The Weight of Snow and Being Saved

Acts 16:30-32 (NIV)

30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

Much like this winter a number of years ago, Chicago had a very nasty winter.

The weight of snow on the roofs of many homes, apartments and offices exceeded structural recommendations. Bob McGrath had one such building: his garage. McGrath wasn't too concerned about things until his wife went into the garage to get some boxes and, shortly afterwards, he heard a great crash.

A glance out the window revealed the garage roof had buckled and caved in. McGrath didn't stop for hat or coat. He ran from the house, grabbed a snow shovel and called out for the neighbors to help. The sweat on his face froze, as he dug at the snow and pulled the debris from the wreckage. Eventually, thankfully, he heard his wife's voice and saw her hand.

In moments the crying couple was reunited. Those who were there say it was a touching moment. In answer to her husband's repeated question, Mrs. McGrath assured him she was all right, and she was. In fact Mrs. McGrath had always been all right. That's because she wasn't in the garage when it collapsed. She had entered the garage through the side door but had come out through the back. She was in the house and quite comfortable, when the garage roof went down.

But rather than throwing cold water on her husband's noble efforts to save her, Mrs. McGrath snuck back into the garage and waited patiently to be rescued.

The story of the McGraths is a beautiful story of love. Unfortunately, it is not very similar to the story of our rescue from this world's forces of darkness. Indeed, there are a number of differences.

The first difference is that we, unlike Mrs. McGrath, have never been safe and secure. On the contrary, the sins of our hearts and minds, and the disobedience of our actions had condemned all of us to temporal and eternal death.

The second difference is that we, unlike Mrs. McGrath, had no desire to be saved. Many of us much preferred to ignore the Lord and try and do those good works that would eventually balance out the scales of good and evil. In a futile and false endeavor, we decided to try and save ourselves.

About the only similarity I can see between the McGraths and condemned humanity is this: we both had a dedicated rescuer. Mrs. McGrath had her husband, and we have Jesus Christ. So that we might be rescued from the death and destruction caused by our disobedience the Lord sent His Son into this world to take our place.

So that we might be rescued, Jesus lived a perfect life for us. So that we might be saved, Jesus resisted every temptation for us. So that we might know death had been transformed from our enemy into a gateway to eternal life, Jesus rose from the dead.

With single-minded purpose, without a flaw or a failing in His entire life, Jesus did for us all that we could not do. His success assures that we have been rescued. This is the assurance Paul held out to the jailer at Philippi. It is also the same for each of us today.

Dear Lord, we are thankful that You have rescued us through Your life, death and resurrection. May our lives reflect our appreciation for You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Really? Can That be True?

Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The following is based on a true story.

Little Zenabu (which means beautiful in Swahili) had never seen snow before. His small village in Africa was situated in the midst of a desert, surrounded by low-lying desertous vegetation, and the hut he grew up in was built in such a way that it stayed cool on the inside, even in the midst of fierce afternoon heat.

One day his grandfather tried to tell Zenabu about snow. He said it was beautiful white crystals that fall from the sky and covered everything with a blanket of white. Zenabu's response was to roar with laughter. What a vivid imagination his grandfather had! The only things that he had ever seen falling from the sky were occasional raindrops. Oh, and of course the birds that he shot down with his bow. But little white crystals? Ridiculous!

Then one day Zenabu and his parents moved to France, to the Alps. Zenabu was astounded by how green everything was. He had never had seen so many leaf-covered trees in his life! Then December rolled around, and along with it the first snowfall of the year. Little Zenabu awoke to a fairy-tale world. Everything was covered in white! The trees, the grass, his house, even his dad's car! Amazed, he touched the cold substance. Then he picked up a handful and tossed it in the air. But that wasn't enough, and the next thing his mother knew, he was rolling in the snow, waving his arms back and forth, unaware that he was making snow angels. He even built a small hut with it. That white material was out of this world!

Then he remembered his grandfather's words and his heart skipped a beat. His grandfather had been right all along! He quickly scribbled a note to his grandfather, then taking a handful of the wondrous substance, he stuffed it, along with the note, into an envelope and mailed it. As he imagined his grandfather's face when he opened the letter, he couldn't contain his excitement!

The postman that day wasn't too happy, however. The snow melted in the mailbox, soaking about a dozen letters. "Another prankster!" he muttered. "Wait until I find out who did this!"

As Christians, we are kingdom bound. The kingdom already exists in our midst, but it will be an even greater reality when we reach Heaven. Just imagine: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…" (Rev 21:4 NIV) We will be reunited with departed loved ones, but the most excitingly thing of all is that we will be able to see Jesus face to face. We will be able to worship Him, to cover Him with our thankfulness. I can't wait to run into His arms, to hug Him tenderly, and with tears streaming down my face, to fall on my knees before Him in loving adoration.

As Christians we know where we are heading. Death does not scare us: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:55 NIV) In fact, when our days are over on this planet and we find ourselves on our death bed, excitement should overtake us because we know where we are going and nobody can rob us of this unfathomable reality!

Why is it, then, that so many believers live like there is no tomorrow? They go to church, but the rest of the week, they live defeated lives, filled with self-gratification and self-imposed depression. When they experience close encounters with death, they are left trembling with anxiety. The apostle John summed it up well: "Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program. No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backwards." (1 John 3:5-6 The Message)

One question we need to ask ourselves daily is this: "How real is Jesus in my life?"

If for some reason Jesus has become less of a reality than the circumstances surrounding our lives, it is time for a reality check. It is time to fall to our knees and reaffix our attention on the One who should be our only reality. "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in.

Unfathomable reality? Maybe for those who never experienced Him in their lives, but for those of us who, like little Zenabu, have experienced first-hand the unfathomable reality, we should know better! Jesus is our only reality. He is our goal in everything we do. With Him at our side, we can face tomorrow with a huge grin on our faces.

Dear Lord, we thank You that we can face tomorrow knowing that You are there with us. We pray for strength today to show that reality to those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

The World's Show

Psalm 97:4-6 (New International Version) 

4 His lightning lights up the world;

   the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,

   before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

   and all peoples see his glory.

Did you ever stop to notice how the world puts on a show? Did you ever take a minute just to stop and watch the snow? Have you ever seen a rainbow in a droplet of God's tears? If you haven't, my good friend, you've wasted all those years.

A young Mother and daughter wasted no time at all. After the first big snow of the season, they headed directly to the local park. All bundled up and ready to go, they loaded their sleds, a few extra socks and mittens into the back seat of the car and headed to the "best place on Earth to slide!" As Mom put it.

She had grown up in a small town just a few miles from where she and her daughter now live. Going back there to ride down the hill together has always been special to her. As a little girl playing with her friends she often declared "One day I'll bring my kids here, for this is the best place on Earth."

And so she did. This year seemed extra special. Her daughter was finally old enough to take a few trips down the hill on her own. Of course Mom was always close behind. Not that this was a dangerous hill, but this was the first time Mom was beginning to let go. You know, from the first day we begin to teach our children to be independent, we begin to experience that special pain. The one that tugs at your heart every time they take another step in the direction of adulthood. This moment was far from that, but still it was a first.

They came to a rolling stop, as the two tumbled and fell into the snow laughing. The blue sky above reminded them of a bright future and the sun began to dance across the field. Next to where they had stopped were a few small evergreens. Their branches laden with snow, bowed to the very spot where they laid dreaming.

"Look, look how the snow glistens!" Mom said. Her daughter didn't move an inch.

"Mommy, you're just kidding me right?" The young girl said.

"Kidding? About what?" Asked Mom.

"I didn't know the snow had ears," the young child replied.

"Ears?"

"You said the snow listens," the child repeated as she rolled over.

Mom, being careful not to make fun of her, held back the laugh as long as she could. Then, struggling to clear things up she said, "No, honey. I said the snow glistens. See the snow on that branch there in front of you? After God sends us snow to have fun in, He sends the sunlight to dance on the snow flakes. As they melt, the snow turns into little drops of water. As they hang there the light shines through them and you can see little rainbows. It's all a part of the show," Mom explained.

The little girl stayed there for a few minutes looking around. Off in the distance they could hear the other children playing. Yet, in that moment, that precious moment that this young Mother will one day recall when she is feeling abandoned and alone, God put on a light show and life danced across their souls.

"Mom this is better than Disney World!" The child said. "And we don't have to pay to get in."

Have you ever watched a snowflake as it floated to the ground? Did you ever tumble down a hill and watch the world go round? Have you ever stopped to notice that the world is just a ride? In the amusement park He gave you, you can run and laugh and slide.

Dear Lord we thank You for the amusement park that You have given to each of us. We pray that we would stop and notice the beauty before us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.