Dionysus and Damocles

 

Dionysius was a powerful king of Syracuse in Sicily.  Though Dionysius had immense wealth and luxury, he always lived in fear of assassination and betrayal because of his iron-fisted rule.  A courtier named Damocles constantly praised the king, saying how lucky and happy Dionysius was to possess such a wonderful life of supreme power and riches.  Growing tired of the flattery, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for a day so he could experience the king’s fortune firsthand.  Damocles was placed on a golden throne in the banquet hall.  Servants treated him like the king, offering fine foods, rare perfumes, beautiful flowers, and lovely music.  But well into the feast, Damocles glanced up and saw a sharp sword hanging directly above his head, held by only a single horsehair.  Terrified that the hair might snap at any moment, Damocles could no longer enjoy the food, music, or riches.  He begged the king to let him leave.  Dionysius explained that this constant dread and danger was the reality of his everyday life as a ruler.  As mere mortals, how often is our life in peril?  We are unaware of the spiritual world all about us filled with demons and angels.  We go about our daily business while the good Lord protects and guides our steps.  Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

A Little Boy

 

Sunday morning, a little four-year-old boy rode the Sunday school van to church.  I was sitting in the fellowship hall when he walked by, so I was closer to his eye level.  I smiled and said, “I like your Bluey tee shirt.”  He proudly responded, “It has a pocket.”  And with that, he showed me the little chest pocket in his Bluey tee shirt.  I looked concerned and said, “But it doesn’t have anything in it.  Here, just a minute.”  And I took out my wallet and produced a dollar bill, folded it, and put it into his little shirt pocket and said, “Now you have something in your Bluey pocket.”  And I smiled.  And he smiled too.  Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD …”  Hey, make a child smile today.  And you will smile too.  And the good Lord will smile too.

Where Is Home?

 

When I first went to Romania in 1990, Delta Airlines let me take two suitcases of seventy pounds each, plus a carry-on.  There were four of us who went, so we had eight big suitcases.  We rented an Opel Vectra, which was a small sedan with nowhere room for all of the luggage that we had.  We took ropes and S-hooks and strapped three suitcases onto the trunk lid and drove from Frankfurt, Germany to Romania!.  As I was preparing to go, I got out everything that I wanted to take.  It would have filled three suitcases, so I had to cut back.  I removed items and switched items around until I had my stuff down to one suitcase (the other one had tools in it).  But when I went overseas for two weeks, I had everything that I needed to make it … but just barely.  Hey, often we fail to realize that as Christians, we are just pilgrims here on earth.  This world is not our final home, we are here for just a few years and then we pass on to our eternal home - the place where we REALLY belong.  We need to live simply and frugally - just like me living out of my one suitcase.  Oh, there’s nothing wrong with nice things, but honestly, do we really need all of the stuff that we have?  My basement is full; my attic is full; my two extra bedrooms are both full.  Do I really need all of that stuff?  Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  Put God first and “live out of a suitcase” here on earth.

 

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through, 

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue,

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door 

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Oh lord you know I have no friend like you,

If heaven's not my home then lord what will I do?

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.