For
God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
One
of the most enjoyable things I recall from my grade school years was
the fun of trading comic books. In those days gone by, comic books
cost a nickle or sometimes a dime if the comic book was thicker in
size. I loved western theme comic books, but also liked mystery
ones....Dick Tracy, Green Hornet, etc. Superman was a favorite of
most of us. There were classic comic books that were more expensive.
Classic books such as Ivanhoe, Tom Sawyer, Heidi, and such were put
into comic book form. There were romance comic books, but my Mother
would never let me buy them or trade for them. They were really very
tame compared to what they would be today.
Trading
comics (as we called them) was usually a neighborhood thing. In
those days, playmates, close family and friend associations were
within one's neighborhood. We never traded comics at school.
Trading was almost an art. Most kept their comics in good condition.
Comics were then more valuable in trading. If you had a couple of
comics without covers, you could probably only get one good comic for
the two unsightly ones. Even comics with torn or messy covers lost
out in the trading process. Classic comics were thicker. If one of
those was in good shape, you could get two regular sized comics for
it.
Americans
have bargained for things back into our history. In the mountains
where I live, folks back in the 1800's often had to bargain for basic
needs. Storekeepers especially, took in farm commodities such as
eggs, butter, chickens, animal hides for things like coffee, nails,
sugar and such things that the average farm couldn't provide.
Farmers selling animals would bargain between seller and buyer for
the best deal.
Most
people have gone into a car dealership with a used car hoping to
purchase a new(er) car after bargaining with a salesperson for the
best deal possible. Most know that the salesperson can be talked
into a lower price on the car to be purchased, but anyone knows the
company has allowed for all of that in their pricing process.
Nonetheless, when an apparent good deal is in place, the buyer walks
away feeling a financial victory has been won.
One
thing I've learned in my years of walking with the Lord is that He is
nothing like a car salesman, comic book trader or country store
owner. Too often we view Him as Santa Claus Who we can go to with
our list of wants and sometimes even demands. God cannot be
bargained with. God is Who He is, can be no more or less. Hebrews
13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today,
and forever.”
I
love seeing in so many portions of Scripture those things the Lord
IS. Those statements are easy to be found. I love reading those
characteristics of the Lord that not only warm my own heart, but is a
constant reminder that those things that are Him are not for sale,
cannot be changed and cannot be bargained away. Those things are set
in concrete...you and I can rest in Him with complete trust.
For
instance....I've been studying Psalm 145. I love this Psalm as it is
not only a song of praise to God but spells out many specifics of who
He is. Let me give some of those things in this Psalm that speaks to
who He is:
The
Lord is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and great in
lovingkindness (8)
The Lord is good to all (9)
The Lord sustains all who fall (14)
The Lord is righteous (17)
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him (18)
The Lord keeps all who love Him (20)
The Lord is good to all (9)
The Lord sustains all who fall (14)
The Lord is righteous (17)
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him (18)
The Lord keeps all who love Him (20)
There
are so many more of those things in Scripture we can relish, but I
can just get chills reading those few things. He's not asking
anything in return. He only extends invitations to all who will
accept Him and walk in relationship with Him as well.
In
this same Psalm, the writer puts in words what we can do for God out
of gratitude. We are often people of “I wills” in our
relationship with the Lord. We mean well as this writer does, but we
forget and often fail. Not only does this Psalm speak of those
things, but also points out “I will” statements that have to do
with us personally. Here's where some things break down...purely on
our part. We are quick with the “I will's” hoping to keep in
God's favor as if we want to strike a deal with Him much like we
would a car salesman.
When
I see that God SO loved that He gave, I must say that my trading off
with Him seems to fade. There is nothing I can do for Him or give
Him that would be a tear drop in the ocean compared to all He's done
for me. Anything I might want to trade off with him is as an old,
dirty, torn up comic book that no one would want. Scripture tells us
that even our righteousness is as filthy rags. No swaps with God. I
will be happy pouring out my heart to Him and will just let Him have
His way.
Dear
Father, thank You for Your ultimate gift to us in Your son Jesus.
Forgive when we become frustrated and try to make demands of You when
we have no right to do so. I thank You for listening to us patiently
and then doing for us what You know to be in our best interest. May
we always stand in awe of You and not treat You in a casual way. In
Jesus name...Amen
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