Which one?

This morning on the way to the church I was listening to a pastor that I enjoy on the radio. He told this story that I had to share with you. 

A business was doing training for upper-level management. The speaker had a large beam in the front of the room, and he asked a volunteer to walk across the beam for $20. He did it. Then the speaker asked him, "If I took this beam and put it on the roof of this high rise building and stretched it between the two buildings and asked you to walk across it for $20, would you, do it?"  To which the volunteer answered, "No!"  

Then the speaker asked the volunteer, "What if I held one of your children up and said if you do not cross over, I am going to throw them off the roof?" To which the volunteer answered, "Which child?"  

If you are a parent, you know you laughed. Parenting is hard and sometimes it gets even tougher. But we always love our children and would do anything for them, even if we do get frustrated with them sometimes. 

Aren't you glad God is not like that? He loves us all with unconditional love. It is 

because of this type of love that Christ went to Calvary's cross. He paid the penalty for your sin and mine. 

As the chorus of wonderful old hymn "Jesus Paid it all" says. 

"Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." 

 

In one ear and out the other

 In one ear and out the other 

  

 

I recently heard a story that made me laugh. 

A doctor, lawyer, and pastor went deer hunting. All the sudden a beautiful buck came out of nowhere and stood in all their sites. Instantly, they aimed and fired all at the same time. The buck fell to the ground. 

They all rushed to the buck and stood around trying to figure out which shot killed it. A game warden came up and they asked him to help them figure it out.

The game warden bent down and examined the deer. He stood up and said, “Easy, the preacher killed it.”   

They all asked, “How do you know that?” 

The game warden said, “Simple the bullet went in one ear and out the other.” 

Anyone who speaks to people can identify with this story. Sometimes I feel like what I say goes in one ear and out the other. Sometimes people must feel that way about me. 

I pray that the message of this week will not go in one ear and out the other. Because the message of this week is the very foundation of our faith.  

I urge you in the days leading up to Easter to mediate on this verse. 

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV). 

Oh Lord, please do not let the message of this week go in one ear and out the other. Lord, show me with new eyes the meaning and the message of this week.