Ansel

Ansel had shared classes with me for all of my life.  Some years we were in the same class, and other years he was in another class, but we knew each other well.  We worked for the same masonry company for a few weeks as rising seniors on the new Quality Inn in Edgewood.  With no experience, we were laborers and scaffold riggers.  One day, Ansel cane to work all excited.  He had gotten his new high school class ring.  Back then the 14-carat gold ring was $31.50.  A bargain by today’s standards.  We were on the second-floor scaffolding and Ansel was showing me his ring when he suddenly dropped it.  Ansel made a valiant grab, but missed, and the ring tumbled into the open block wall.  We heard the faint clinking as the ring fell inside the twelve-inch block wall down to the bottom of the ground floor.  Ansel scrambled down the scaffolding, picked up a brick hammer and punched a hole in the concrete block directly below where the ring had fallen.  No ring.  He moved over to the next web and knocked another hole.  Still no ring.  He moved to the other side and hammered a third hole in the block wall.  Still no ring.  He was poised to make a fourth hole when the foreman shouted, “Hey!  What are you doing?!”  Ansel was more panicked over his ring than afraid of the foremen.  But the foreman had no compassion for the missing ring.  “Drop that hammer and get back up there rigging the scaffolding!”  Ansel began a protest, but the foreman’s angry look stopped any discussion.  The ring was now an artifact to be discovered in fifty years.  Maybe.  Ansel was heartbroken, but the boss was guarding his block wall.  Each one had their own perspective.  Solomon said in Proverbs 21:2, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”  Our own point of view is right … according to how we see things.  But the good Lord knows what is best for all of us.  I’m not sure if Ansel bought another ring or not.  But Quality Inn and Suites is still there.  And so is a gold ring, Edgewood High School, 1967.

Zealous

 

Wednesday, Marleen called me all in a panic.  The electricity was off at her house, and her garage door wouldn’t open.  She was trapped!  First, I calmed her down, and then I tried to explain the door release rope on the garage door opener.  But the more I explained, the more complicated my explanation became.  So I just said, “I’ll be there in a minute.”  And I got into my car and drove over to her house.  I did the 11 minutes in 8 … with my seatbelt firmly buckled.  When I arrived, she was standing at the front door looking distraught.  One smile from me eased her expression.  We walked through the house, out of the back door and into the dark garage.  Thank goodness for cellphone flashlights!  I pulled the release cord, lifted the garage door, and the glorious sunlight came streaming in.  Marleen was released from her garage door prison.  She backed her car out, I shut the garage door, and we were off for another day of repairs at church.  And, as I reflected on the morning, I understood the word “zealous”.  Marleen had an emergency, and I was able to help.  But it was urgent that I get to her as quickly as possible.  I was “zealous” as I drove from my house to her house.  Hey, are we as zealous to serve the dear Lord?  As we think of the resurrection, Easter Sunday morning, and the second coming of Jesus Christ, are we excited to serve the risen Savior?  Paul said in Titus 2:13&14, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”  We don’t serve Jesus in order to be saved; we serve Jesus because we are saved.  We serve from hearts of gratitude.  And we serve zealously!

Benefits

 

When I was in college, I bought a whole life insurance policy from New York Life and Casualty Company (thank you, Brother Briggs King).  I held it for about ten years, finally cashing it in to pay the hospital bill for my second daughter.  A good decision, I must say.  So, my wife and I were looking at the policy to decide what to do and we discovered an unusual clause.  There were all of these accidents that would pay the full policy value or half the policy value.  If I lost one leg or one arm in an accident, I could receive half of the value of the policy.  If I lost both eyes, I could receive the full policy value.  And then the wording went on, one eye, one leg, one arm in various combinations - the complete benefits of the policy was all spelled out in perfectly gory detail.  I was tempted, but only a little.  Hey, David said in Psalm 103:2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”  Then David went on to list various benefits of God’s goodness.  When I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a six-year-old boy, I didn’t realize all of the benefits that I was getting.  What a bargain I made back in 1956!  Hey, have you accepted Jesus as your Savior?  He has countless benefits - much more than New York Life ever dreamed of.  Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is well worth the decision.  The best bargain that you’ll ever make!

Saved or Lost?

 

The Titanic went down April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage.  There were hundreds of casualties and communication was poor in those days, so the White Star Line posted two white boards outside of its office in Liverpool.  One board read in large letters, "Known to be lost" and the other read, "Known to be saved".  Anxious folk would try to find the names of their loved ones on one of the two boards.  Hey, spiritually speaking, which list are you on? Are you on the “Known to be lost” list or are you on the “Known to be saved” list?  And did you know that your name can be moved from the “Known to be lost” board to the “Known to be saved” board?  To get your name moved is a simple, but profound transaction that you must make with God.  If you put your faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, He will take away your sins and in return give you His eternal life.  Your name can be moved from “Lost” side to the “Saved” side by trusting in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.  The apostle John said in I John 5:12, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”  You see, it’s all about Jesus.  It always has been; it always will be.