Good morning and happy Saturday. I hope that your family is doing well. There are a lot of people dealing with illnesses this week so please be in prayer for one another.
I’ve seen a commercial lately that caught my attention (which is the point I guess). In it, the actor extols the virtue of choosing their financial services. One of the selling points is that you can get your check deposited up to two days early. For many, that probably sounds like a great idea. Just imagine having access to your money 2 days earlier. If you get paid on the 15th, you could now experience the financial freedom afforded by getting your money on the 13th. At last, the margin you have been looking for. Admittedly, it is a catchy offer that they are proposing. Many people struggle from paycheck to paycheck, so a little breathing room sounds attractive. The problem seems to me that the benefit would only be the first time you got your check early. After that, you would need every check 2 days early just to keep the frequency you had before. If not, the duration between your first and second check would be an extra 2 days, which would defeat any advantage. I suppose that if you had a payment due each month at the same time you are scheduled to receive a paycheck this might be a good selling point. Other than that, I’m not sure it really is as great as they make it seem to be. But isn’t that true with most things?
One of the biggest selling points for new phones is that they have multiple cameras that enable you to make videos comparable in quality to Hollywood. Even if that were true, why do we need higher quality videos of people’s cats and hamsters? How many high-quality videos of people falling down on the ice does the world really need? The latest TV’s boast incredible picture quality and the ability to handle slightly less than a bazillion channels. So what? Do we really need more mindless drivel? More cars are featuring a so-called self-driving feature so long as you keep you hands within 3 inches of the steering wheel. We used to take our hands off the handlebars of our bikes to show how cool we were. Sometimes it didn’t end so well. A lot of times we are sold on things with features that we don’t really need. It has probably been that way since one caveman convinced another to upgrade his wheels on his Flintstone mobile.
Sometimes, I have heard examples of people trying to convince others to follow Jesus because of some perceived benefits. People are encouraged to become a Christian to overcome loneliness, to have less problems, to be better at budgeting, have a better sex life, or whatever other notion people might find appealing. The reality is that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Instead of being sold on Jesus, people need to be told about who Jesus is. They need to understand that they are lost sinners in need of a Savior. And, the Good News is that He is willing to save them if they are willing to repent of their sins and trust Him. To have your sins forgiven, to receive eternal life, to become a child of God, should be enough for anyone don’t you think? Why would we ever think we needed to add something to that to try to convince someone to become a Christian?
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,because he has not believed in the nameof the one and only Son of God. (John 3:16-18, CSB)
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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