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Reflections On God Biography Come
To Your Senses
Jeremiah 17:10
“I, the Lord search
the heart. I test the mind, even to give to each one
according to his ways; according to the results of his
deeds.”
Results May Vary……
While
spending some time in the customer waiting area at the auto
repair shop I scanned the headlines on the cover of an
outdated famous household magazine. Waiting rooms are
notorious for having an ample supply of old periodicals.
Spend what seems like eternity in a waiting room and you
will catch yourself reading anything, even the children’s
books if you are so unfortunate as to have your wait
extended. I was skimming over stuff I wouldn’t normally
spend much time on.
The headline of the fourteen month old magazine
that caught my eye was the overused (and misleading) one, “Lose
10 lbs. Fast!!!” You know the article doesn’t
really give you any new information on weight loss. You
know the headline is just there to grab your attention and
spur you into buying the magazine. On another occasion when
I had some time to spare I counted the first one hundred
pages of another popular supermarket magazine and tallied
sixty-five percent of the pages were merely advertisements
for various products. The majority of the ads were for some
type of medicine or personal care product.
Somewhere on each of the ads printed in the
tiniest of fonts was the disclaimer for using the advertised
product or following the given expert advice with the finest
of detail was, “Results may vary.”
Sorry, back to the story. So, the “Lose
ten pounds fast” article gave specific points of how
to drop the weight over a ten week period using the “it’s
easy and no pain” approach. Anyone who has ever tried
to lose weight knows it takes work and discipline. So
expecting results with little or no effort or zero pain is
purely ludicrous. At various times I’ve had pain just
losing one pound!
I put the heavily perused magazine with its
tattered corners and missing pages that once held coupons or
recipes back on the rack and spotted a more current issue of
the same publication. A similar headline beside a picture
of one of the famous television doctors read, “How to
Lose 10 lbs. in 4 Weeks”. I thought maybe the
publisher concluded that losing weight in ten weeks took too
long so they found another “expert” who could offer advice
on achieving a weight loss goal much faster and with much
less pain. Again, towards the end of the article was that
simple yet common disclaimer that “results may vary”.
On another occasion I observed some nicely
refinished furniture at a resale shop which also sold
refinishing kits for the do-it-yourselfer. On the glossy
photo display next to some cans of wood stain was an
asterisk with the familiar “results may vary” qualification.
Results may vary on any number of attempts to
recreate a delicious recipe. Results may vary when you or I
paint the kitchen. Results may vary (okay will absolutely
vary) when I look at sheet music and begin singing a song in
church! I can’t read music so I must listen to a song first
to play it on the guitar. Trust me; results will vary from
what is printed on the page. I give it my best shot but
with varying results and hardly ever do I sing or play a
tune the same way more than once.
I think living a Christian life has similar
characteristics. Imagine if the Bible, God’s holy Word had
that disclaimer inscribed on a page prior to Genesis!
Caution: When reading or using
this book to live a Christ-filled life, results may vary.
Do the results vary? Or do the results match the
effort? Two master chefs may use equal ingredients, follow
the same recipe and still produce unique results. Their
skill and level of experience has a lot to do with their
eventual creation. You and I may mow the lawn and trim the
hedge but I’m positive the results may vary.
So, friend, what is your effort? What is your
approach to the Gospel? Do you adhere to only six of the
Ten Commandments? Do you keep holy the Sabbath only
when your schedule allows? Have you volunteered at your
church, your local food pantry or hospital with a charitable
heart? Do you fudge a little on your taxes?
Don’t tell me! Go find yourself a mirror. Look
at who’s looking back at you. Convince the image in the
mirror that you are giving an honest effort. If your
reflection is making you feel a little uneasy, I simply
suggest you amend your effort.
God’s holy Word is full of expert counsel on how
to attain salvation and share in his kingdom! When you live
the Gospel, how you live it is entirely your responsibility.
Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection
conclusively assures us a place in the kingdom! That battle
has been won for you and me! But you have to say yes to
Jesus to claim your eternal inheritance!
Read
his Book! Follow his instruction! If you don’t, remember,
the results may vary!
Peace.
©
Dave
I
appreciate your comments:
dpolitte57@gmail.com
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