Tuesday, April 1, 2008

If you are out there…

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Have you ever wondered if there are any more honest people left in the world? For some reason, we are not living in the world that my grandfather would tell me about. He often spoke of his dad being the kind of man that would fill his merchant’s baskets full of grain, would shake it down and continue filling until it was full and overflowing. He wanted to be honest and give each person that came into his mill a quality product for an honest price. Also, the days of only needing screen doors with latches are overshadowed by our homes with security systems whether it’s a dog or an elaborate alarm device, dead bolts, and weapons to defend against any intruder. We can definitely tell that people live like there is no God who will judge every action and word spoken.

During this past week, my wife and I decided to get away for a few days to celebrate our anniversary during her spring break. We were excited to have the bags packed; reservations made, and were ready to get on the road. The trip was going great, and when we were about 20 miles from our destination, we stopped for gas and enjoyed our lunch together. Everyone was happy until we stopped at a bookstore nearly 10 miles down the road, and I realized that my debit card was missing. I checked and rechecked my checkbook but to no avail. This would not have been so bad if I hadn’t already lost my Driver’s License earlier in the week. My wife had already encouraged me to get a wallet or something to keep up with everything. In the past 17 years, I have only had one wallet and didn’t use it very much. The atmosphere went from happiness to fear and frustration. I had already been a victim of identity theft in October of 2005, of which is just now getting cleared up, and I definitely didn’t want to go through that process again.

Have you ever had to retrace your steps and think of where you may have lost something? This is the journey we embarked on. It only took 10 minutes to go back to where we last stopped, but it seemed like an hour. I had a receipt in my pocket from the restaurant and decided to call them on the way. They searched the dining room and didn’t see anything. The lump in my throat grew bigger especially when I knew our first anniversary trip was in jeopardy. Finally, we made it back to the gas station, and in desperation, I approached the counter and asked if anyone had turned in a debit card. What is the likelihood of someone finding a debit card and not trying to use it for themselves? The employees asked me my name and wanted to see my driver’s license (my brand new one). From under the counter, they pulled out my card and said an older gentleman found it out in the parking lot. What relief flooded my heart! I could not help but praise Christ for the honesty of the man and protection of my name.

There are still honest people out there who desire to walk in the truth (3 John 1:4). Whether this man knew the Lord, I do not know. However, he did reveal that he feared a future judgment. Proverbs 9:10 reminds us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Everyday, we live under the Sovereign rule of Almighty God. Hebrews 1:3 speaks of Christ and reminds us of His Majesty, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” God knows, sees, and hears all things. How should we live in light of God’s holiness and righteousness? For those who are out there living to please the Lord Jesus Christ, I say thank you in advance for blessing others by being right, honest and fair.

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