Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn
Pastor, Emmanuel
Baptist Church
pastordan@mtida.net
Shut up and Drive.
Last time we were together, we gave a definition for Repentance: “that
mighty change of mind, spirit and heart, wrought by the hand of God.”
Today, I would like to focus on the concept of Change. Before
I was saved, when people would say they were praying for me, I would smile
and tell them “yea, that’s great”, but inside I was furious. In my
heart, I thought: “you can’t be praying for me unless you are talking about
me, and I am none of your business!!!”. Let’s turn the Spiritual
Switch. Have you ever traveled I-5? To a logger from Elk
City, it can be intimidating. There are all manner of people going
the same direction you are. Some eating, some talking on the phone, some
reading a book (this is not made up), some putting on their makeup, and
some doing various combinations of all. There are at least a couple
of lanes, and as many as six. All going the same direction, all sure they
are Okey-Doky, and totally focused on getting there. There
is almost always some sort of divider between the North bound lanes, and
the South bound lanes. Sometimes it is a Borrow Pit; sometimes some Ice-plant,
trees or shrubbery, and sometimes there is so much real estate, between
the opposing lanes, you can’t even see them. Sometimes the folks going
the other way are half a mile off, and five hundred feet higher than you
are. They may as well not even exist. Point is, you are going one
way, and they are going the other. Not Another, but The other. Back
to Change. Every time my mom or my grandma or anyone else prayed
for me, there was a little break in the divider on the highway of life.
I could catch a glimpse of people going the other way. At first I ignored
it, then I dismissed it, but the frequency and the scale of the glimpses
kept growing till I could no longer ignore it. I rationalized that
they were inconsequential, that they had no bearing on my destination.
They were less important than whatever I was doing.
But, the sight of them - more and more, ate at me. “Where are they
all going? Can they all be wrong? Perhaps I should turn around and see
where they are headed”. Then I did it. I pulled off at the next exit,
drove over the freeway, and headed the other direction. I had lots of questions,
even doubts. Everything familiar was going the other way, but this seemed
somehow better. I had done a U-turn in life. I was headed down the
road toward sin and self, and was now going 180 degrees in the other direction,
toward God. It is the same road, with the same off-ramps offering the same
goods and services, but now I was headed in the absolute other direction.
That’s Change. That’s Repentance. Next week we will examine some
Characteristics, and Practical Applications of Repentance.
Who is Praying for you, and how long can you drive with the blinders on? |
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