A Mother's Love

 

A mother’s love is just about the most perfect love that there is.  She will do, and give, and make excuses, for her children to a fault.  She will put up with things that no human being should put up with.  And she will think nothing of it.  My family was visiting my mother in Maryland years ago.  I ran out to the car, jumped in, and took off.  When I returned, my wife met me at the front door with a look of panic.  She said, “When you left, you drove over your mother’s cat.  Flo Flo’s dead.”  I was shocked and embarrassed.  I went inside, apologizing to my mother.  But she said (matter-of-factly), “Oh, it’s not your fault.  Flo Flo shouldn’t have been sitting in front of the tire.”  I killed my mother’s cat, and she was making excuses for me!  Solomon got it right in Proverbs 4:3, “For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.”  Solomon knew that King David, his father, loved him.  But Solomon knew that Bathsheba, his mother, loved him even more.  Hey, do you know that there is a love that surpasses the love of your mother!  God loves you even more than your mother loves you!  Fiercely, tenderly, and unwaveringly.  Hey, do you love God right back?  Don’t forget Jesus Christ during the upcoming Christmas season.  He hasn’t forgotten you.

Clog

 

A while back at church, I noticed that the rainwater was running over the downspout instead of into the downspout.  So 2 weeks ago, I got out the 8’ step ladder, used the back fire escape landing, and climbed up onto the flat roof of our church fellowship hall to investigate.  And when I examined the downspout, I found 2 tennis balls clogging the downspout.  How did 2 tennis balls get into the second story downspout, you might ask?  You’ll have to ask the little urchin who threw them up there.  And I’m sure someone else was with him laughing at his friend’s mischief even daring him to throw the second one up there. Proverbs 1:10, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”   And when it rained, both tennis balls floated over the roof with the rainwater and into the downspout where they stopped up the flow causing damaging water infiltration to the lower story roof below.  Fun for a kid resulted in a damaged roof.  Observe and consider.

No Parking

 

When I was in college, money was tight.  We lived in a tiny trailer and drove an AMC Gremlin.  I took college classes in the morning and worked the afternoon shift.  One day, I went to Erlanger Hospital to donate blood for $15.  I didn’t want to pay for parking, so I drove a block away and walked to the hospital.  There was a “No Parking” sign on the street, but everyone else was parking there, so I did too.  But later that morning when I got back from donating blood, all the other cars were gone except for my car, and it had a parking ticket tucked under the windshield wiper blade.  The night nurses knew to leave before the meter maid came around.  The only car left was mine, with the ticket on it!  I had to pay a $10 parking fine.  So much for my money-making idea.  Hey, I got the ticket and I was guilty.  Everyone else knew how to avoid a ticket, but that was no excuse for me.  I got caught.  That’s the same with my spiritual life.  I can make excuses and blame other people, but in the end, MY sin is MY responsibility. Paul said in Romans 3:10, “… There is none righteous, no, not one.”  Others may be guilty, but that’s no excuse for me.  I am guilty MYSELF!  Hey, what about you?  Will you take responsibility for your own sin?  Trust Jesus and let Him take your sin for you.  What a great bargain: give Jesus your sin and He will give you His eternal life in exchange!