Brothers (and Sisters)

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Don Merritt

 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

Hebrews 2:10-13

This is another section of text that is breathtaking if you’ll relax and let its full significance settle in.  Check out that first paragraph…  Yes, it was quite fitting for God to make Jesus perfect through His suffering, but that isn’t the breathtaking part, at least not for me.  It is the part about bringing many sons (and daughters) to glory.  Jesus attained glory through His suffering; we attain glory through His suffering. Jesus is in glory- we are headed for glory.  Wow!

Note: If you are wondering why I put “sisters” and “daughters” in parentheses, it’s because those words are not in the Greek. It’s “brothers” and “sons”. If you would like to accuse the “new” NIV of being politically correct, I would join with you here, and it is irritating to me too.  However, it does capture the full intent of the original, because while they didn’t come out and say it literally, those were inclusive terms in context.  Sometimes we forget that in Middle Eastern cultures back then, and even today, it is not polite to refer to women in this fashion; the masculine form represents the whole.  By adding those terms, the NIV has captured this and made it clear to modern Western readers that it was intended in the inclusive form. Back to the text…

The one “who makes people holy” is obviously a reference to Jesus. We who are His followers are the ones made holy, and another “wow” moment: Both are in the same family: Welcome to God’s family, we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus! Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Jesus Christ, as He sits on the throne at the right hand of God, ruling heaven and earth is not only King of kings and Lord of lords, but He is also our “big brother”.  If you aren’t filled with awe right now, please slow down and read that again.

The Old Testament quotes that follow are placed there to demonstrate that this is something that has been foretold in Scripture, even though people may not have comprehended it at first.  Imagine how early Jewish Christians in the circumstances of their time would have reacted to this.  Being the brother of the Son of God, a God whose name it was unlawful to even say out loud: Amazing!

I hope that it strikes you the same way.  So many of us go through our lives filled with guilt, grief and fear, not ever comprehending how precious we are in God’s sight… Brothers, in the family… relations…  Not evil, wretched sinners.  Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and your acceptance of His grace, all of that is so far away, and God remembers it no more… Brother! Sister! Son! Daughter!

Welcome home!

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But We See Jesus!

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Don Merritt

For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying:

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.
You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:5-9 (NKJV)

When I was a teenager, this passage grabbed my imagination and really locked me in as a follower of Jesus; “you have made him a little lower than the angels…” Wow!

At any rate, our author is moving on from our last tour segment, and he is making the case that Jesus is superior to the angels.  In verse 5 he mentions that the “world to come” is not in the subjection of the angels, but it is made subject to a man.  Then he quotes Psalm 8 which is an amazing journey into God’s purpose. Beginning with the great and wonderful question What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?  Obviously questions such as this have gone through all of our minds, but there is an amazing answer, an answer that blows us away every time we consider it. Yes, God made us “a little lower than the angels” but He also put the world under us in His hierarchy; amazing.

Recall that back in the Garden, God gave Man “dominion” over all of the creatures of the earth; that “dominion” was not given to angels, nor was it given to any “fallen angel” for it was given to the Man.  Of course, we know that particular man went astray, but there is another Man who would change that.  God put all things under Mankind, but we don’t currently see that having entirely come to pass because of what happened later, when the first man rebelled…

But we see Jesus!

Jesus, that second Man, who has changed everything, yes, we see Him. Yes, He was made a little lower than the angels, so that He could suffer death for everyone, yes, this Jesus is now crowned with glory and honor, for He has tasted death for all of us.  What a glorious sight that is; it is our deliverance. Jesus, remember who He is?  He is the One through whom all things were made, way back in the very beginning. In the fullness of time, when God saw that the right time had come, Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, which is to say that He took on the form of a human body, being entirely human and entirely divine, this amazing Jesus came to earth to take away the problem of sin and shame to restore Mankind to the purpose for which God had created Him to fulfill.

Jesus, who is in every way superior to the angels, allowed Himself to be humbled greatly to accomplish the purpose of God, and soon in God’s time, all will be returned to God’s original design. How is it that God even takes notice of Man?  Yes, it still blows my mind, but He does, for He has big plans for us.

WOW!

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No, don’t do it!

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Don Merritt

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Hebrews 2:1-4

This letter was sent to Jewish Christians in Rome during the time of Nero’s persecution, and it has a theme that carries from front to back that screams. ‘Persevere in times of trial! Hold on firmly to what you have in Christ and don’t let go!’ As you might imagine with such a theme, there are several warnings in the letter, and here is the first one.

Like the opening of the first chapter, this one has an opening paragraph that is heavy on content.  The content here is a contrast between the Old and New Covenants

Old Covenant New Covenant
A message spoken by angels Announced by Jesus Himself
It was binding It was confirmed by its hearers and by God Himself
It contained just punishment for every infraction It includes no escape for ignoring it or even for just drifting away

Simply stated, these verses are telling us that we must give our relationship with Jesus Christ (New Covenant) the highest possible priority.  In fact, this is the thesis for the entire chapter.  I know that I don’t need to ask (Well, do we?) of anyone, because if you are anything like me, we can all do a better job in this area.

Now, let’s think about this another way.  The author has included a contrast between the Old and New Covenants here, as well as throughout this entire letter: Why?

I think the reason is a simple one, but maybe not as obvious to the modern reader as it would have been when it was written.  Remember, it is written to Jewish Christians. Of course they would be interested in this comparison, just on general principle, but there is a deeper reason.  Nero persecuted Christians in his day.  Remember the story of the great fire in Rome that burned out the center of the city, and resulted in a whole new building program by Nero that seemed to be his way of immortalizing himself as a Roman Emperor?  Who did Nero, who probably had quite a bit to do with starting the fire, blame for the fire?

Exactly: Christians!  The Christians were the specific target of his persecution, not Jews.  Thus, a Jewish Christian might have felt pressure to renounce Christ and just be an innocent Jew again to avoid Nero’s persecution. That, dear reader, is the historical context of this letter.  Hold on to what you have in Christ.  The author is constantly reminding his readers how much better their lot as Christians is, in spite of Nero… so this theme is oft-repeated.

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (2:1) 

We need to pay careful attention to what we have in Christ (what we have heard) lest we drift away.  Thus “drift away” would mean going back to the old ways to avoid trouble in this life. He goes on in verse 2 to describe their situation under the Law with its system of rules and punishment for infractions, and then verse 3:  how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? refers back to “drift away”. If they would be ignoring their great salvation and returning to the old system, they would find themselves in a world of hurt with God.  On the one hand, they turned their backs on salvation, and on the other hand, they’d be returning to the condemnation of the Law; a lose – lose situation. Verse 4 underscores the fact that God Himself has confirmed to them the validity of the New Covenant in various ways. As we continue through the rest of the chapter, our author will build this case even more.

For the time being, I might suggest that each of us consider this warning.  OK, we might not have been Jewish, and we might not be living under Nero’s persecution, but are we ever tempted to “drift away?”  Are we ever tempted to slack off, get lazy, not care…? What will be running through your mind if this kind of temptation ever comes your way?

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Jesus: Superior to the Angels

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Don Merritt

Hebrews 1:5-14

As we continue through the rest of Hebrews chapter 1, the author is setting about to prove his assertions of Chris’s supremacy by comparing Him to the angels.  Verses 5-13 are quotations from the Old Testament that contrast the Son with angels.

 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have become your Father”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son

Hebrews 1:5

Notice that in these words, God has a special relationship with Jesus, the relationship of Father and Son; this is quite a different relationship than that which He has with the angels.  In the next verse, our author shows that at the Incarnation, the angels must worship the Son:

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.” (1:6)

As the chapter continues, we can see that the Son will reign, but the angels are His servants (1:8-9 c.f. 1:7).  In vv. 10-12 he quotes  Psalm 102 indicating that the Son will reign over the universe, will destroy it and yet remain the same always. In verse 13 he quotes Psalm 110 showing that God will destroy all of the Son’s enemies and make them “a footstool for your feet” surely God has never made such a promise to an angel!

Finally, comes verse 14 and a curve…

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

As the book continues, we will see the author demonstrate that Jesus is not only superior to the angels, but that He is also superior to Moses, that His sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, that His New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant, and that the promises of the New Covenant are superior to those of the Old Covenant, for they are brought by a superior High Priest (Jesus) who brings a superior sacrifice to establish a superior Covenant.  With this in mind, consider 1:14 above…

By asking the question, the author is asserting its truth: Yes, the angels are “ministering spirits” sent to “serve those who will inherit salvation.”  Slow down, take a closer look; Jesus is the “firstborn” of the Father, His salvation isn’t even an issue, who are these people the author is referring to? Let’s figure it out: Who inherits salvation? Who are called “co-heirs with Christ?”

Let’s see… salvation comes from accepting Christ as savior, by His work on the cross.  Those who are “in Christ” are His co-heirs.  Therefore, the angels are ministering spirits sent to serve you and me.  Again, slow down and let that sink in…

This “in Christ” thing is really too cool!

So, why is it that we waste so much time arguing and complaining?  It seems to me that our author is going to make the point that we really need to grab on to what we have in Christ, and not worry about all of the noise and distractions of this life.

Wow, ministering spirits…

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Jesus: God’s Word

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Don Merritt

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Here we are at the beginning of a tour of a new book from the New Testament, my very favorite book of all, a book that will show you how the Old and New Covenants come together, a book that will both challenge and encourage each one of us.  I sure hope that you will have the time and inclination to be fed and encouraged on our tour: Here we go!

The book begins with a bang in these four verses!  Take a minute to drink them in; they are simply amazing.  Look first of all at the contrast between God’s former ways, and His ways now.  In the past, He spoke through the prophets.  Now, He speaks directly by His Son.  Can you see the difference?  In the Old Testament, there is always an intermediary, but in the New Testament, God speaks directly to us by His Son; a paradigm shift of massive proportions.  This Son by whom God speaks is not just some kid, He is not only heir of all things, He is also the one by and through whom God created the entire universe.  When God spoke the words “let there be light” it was the Son’s lips that were moving… Just let that sink in… This is a huge statement. There’s more coming, catch this one:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. The “radiance” of God’s glory!  Jesus Christ is the radiance of God’s glory, and God sent Him to be with us, to teach us, to have relationships with us… and to die for us.  It’s one thing to be amazed at God’s unending love for us in sending His Son to die for us, but when you combine that kind of love with just exactly who this Jesus is… WOW!

Jesus is also the “exact representation of His being”:  Jesus is in fact God. This is what Jesus meant when He said “the Father and I are one.”  WOW! If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to know what God thinks, look at Jesus. If you want to know if God loves you, look at Jesus on the cross.

“…sustaining all things by his powerful word.”  Ever wonder why the planets don’t just fly off into space?  Ever wonder why the seasons keep coming at the right time after all of these years?  Ever wonder who made up the laws of physics, of nature, of right and wrong? Ever wonder why your head doesn’t explode?  The entire universe is sustained by His Word!  Ever wonder why so many people seek to denigrate the Bible? Now you know why; it is His Word. It is so powerful that it could call the universe into existence.  It is nothing to be trifled with, as so many philosophers have found out. It is a force that we cannot even begin to fathom, and God sent Him to give us direct access to Him.  If this does not inspire you, then maybe you need to see if you can still fog a mirror!

After He finished His work on the earth, He was returned to the glory from whence He had come, superior to the angels, yes. Superior to all living beings everywhere? Yes. This is our Savior, with whom we have a relationship.  I wonder, do we value that relationship as we ought?

Hebrews is simply an awesome book. I think you’ll see as we continue going through it, that it is like no other.

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Redeemed

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Don Merritt

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Galatians 5:22-26

In these verses, we see redemption: The fruit the Spirit- the results of a life lived for God in humble service to His purpose.

Living our lives in relationship with Jesus are not lives lived in a legalistic quagmire of “do’s and don’ts.” It isn’t a life of “obligation” either holy or otherwise; it is a life of victorious freedom! It is a life of purpose, a purpose greater than any one of us… the greatest purpose in the entire universe, for it is the very Eternal Purpose of God Himself. No, it isn’t the kind of a purpose that will make you a big shot who will be remembered in the annals of human history. It isn’t the kind of purpose that will have streets named after you all over the country. No, it is a purpose that will take you back to the Garden of Eden with a chance to do it all over again, only this time you’ll get it right.

OK, fine, maybe you’re wondering what the heck I mean by that…

You know the story: God created Adam and Eve for fellowship with Him.  They had direct access to God, they spoke with Him and walked through the garden, so we would say there was relationship between Man and God. God also gave them some things to do for Him.  They tended the garden and had “dominion” over the earth.  This ‘dominion” was a “God function,” kind of like a “mission” to run things as His stewards. Thus, we say that God gave them a purpose. Relationship with purpose is fellowship, God’s reason for creating humans.  You also know that Adam and Eve rebelled against God when they listened to the serpent’s lie that eating the forbidden fruit would make them just like God.

Now, through Jesus Christ, this fellowship has been restored.  First, He took away the sin problem by His death on the cross.  Since sin was out of the way, it became possible to restore relationship between humans and God, and direct access was restored through the indwelling Holy Spirit, so once again we can speak directly with God.  Jesus also gave us a purpose when He gave His commission to the church to “make disciples”.  Relationship and purpose are fellowship, and thus through Christ, God’s original purpose for making humanity in the first place is restored.  This is what Paul is talking about when he refers to life by the Spirit, and the fruits of that life are what he listed in this text.

Think about how amazing this is:  Why wouldn’t we be filled with joy and peace and love, when we are restored back to the original state for which we were created?

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Sunday Sermon Notes: March 21, 2021

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Don Merritt

Title: Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem

Text: John 12:12-19

It was a day to remember; there had never been anything quite like it before. Oh, Jesus had been to Jerusalem before, but not like this, you see, His time had finally come. This would not be like the other times He had been there, He wouldn’t appear on the scene and then slip out of town, let’s not make any mistake about that!

When the people heard that He was coming to Jerusalem for the Passover, there was electricity in the air. They had heard all about what had happened recently when He brought Lazarus forth from the tomb; some had even been there to see it. Nobody had ever done that before!

Everybody knew that their King was on His way, their King who had been promised by God to deliver His people from the Roman occupation, and with God behind Him, how could they lose?

Yes sir, the Messiah was on His way, and everybody went out to greet Him.

He rode in on a donkey, and while that may seem odd to us, for the people who were there on that remarkable day it was the sign of a king who comes in peace; hadn’t Solomon done the same thing? They waved their branches, they put them in His path, some even tossed their cloaks in the road… and they shouted:

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

God was about to save them from the Romans and restore Israel to the glory of old. Oh yes, it was a glorious day!

Even His disciples believed this to be true. John tells us that they did not understand what was really happening…

There were Pharisees in the crowd, there always seemed to be Pharisees in the crowd. They were not pleased with what they saw on that great day; something had to be done about it. To be fair to them, the Pharisees and the other Jewish leaders had much to be concerned about with Jesus. First of all, He was a threat to their lofty positions; He didn’t really seem to want to go along with the way things were done. Second, they were in a precarious position with the Roman authorities. The Romans were successful as an Empire because they allowed a certain amount of home rule in their provinces. As long as there were no insurrections, and as long as the locals accepted their authority and paid their taxes, the Romans would pretty much leave the locals alone, but if these conditions were not met, the Romans would crush the locals with a brutality seldom before seen. If Jesus encouraged the people to mount a revolt against the Romans, all Judea would be destroyed, and the Jewish authorities were not about to let that happen.

‘So, the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”’ They had tried to be lenient, they had let Jesus slip away several times, but this time they were determined to put a stop to this once and for all.

 

Luke’s View of Events

In these verses, Luke tells the same story that John told in John 12. Even though they both tell the same story, they differ slightly, as does any story when told by two different people. John tells us of how the disciples didn’t understand what was happening when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem; Luke doesn’t mention that, but then John was one of the disciples and was in a position to know what they were all thinking; Luke wasn’t there. Yet Luke is able to show us why the Pharisees were so concerned.

Let’s go back to Jesus entering Jerusalem; He’s on the donkey colt, the people are shouting and waving their branches when you can hear rising up from the crowd:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)

Do you see the problem?

 

“Blessed is the king who comes…”

The Romans are not going to like that, and the Pharisees have good reason to fear their reaction. Let’s be honest, and once again, fair about the Pharisees; they might be religious jerks who were overly impressed with themselves and all that. You might not like them very much, but they weren’t stupid! Their political situation was a very real danger for everybody in Jerusalem, so they said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

Looking at the situation from their point of view, I can’t say that I blame them for this. Jesus was having none of it, however. His reply to their request is classic Jesus, whose agenda is so far removed from what everyone else expects…

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (19:40)

The whole of Creation had been waiting for the day to come when the Messiah would ride into God’s Holy City, and that glorious day had finally arrived; this was not the sort of thing that could be hushed up.

Everybody knew when the Messiah was to come, the prophet Daniel had given them a timeline for His coming, and that’s why the Gospels are full of speculations about His coming, and of all people, the Pharisees would have known better than anyone, but there was a problem in all of this. The problem of course, was one of theological understanding, for their understanding of the Kingdom of God was based upon a false premise.

For the three years leading up to this climactic moment, Jesus had traveled the countryside preaching the Kingdom. Before that, John the Baptist had prepared His way. Jesus was the very embodiment of the Kingdom of God, and where ever He went, He preached the Kingdom, healed the sick, made the lame walk, restored sight to the blind, chased out demons… and made the authorities nervous. No one had ever taught as He taught, no one had ever done the things that He had done, and it would seem that no one quite comprehended what He was doing. Luke gives us a clue in the verses that follow…

 

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Luke 19:41-44

Imagine for a moment that you were Jesus. You’ve been preaching the Kingdom and performing miracles for three years; the people have followed you. Your time has finally come to enter Jerusalem in triumph as the King sent by God your Father to His own. The people have come out to welcome you, to cheer you, to praise God for you. You ride up the hill to where you can see your great city stretched out in the distance… and you say this?

Hold on a minute! You are the conquering hero sent by God to sweep the Romans before you, restore Israel to greatness and rule her as a mighty King, right? Haven’t you been telling everyone that the Kingdom of God was at hand?

I wonder… did the crowds know about this?

In due course, these words came to pass.

The disciples later understood that Jesus never had any intention to re-establish Israel to its former glory in the days of David and Solomon, for having an earthly kingdom within the pantheon of nations of this world was never God’s objective: No, not ever.

It would seem that there was a major disconnect between God’s purpose and the way the people understood God’s Kingdom. The understanding held by the people of that time, and frankly, many today as well, has much more to do with what they wanted from God, than it ever did with what God wanted. The people wanted to be free of Rome and go back to the way it used to be, but then how well had that ever worked?

God, on the other hand, wanted relationship with purpose, and sent Jesus to make that happen, and that is exactly what Jesus did: The people who cheered Him when He arrived in town that day had no concept of this, but that was about to change.

The next time we see Jesus in Jerusalem, He is chasing the money changers out of the Temple. Then we see Him teaching in the Temple and being under attack from the Jewish leaders. He defeats every attack and then He goes on the offensive, passing judgment against their whole way of doing things. After that, He is arrested on trumped-up charges, and many of those same people who shouted “Hosanna” when he arrived were now shouting “crucify”, for Jesus was not the kind of Messiah they wanted.

His disciples were stunned and dismayed, the Jewish leaders were on the verge of victory, but there was still one man who stood in their way, and in one of history’s greatest ironies, that man might have been the only guy in town who understood the real nature of the Kingdom of God…

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God is My Help

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Don Merritt

Surely God is my help;
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness destroy them.

Psalm 54:4-5

It doesn’t sound like David was having a good day when he wrote this; he was under attack from his enemies as it happens. Most of us aren’t on the run from assassins or cut-throats, but there are times in this life when it seems like we are under assault and feel overwhelmed by our circumstances.

One thing we can take from these verses is that David knew where his help would come from, it would come from God. The only problem, was that David didn’t know when God would act or why God didn’t set things right immediately.

But he did know that God would have his back.

Like David, we don’t know God’s timing, nor do we know God’s reasoning for His timing. In fact, other than a bunch of theological abstractions, I can’t even tell you why God allows so much trouble in our lives…

Yet we do know that God has our backs.

In difficult times, God is our Rock, our strength, and in such circumstances our relationships with Him take on a whole new significance for most of us as a source of strength and hope, transcending the problems of this life.

Oh, what an awesome God we have!

Oh yes, and He’s pretty awesome when things are going smoothly too.

 

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Upright in Heart

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Don Merritt
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Working for the Railroad

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Don Merritt

Jack and Tom were best friends all through school. They played ball together, had adventures together… they were inseparable. When the day came for their graduation from high school, they both went to the railroad office near the place where they lived and filled out job applications. A few days later they were both interviewed and hired, and the following Monday they reported together for their first day of work.

Yes, Jack and Tom were the best of friends.

As time went by, both of the boys married their high school sweethearts and began families, and for some time they remained close friends. One day however, Tom was promoted to a new job in another town, and they saw less and less of each other after that. You know how it is, children come along, family is top priority, but it has to be balanced with your job and other responsibilities, and your youthful friends go their own ways, and before you know it, you’ve pretty much lost track of them. So it was with Jack and Tom.

Jack and Tom had been working for about 35 years when they met once again. Jack was a section boss near his home town. A section boss is an important man, responsible for the safe upkeep and operation of a section of the road. One day, he received notice that the new president of the railroad was coming by to inspect Jack’s section. When the day for the inspection came, a big black limo pulled up at the section house, and the new president got out of the car.

“How have you been Jack?” Tom asked, holding out his hand.

“Pretty fair sir” was Jack’s reply as he shook hands with his old best friend.

They went through the normal process of the inspection without a great deal of conversation. Tom asked a couple of questions, Jack gave a couple of answers and the time came for Tom to be on his way. Just as he was about to get into the car, Jack said, “Hey Tom, can I ask you something?” It was the first time that day that he hadn’t called Tom ‘sir’.

“Sure Jack, what is it?”

“Well, we grew up in the same town together, we were best friends; we even started our jobs together. How on earth did you go all the way up to president of the whole railroad, and I only made it to section boss?”

With the slightest hint of a smile, Tom said, “Jack, when you started here right after we graduated, didn’t you go to work for the paycheck?”

“Well sure I did; I needed a job just like you, Tom.”

“Yeah Jack, I needed a job all right, but you went to work for a paycheck; I went to work for the railroad. It was great to see you again Jack, please give my love to Helen and the kids,” and with that Tom shook Jack’s hand and got into his limo and drove away.

A great many people work for a paycheck, but only a few work for their Company, as any successful business person can attest. As I write this, I wonder if the same phenomenon happens when we accept God’s grace through faith in Christ. Can it be that some people accept God’s grace for salvation and forgiveness of their sins, while others do so to follow Jesus Christ?

I can’t say that I know the answer, but I’ve always wondered about it. Any thoughts?

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