Lessons from a child

We have been blessed with a wonderful new addition to our family.  Samuel Carter Safford is my grandson.  Yes, it is hard for me to believe that I am an grandfather - I am too young to be a grandfather!!

Needless to say, he is a joy for my wife and I.  We get to see him regularly and are enjoying watching him grow.

I was thinking this morning of our relationship to our Heavenly Father, and I was reminded of something that Sam did a little while ago.

As most of you know - I travel a lot.  I get to go to other countries and serve with amazing people.  I get to see some unbelievable  places, and I get to eat a variety of foods.  AND, as I return, I get to bring things home with me from these cultures and share them with my family.

In April, I returned home with a drum for Sam.  I was excited about giving it to him, and was looking forward to his response as he received such a "cool" gift.  Again, in June, I returned with some "Chiky" cookies for Sam, and again I was excited to see how he responded.

His response was a lesson to me.  I thought he would take the drum and play with it.  I thought he would get all excited about the cookies and want to eat them.  However, both times, he looked at my gift and reached beyond them to be with me.  He wanted me - not my stuff!  He missed relationship with me while I was gone, and longed to be with me again.

Yes, Sam is young - he will learn - the stuff is so much cooler than I am.  But in the meantime, I will enjoy his enthusiasm to see me.

His response made me think about God.  Remember when we first accepted the good news of the gospel.  God's wrath for my sin was poured out on His Son, and I was given Christ's righteousness in place of my sinful heart.  God did this so I could have a relationship with Him.  That's amazing!!  And when I was first introduced to it, the greatest gift God gave me was Himself.  That was all that I wanted.  That was all that I needed.  God was/is sufficient.

But as years go by, it seems that I get enamored with the gifts that God can provide and forget that He is the greatest gift of all.  I even go so far as to pursue things that are contrary to Him and His nature and I seek to find satisfaction in them.  Oh, foolish person that I am, what greater gift is there than to be called a son of God.

God help me to see you again as I did at first.  Help me to find my pleasure and satisfaction in you and you alone.  Help me, as Sam has taught me, to pursue you first and enjoy your gifts as they were intended - a reflection of your love for me.

What if you won 1.5 Billion Dollars? 

I was listening to the radio as I traveled to Cedarville, Ohio this week, and the Powerball Jackpot has risen to 1.4 billion dollars.  By the drawing on Wednesday, I expect the total prize to be $1.5 billion.  If one were to win, the actual payout (after taxes) will be somewhere around $500,000,000.  That is some amazing prize.

What would you do with that kind of money?

If you have talked with anyone at all about this drawing, the question rises, "what would you do with that kind of money?"  From vacation houses to paying off debt, from taking care of family and friends to buying an island, the answers differ from person to person.  What doesn't seem to differ is the enthusiasm that accompanies the idea of being a millionaire - or a MULTI-MILLIONAIRE!!

Here is a thought for us as believers...

Almost everyone would agree that if they won that kind of money, they would take care of family and friends.  They would give them as much as they can to help them out.  They would pay their bills, set them up financially for life, or at least make sure they were sufficiently blessed.  Even those who do not know Christ as Savior share this philanthropic ideal.

Isn't what we have in Christ far more valuable than $1.5 Billion?

Money is passing, pleasure is passing, ease in this life is passing... EVERYTHING in this life is passing.  Living with God is eternal!  Being part of His family, sharing in the eternal inheritance, spending time with Jesus in Heaven is ETERNAL!  Why is it that we have such a difficult time sharing something that is infinitely more valuable than money and possessions?  Why are we not making sure that the gift that we have been given in Jesus Christ - that, by the way, does not diminish as it is shared with others (like money does) - is not made available for everyone we come in contact with?

Is it possible that we have lost the vision for the value of His Grace given to us?

Just a thought...