scope, take a deep breath, blow it out and gently squeeze the trigger," I directed.

It sounded as if he was trying to blow out the candles on his birthday cake.  All of a sudden…BOOM!!  The deer looked quickly around as if to say, "What in the world was that?!?" before he bounded from the food plot.

I sat back in the stand.  "I'm not sure you got him," I said.  Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, I saw the same buck stick his head through the yaupon thicket at the far end of the food plot, look from side to side, then ease back to the corn feeder.

Bob started hyperventilating again.  The gun pointed out the window and the muzzle looked like he was stirring a pot of grits on the stove.  "Make sure you're steady.  Blow out your breath and squeeze."

BOOM!!  The deer bolted again.  "Did you get him that time?" I asked.  "I think so!" Bob replied.  "Let's wait awhile and we'll go check it out," I replied.

About fifteen minutes later, dusk was beginning to fall on us as the little spike buck stuck his head back out of the yaupon again.  He looked to the left and to the right before sneaking right back to the corn feeder where he began to chow down.

Bob began to breathe hard and fast again.  "Do I try again?" Bob asked.  I shook my head, "No, Bob.  I think that deer deserves to live to see another day.  Let's give him a break!"

Bob and I unloaded the gun, crawled out the door of the stand and left for the truck as the little buck continued to eat his fill of corn in the near darkness.

That little story was one of the first times that Bobby and I had spent together as a new stepdad and stepson.  It provided many laughs through the years and helped us to form a bond.

Now Bobby has his own children to bond with and to have those memories that he will never forget.  Those times are precious and special, and help us to reach each other in the love with which God has blessed us all.

Matthew 6:19-21; "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Those treasures can include those special times where we share life, love and laughter with those whose lives we share.  Be sure to reach out in love to those that God has brought into your life.  You just might find a treasure more valuable than gold.

 

Climb Onboard the Tap Tap

Tap Tap

A few months ago, I was on a short-term mission trip to the island nation of Haiti that had been devastated by an earthquake over eighteen months prior.

As we made our way through the crowded, narrow streets of Port au Prince, I couldn't help but notice these small pickup trucks with toppers on them everywhere I looked.  I could see people getting in and out of the backs of the trucks all along the way.

I asked Keith, my friend who had previously been to Haiti, "Are those little pickups hauling people like a bus or taxi?"

"Yes, they are," he replied.  "They're called 'tap-taps', because you get on and ride for a distance until you get to where you want to go, then you just tap-tap on the top of the body of the truck so that the driver knows that you want off.  He pulls over to the side and lets you off.  You pay a small fee to the driver and he's off again until the next tap-tap causes him to pull to the side."

I couldn't help but relate the off and on of the tap-tap to the way that some have treated their faith walk.  Many Americans call themselves Christians, but most have decided to step away from an active participation in church life and in taking active steps to grow in their faith.

In essence, these folks have gone for a ways in their faith and decided to step off at some place along their journey.  There are a myriad of reasons that people decide to step off, but the end result is that they cease to grow in their faith.  That's not the plan that God intended for His believers or for His church.  There seems to be a growing discontent in America with being an active member of a church as folks have become complacent about their faith journey.

Churches all over the country have just opened their doors for Trunk-or-Treat events and Fall Festivals in an attempt to draw some of these folks back, hoping that they will return to the faith and begin to journey with Christ once again.  Sadly, though many people of all faiths will participate in these events, few will seize the opportunity to begin or return to an active faith journey as a result.

God has great blessings in store for those who seek Him and follow Him with their all.  Church attendance certainly doesn't make us perfect, but God does continue to grow believers in their faith through active participation in worship, prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other believers and celebrating the sacraments.

This journey of life is nothing more than a faith journey.  Each step we take, God is trying to help us to grow and understand more about Him and His infinite love for each of us.  We face new challenges every day that are opportunities for Christ to grow us in our dependence upon Him.  We have to agree to make ourselves available for His work within us to be successful.

Wherever you are and whatever your spiritual condition might be, know that you can seek God and He will answer you.  He will bring you along on a vibrant journey that is filled with adventure and joy, but you have to be willing to get on the tap-tap and ride it to the end of the line.

I'm praying for you today to get onboard with Jesus and let Him take you on this life's journey.  The direction that He will take you is different for each of us, so don't waste any more time!  He's waiting for you to climb on!

2Corinthians 5:7;  "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Romans 12:1-2; And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice– the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

 

 

Waiting for the Encore

The Conductor

There is an orchestra that is playing in the middle of a busy city.  Car horns blow, cell phones chirp, people clamor as the noise of the city all but drowns out the beautiful music of the orchestra.  Yet the orchestra plays on.  Every now and then, someone stops and notices the sound of the music, then seeks until they find the source of the beautiful melody.

When they walk up, the Master of Ceremonies (MC) runs to greet them, embraces them and gives them a white robe to wear.  They always want to listen to the score, but the MC tells them that He has reserved a seat and an instrument just for them.  The person objects, "I don't know how to play!", but the MC says, "We'll teach you everything that you need to know."

The player looks down at a musical instrument in front of them that has their name engraved on it.  It's a different kind of instrument, unlike any other.  It's an instrument made just for that person.  "Can I play that instrument over there?" he asks the MC, who replies, "Oh, no.  Their instrument is made just for them just as yours is made just for you.  Come on.  Let's give it a try!"

The Composer looks on with a smile as the Conductor leads the orchestra.  The new member of the group notices right away that the Conductor is not only leading the entire group but is also patiently showing him how to play his instrument one-on-one.  Even though he is very awkward and clumsy, the Conductor smiles and encourages him to continue.

The beautiful music pours out into the heart of the city, but the city remains largely oblivious to the captivating sound.  People rush by, distracted with the busyness of their lives.  Every now and then, someone pauses to listen.  When they hear the music, they become enthralled and drawn by the magnificence of the sound.  As they wander in, the MC runs out to embrace them and fit them with a shiny, white robe.

On the stage, as players finish their parts, they depart and walk backstage.  New players take their seats and begin to play their own instruments made just for them.  So the music continues amidst the noise and chaos of the city consumed with its own dissonance.

Yet there will come a day when the noise of the city will cease and all of the members of the orchestra will be called back on stage for the great encore.  As the Composer nods His approval and the Conductor begins the piece, everyone plays perfectly.  The melody is all that can be heard as it permeates everything with its beauty and intoxicating power.

Then the MC begins to sing with the loveliest voice that has ever been heard.  His song is a love song born in heaven above and tells the greatest story ever of a God of love who gave up His own Son to redeem a world that was lost in chaos and rebellion.  All heaven and earth are spellbound by the golden voice of the Master.

The encore is breathtaking and glorious beyond all measure.  All of creation has waited with bated breath for this moment and now it has finally arrived!  The best news is that the encore will never end, but continue to pour out infinite beauty, love and grace throughout eternity.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

Zephaniah 3:17; "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

 

Sunset on a Truckload of Cants

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I turned onto Louisiana Highway 6 and headed west from Natchitoches toward the Texas State Line.  The setting sun was right in my face as I drove down the narrow two lane highway toward home after being gone for several days.

As I continued on my way home, the pressures and worries of my life began to return after the few days respite of being away at a conference.  I began to fret over issues in my life that I had been wrestling with for quite some time.

Somewhere near the community of Robeline, a large flatbed truck loaded with landscape timbers pulled onto the highway in front of me.  I looked for a good place to pass, but on the curvy, two lane road, I was unable to find a safe place to get around him.  I settled back behind the truckload of timbers and continued to stew on my worries.

When we reached Many, Louisiana, I got close enough to the truck to realize that it wasn't actually loaded with landscape timbers, but rather it was a load of "cants", which are much larger, squared timbers.  They were at least twelve inches in diameter and had not been treated with wood preservatives.

I hoped that the truck would turn off in Many, but it continued to head toward the Texas State Line just as I did, so I continued to follow as the sun began to fall below the horizon.

I couldn't help but wonder if God was giving me a message as I continued behind the truckload of cants.  I had become burdened with issues of which I had no control and in effect, I constantly seemed to have a truckload of "can'ts" or "cannots" in front of me constantly that obscured my vision of the road in front of me.

Just before we reached the Texas State Line, the truck turned off and went in a different direction as the sun fell completely out of sight.  The message for me was clear:  "The sun has set on the truckload of "can'ts" that I follow and they're not in my pathway anymore."

I needed that message that I believe God sent to me to help clear my vision and to keep me from being distracted by circumstances that are out of my control.  The sun has set on them and they are not an issue anymore.  God is in control and I am not.  Now I can see the road ahead without it being obscured by the massive obstacle right before my eyes.

We are told in Philippians 4:13; "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Now that doesn't mean that I can jump over the Empire State Building like Superman if I want, but that God can work his perfect will in and through my life and that I can all the things in my life that God wants me to do that please Him.  Nothing on earth can keep me from doing what God wants me to do for the sake of His glory.

So take heart.  Keep following the Lord with all your heart and life.  Stop worrying about the truckload of "can'ts" that you may see before you.  The sun has set on their power and they are no longer in your path.  Keep the Lord ever before you as you walk the path that He has set out for your life.  He will give you everything that you need to live a life that pleases Him and brings Him glory.  All praise and glory to Christ who sits on the Throne!

 

 

Double Quarter-Pounder for the Invisible Man

 

Invisible Man

My SUV began to accelerate as I pointed her nose toward I-10 and the long way back home to Texas from Mobile, Alabama.  I had spent the last three days at a pastor's conference where I had been encouraged and revived in the Holy Spirit.  I turned my blinker on and turned onto the access ramp to the Interstate.  That's when I saw him…a hitchhiker standing beside the ramp.

It was as if a glass of ice water had been thrown in my face.  I ignored the homeless man and kept 'pouring the coal' to the SUV, soon leaving Alabama in my rear view mirror as I crossed into Mississippi.

After driving for an hour or so, I realized that it was lunch time, so I veered off in Gulfport for a sandwich.  The drive-through was clear and I ordered my combo meal then raced back toward the Interstate.  Just as I turned my blinker on to get back on I-10, there was another hitchhiker standing right where the other one had been beside the on-ramp!  Again, I sped by him and onto the west bound lane of the Interstate, soon leaving Mississippi behind as well.

By mid-afternoon, I was approaching Hammond, Louisiana and I needed a little pick-me-up.  A milk shake sounded like just the thing to revive me, so I turned off and headed for the nearby golden arches.  I pulled into the parking lot, marched through the door and to the restroom.

When I darted from the restroom, that's when I saw him sitting beside the plate glass window.  He was a disheveled, young African American man with dreadlocks and tattered clothes.  He was hunched down low in the seat as if he were trying to be invisible.  I knew immediately that he was a homeless person, as the plastic bag and nearly empty two-liter bottle of soda in front of him added the exclamation point.

What was I to do? It seemed as though God had been trying to get my attention ever since I left the pastor's conference in Mobile by placing homeless people all along my pathway.  Here was one that I couldn't just blow past.  I knew that God wanted me to do something, but I didn't know what.

I ordered my milkshake and waited while the attendant worked on it.  I prayed a little prayer, "Lord, what is it that you want me to do?"  I felt that I knew the answer already in my bones.  The attendant handed me my shake and I walked back toward the far side of the restaurant to where the Invisible Man was hunched against the wall looking out the window.

"Hey, Man.  Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Huh?" he looked around, seemingly confused.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked again.

Still confused, he quickly realized what I was offering.  "Yeah!"

"What do you want?" I beckoned.

He looked past me and said, "A double quarter pounder."

"Okay," I said, then went to the counter and ordered him a combo meal.  When the attendant filled up the tray with the food, I took it to him and slid it onto the table in front of him.

"Thank you," the Invisible Man said as he looked me in the eye for the first time.

"Jesus loves you," I said as I smiled at him.  He looked down at his meal and began to un-wrap his burger.  "Are you alright?" I asked.

His face burst into a huge smile as he said, "Yeah, Man.  I'm good."

I turned to head out the door.  As I looked back over my shoulder, I saw the Invisible Man with the huge smile still on his face.

Psalme 107:9 says, "For he (God) satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."

Be alert to what God may be trying to say to you and always be ready to reach out in His love to touch someone.  It may put a smile on their face and bring them closer to the realization of God's great love for them.

 

Flood of Blessing

 

Flooded Road

The rain poured down all night long as the Retired Chief Master Sergeant and wife listened to the storm rage.  Sleep would not come for many hours as the flashes of lightning and nearly immediate booms of thunder rattled the windowpanes in their home.  The children were scared and needed to be comforted until at last they all fell asleep.

As the sun arose in the east, the last traces of the evening's storms faded with the rising sun.  The whippoorwill, the Bart owl and the old rooster signaled that a new day was dawning.  The Sergeant and wife got up and began their daily chores about the farm.

After completing his morning chores, the Chief stepped into the front yard to survey the damage of the evening's storm.  Limbs and leaves covered the yard that was still mushy from the several inch rain that had been dumped on them during the evening.  As he trudged through the mush toward the highway in front of his house, he noticed in the distance a strange sight.  The creek that ran beside his property and underneath the highway just a quarter mile away had swollen beyond its banks during the night and had risen well above the bridge and up the highway for a hundred yards in either direction making the highway impassable for traffic.

As he stood staring at the sight, he heard a car coming down the highway toward him from the opposite direction from the creek.  He stepped to the shoulder of the road to flag the driver and warn him of the danger that lay ahead.  As the car approached, he flagged with his hand.  The driver slowed and then saw the reason for the warning.  The driver pulled up beside him and stopped the car.

"You're not going to be able to get down the road for awhile until the water runs down some," he said to the young, female driver who had several children in the car with her.  "Why don't y'all come inside and we'll fix you some breakfast."

The young lady reluctantly agreed, pulled up to the house and all of them bailed out.  The Retired Chief introduced himself to her and she said, "My name is Milly."  They all went inside and soon made themselves at home while their breakfast was prepared for them.

Milly stood to get more coffee and noticed a prescription medicine bottle that belonged to the Sergeant which he had gotten filled at the Barksdale Air Force Base.  She said, "Oh, were you in the Air Force?", to which he replied, "Yes, I was."

"My Father was in the Air Force, too!  He just passed away a couple of years ago," she added.

"Was your Dad in World War II?" the Chief asked.

"Yes, he served in North Africa for awhile."

"So did I." The Chief asked, "What was his name?"

"His name was Wilson Evans and he was a Master Sergeant," she added proudly.

A shockwave hit Terrell as he remembered the night that he stepped into his tent to find his friend, Master Sergeant Wilson Evans sitting on his bed with a pistol cocked and placed against his own temple about to pull the trigger.  He prayed, "Lord, help me to say the right thing" then stepped slowly to Wilson and asked him for the German Luger that he had bought for a keepsake.  He spoke with him in a soft tone and extended his hand.  Wilson slowly dropped the gun from his head and placed it into the Chief's hand.

Words were spoken by the Chief, reminding him of the lovely wife and daughter that he had at home who anxiously awaited his return.  He reminded him of the God who loved him and he prayed with him.  He continued to encourage him and pray for the rest of their time together during the war.  Having lost touch with him after the war, the Chief never knew how everything had turned out for Evans.  Now his daughter and grandchildren sat with their feet underneath his table as she told of how great a man that she had for a father.

As the creek ran down swiftly and the breakfast was finished, the Chief walked the little family out to their car and bid them farewell.  What had seemed to be a minor inconvenience had been the opportunity for God to shower down a major blessing on him, reminding him of how it always pays to love others as we love ourselves.  You never know what it might mean to the other person.  It just might save their life and bless the lives of countless others.

God does in many ways create situations that will change our bad decisions into his own blessings for us.  In others words, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  Rom 8:28

Target Practice

 

Target Practice

 

The other day, I purchased a used rifle for my son that came with a scope mounted on it, but I also got a better scope that the person threw in as a package deal.  Since the rifle was meant as a surprise, I had to be careful about exposing it before it was time to show my son.

I intended to take off the old scope and replace it with the better scope, then go to a target range to sight it in.  I talked with a friend who agreed to take me to a target range so that I could sight it in.

The morning came when I was supposed to meet him to sight in the gun, but I still hadn't changed out the scopes on the rifle.  I got the rifle and two scopes down in the floor and began to perform surgery.  It wasn't pretty.  I ran into problem after problem as the screws that held the old scope secure had seized fast, not wanting to budge.  After much sweat and frustration, I was finally able to get the old scope removed from the scope mounts on the rifle.

I looked at the clock and saw that I was running out of time.  I feverishly jammed the better scope into the scope mounts and began to screw it down.  I ran into a similar problem with the screws being ornery once again.  After much sweat equity, I was finally able to get the scope bolted onto the scope mounts.  I double checked to make sure that the mounts were secure.  I tightened them several times to ensure that they were tight before I placed the gun in the gun carrier and into the back of my SUV.

I met my friend who had me follow him to the target range.  We got out, loaded the gun and fired at the target.  The first bullet was low and to the right.  We made the adjustments on the scope and fired again.  Low and to the right still.  Again we adjusted.

I fired again.  High and to the right was the third bullet.  We adjusted the scope and fired again.  This time the bullet was high and to the left.  Again, we adjusted the scope, got set and fired.  This time we didn't even hit the paper.  Now my friend takes over and shoots.  High and to the right was the outcome.  We adjusted and he fired again.  Low and to the left was the hole in the paper.

Finally, we looked again at the scope and jiggled it.  We were surprised to find that the scope mounts that held the scope on the rifle were loose and the entire scope wiggled on top of the rifle.  Hmmmmmm.  We cinched the screws down tightly on the scope mounts so that it was secure on the rifle, then started over.  It took quite a few more rounds before we finally were able to hit the bulls-eye consistently at 100 yards.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36-40; ""Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"  Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.""

When we try to live our lives on our own terms and by our own personal rules for success, we are like the scope that isn't secured.  We will try to hit the target and score a bulls-eye with our life and all of our efforts to be successful.  Unfortunately, we will spray bullets all over the place in random fashion, never truly hitting the mark.

It's only through having our lives firmly secured to Christ and allow Him to give our lives direction and purpose that we can hit the mark.  He wants us to be anchored to Him with our all and allow Him to impact our lives to the fullest measure.  He will change our hearts so that we can love God and love our neighbor and truly reflect God's love into the world.  He can work within us to help us become the people that He wants us to be: people whose lives hit the mark for Christ.

So how about you?  Does your scope need to be secured to the foundation of Christ?  Are you allowing Him to adjust your life so that you are on target?  He will do it if you only humble yourself before Him and allow Him to have His way in your life.