I was pondering over the upcoming Easter Sunday and of the stories and devotions that have been and could be written about this momentous occasion. As I was pondering over it, I was reminded of a story that I once read about a young man who had left the old country, to sail to the new America in order to make a new life for himself. Upon his leaving, his father placed a few coins in his hands in hope that it would somehow tide him over until he was able to get a job. His mother had made several sandwiches and placed them along with a few apples in a small basket and gently kissed his cheek as she wished him well in his new life.
The young man purchased his ticket, got on the Ship and set sail. The journey was to be a long one and the young man wanted to go sparingly on his food. The first night he went up on the deck and took one of his sandwiches. He ate silently and watched as the other passengers walked by him and entered the great room that had many dining tables and chairs. He listened to their chatter and laughter and watched through the windows as the servers brought plates of hot steaming food to the people at their tables. As he took bites from his little sandwich, he took comfort in knowing the love that his kind mother had towards him as he smelt and tasted the home aid bread from her own hands. The days went by slowly and the man’s basket of sandwiches and apples slowly diminished and he was left with nothing but a few stale crackers and moldy cheese along with his hunger pains. He had remembered the coins that his father had given him, but soon realized that the food in the dining room would certainly cost more than he had to spare so he resolved to be satisfied with a few stale cracker and a piece of molded cheese.
A few days out of New York’s port almost starving, the man decided to ask the Porter in broken English how much to eat the food in the dining room. The Porter could not understand him so the man pulled out his few meager coins pointed to them and then to the dining room, and in a weak voice once again said, “How Much?”, the Porter understanding at that point said as he closed the man’s hand, “You are free to eat, it cost nothing, the food is included in your passage!”. Many of us live our spiritual lives just as this young man did on his trip. We choose to be spiritual paupers. We feast on stale crackers and molded cheese when we could be enjoying the tasteful morsels at the Master’s table. We are waiting for the day that we feel worthy to sit and dine with the King of Kings, not realizing that the cost of such fellowship was included in the passage that Christ paid on the cross for us and when the veil was torn in the temple and we were allowed to walk straight in to the very throne room of God with the boldness of a King’s child. That dividing wall of hostility was torn down on God’s side. However, there may be some demolition work needed to be done on our part. You see the enemy of our souls is very busy building barriers around us to block the spiritual intimacy that God want us to encounter with Him.
No matter how far God goes to draw man to Himself, the enemy goes just as far in his evil plan to try and persuade or deter them from the Truth. Sadly, mankind boast of wanting to know Truth, yet most of the time they choose to be lied to and be deceived; because for many, God’s ways are hard ways and can only be accomplish through yielding to Him. satan’s ways are easy, “do nothing”, he whispers or better yet, “do it your way”, he pleads! Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift that God offers is eternal life. You must decide for yourself, what you will do with the work that Christ did. If you accept it, then tell God that you do, and turn from your sin by being willing to change, for God will help you do that if you are truly willing. Ask God into your life and be willing to do things His way. Find a Bible believing Church, follow Christ in Baptism which represents what Easter is all about, dying to your sin, rising to a new life in Christ. If we are ashamed of Him to men, He will be ashamed of us before His Father. Tic off the devil today, say no to him, and yes to Christ and be free! Loving you and wishing you the best of this Easter Holiday!
Loving on you today,
Bren
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