What If You Were Blind?

Imagine living in a beautiful mansion with a scenic view of the countryside. You own the finest furniture. Your yard is landscaped with beautiful flowers and cascading waterfalls. A Lamborghini and a Bentley are parked in your garage.

Add one more factor to your hypothetical world. You’re blind. Although you own the finest of everything, you can’t enjoy them because YOU CAN’T SEE THEM. Now you understand that you already own one of the most valuable things you could possibly have—your eyesight.

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is one of the richest men in the world. In 1997, he was giving a speech to 1,500 people at a convention in Seattle. After Gates’s speech, a medical doctor stood up and asked a question. “Mr. Gates,” he asked, “If you were blind, would you trade all your money to have your sight restored?” At the time, Bill Gates’s personal wealth was $35 billion. Gates thought for a moment and said, “If I were blind, yes, I would give up all my money to receive my sight.”

Since you’re reading this, you already have your sight. Suppose someone offered you $35 billion if you would give up your eyesight. You would be blind for the rest of your life, but you’d be rich. Would you do it? I don’t think so.

But many people aren’t enjoying life, even though they are surrounded by every blessing imaginable. They just CAN’T SEE THEM.

A friend of mine lives in Florida a few miles from Kennedy Space Center. I told him, “It must be fun watching the space shuttle launches and going to the beach all the time.” He replied, “I never go to the beach and I don’t even go outside my house to watch the space shuttle launch.” I asked, “Why?” He said, “I’ve seen them so many times it’s no big deal.” And there lies the problem.

When we see the same blessings every day, we eventually stop noticing them. When we stop noticing, we quit appreciating. When we quit appreciating, we stop thanking. When we stop thanking, we start complaining.

I thank God from my heart every day for saving me, for my wife, family, house, cars, electricity, water, air-conditioning, etc. I see them. I appreciate them. And I thank God for them. Can you SEE all the blessings God has given you? www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com   www.makinglifecount.net

Jumping to the Wrong Conclusion

In April 2000, a woman in Houston, Texas was killed in a car accident. As the coroner was doing the autopsy, he discovered a bullet in the deceased woman’s brain. He changed the cause of death from an accident to first-degree murder. 

What looked like a car accident apparently was a diabolical coverup for a crime. Of course, the husband would be a primary suspect in such cases. But before we lock him up in a prison cell on death row, we need to gather all the facts. Maybe the butler did it, or someone else was involved.

Upon further investigation, the coroner discovered she had been accidentally shot in the head in 1978 and never had the bullet removed. Once the coroner gained this new information, he changed the cause of death from murder back to a car accident. 

Do you see how easy it is to jump to the wrong conclusion? We take one bit of information and think it’s the whole story. We make wrong assumptions when we fill in the blanks with our biased opinions and mentally connect the dots that aren’t there.

The prophet Samuel wrongly assumed Eliab was going to be the next king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:6). Saul wrongly assumed David wanted to usurp his throne (1 Sam. 18:8-9). Samson wrongly assumed he would always have supernatural strength (Judges 16:19-20). The scribes and Pharisees wrongly assumed Jesus received the power to cast out demons by Satan (Mark 3:22).

Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers before he hears the facts—it is folly and shame to him.” If you don’t know all the facts, and if you don’t know the other person’s motives, hold off from forming an opinion or making an important decision. It might save you from being embarrassed later.  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com   www.makinglifecount.net

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If Jesus Wrote a Letter to Your Church

In Revelation 2-3, Jesus wrote letters to seven churches in different cities. These letters (recorded by the apostle John) were to be delivered to those churches so they could make corrections. It made we wonder—what would He write to today’s churches? Here are some facts about those letters:

1. Each church had an opinion about itself that was inaccurate. “Groupthink” is the conformity of thinking within a group, which typically doesn’t allow differing points of view. Laodicea thought they were wealthy and didn’t need anything. But Jesus corrected their false opinions, “You don’t know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17).

2. Jesus praised them for what they were doing right. He told the church at Ephesus, “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil…and have not grown weary” (Rev. 2:2-3).

3. Jesus rebuked them for what they were doing wrong. He also told Ephesus, “But I have this against you, you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev. 2:4)

4. Jesus told them how to make corrections. “Remember how far you have fallen, repent, and do the works you did at first” (Rev. 2:5).

IF JESUS WROTE TO CHURCHES TODAY, He might say something like this:

To the Liberal church: “I know your compassion for all broken and rejected people, and will accept them into your church. But I have this against you—you have ignored My Word about the need for repentance, and you will not allow Me to change their hearts and behavior.”

To the Traditional church: “I know that you do not compromise My Word, that you are teaching it to all ages in your Sunday School classes, and you support missions. But I have this against you—you hold on to man-made traditions and rituals, many that I want you to abandon. You’re doing them because you’ve always done it that way, and not because I told you to do them.”

To the Contemporary church: “I know that you have changed the atmosphere to make your church more inviting to the younger generation. You’ve updated your music, made your sanctuaries more comfortable, and even serve donuts and coffee. But I have this against you—entertaining the congregation has become more important than making disciples and worshipping Me. You have abandoned discipleship programs for all ages (like Sunday school), which has made your congregation spiritually shallow.”

Okay, I’ll admit that I’m just speculating about what He might say. Your church might be perfect. Or it might need a letter written to it. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net

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The Optimist Says, The Pessimist Says

Peter, James, and John spent all night fishing and had caught nothing. As they were washing out their nets, Jesus told them to go back out and let down their nets and then they would catch fish (Luke 5:1-5). Suppose an optimist and a pessimist were also on the boat. Which one is you?

The Pessimist says:  "Go out again? Why didn’t you tell us this before we washed out our nets? We already wasted an entire night out there. The fish aren’t out there! It won’t do any good.” The Optimist says:  "It doesn’t make sense, but I will trust you even though I don’t understand.”

God did have a purpose for their empty nets. It was to show them that He could provide for them when their own efforts failed. When they threw out their nets, they caught so many fish that their nets began to break (Luke 5:6). Pessimist says: “Oh no! The nets are breaking so now I’ve got to repair them.” Optimist says: “Look at all the fish! We can sell them and buy new nets and a new boat. Thank you, Jesus!”

The pessimist complains when the nets are empty, and complains again when the nets are full! We can choose to look at the positive side of each situation or the negative side. The optimist sees the donut. The pessimist sees the hole.

They filled both of the boats with so many fish that they began to sink (Luke 5:7). Pessimist says: “Oh no! God is sinking our boats! These nets are so heavy! My back is killing me! Call a doctor. I think I threw my back out. I'll sue!" Optimist says: “Wow! God is blessing our boats! This is great! I've never seen a haul like this before. Only God could do this!” 

And when they had brought their boats to the land, they left everything and followed Him. (Luke 5:11) They left their boats behind. They left behind their tremendous haul of fish they had just caught because they found a higher calling. Pessimist says: “I’m losing my fishing business!” Optimist says: “I’m gaining eternal life!”

Peter and the other disciples were convinced if Jesus could provide that many fish, then He could provide all their other needs as well if they followed Him. Many people have never figured that out. Have you? But first you might have to leave your “fish” behind. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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Taking Communion on the Moon?

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 became the first manned vehicle to land on the moon. Nearly everyone knows Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, but few remember the second man was Buzz Aldrin. Even fewer remember that Buzz Aldrin was the first man to observe the Lord’s Supper on the moon.

He was an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church in Texas at the time, so he asked his pastor to provide the elements to take to the moon. Aldrin and Armstrong had only been on the lunar surface for a few minutes when Buzz read John 15:5 and swallowed the bread and wine inside the lunar module. Aldrin later said, “The very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements. And some of the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ, who made the earth and the moon.” 

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). I have to wonder if Jesus knew that Communion (also known as the Eucharist) would one day be celebrated on the moon. Since He knew all things (John 18:4, 19:28), He certainly did know. When Mary anointed Jesus with perfume, He said, "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13).

His statement sounded impossible, but Jesus knew a Bible would be written in the future and this event would be recorded in it. Today the New Testament has been translated into 2,300 languages. Bibles have been distributed worldwide, and the story about Mary anointing Him with perfume is recorded in each one of them.

He never said, “Truly I say to you, this supper will be celebrated on the moon.” It would be too much for anyone to believe, at least until 1969. We don’t take the Lord’s Supper to remember it was celebrated on the moon. We take it to remember Jesus died for our sins, and we’ll continue to observe it until He returns and we’re in His kingdom (1 Cor. 11:26, Matt. 26:29).  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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The Hardest Part in Learning to Swim

When I was a kid, I took swimming lessons at the local neighborhood pool. The easy part was when I grabbed on to the side of the pool while someone held me up as I learned how to kick. I passed with flying colors! Then came the hardest part of swimming—learning how to float. The instructor told me the water would hold me up if I would just relax.

Many people say, “I haven’t learned how to swim,” but what they really mean is “I haven’t learned how to float.” Once you figure out how to do that, swimming becomes easy.

I had thrown rocks and other objects into a lake and all of them sank to the bottom. It was hard for me to believe the water would hold me up because I was much heavier than the rocks I threw. My instructor told me to lay flat as he held me up by the stomach. Then, he let go. Just as I expected, I immediately sank! I went home that day embarrassed and frustrated.

The next time I went to the neighborhood pool, I tried again to float, but my feet would immediately drop down so I could stand up. I didn’t fool anyone when I did that awkward “half swim” where I walked along the bottom of the pool while moving my arms like I was swimming.

Then one day, I quit trying to float. Instead, I held my breath, put my face in the water and just went limp. For the first time in my life, I floated. The crazy thing was—the key to floating is not trying to float. When I totally surrendered to the water and quit struggling, the water held me up.

That’s how we learn to trust God. Inwardly we go limp. We quit trying in our own strength and submit to His power to hold us up. We say, “Lord, I’m completely depending on you to come through for me.” David continually put his trust in God. He said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You ... In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid” (Ps. 56:3, 4).

Just like I learned to float by trusting the water to hold me up, David learned to trust God by putting his confidence in the Lord to hold him up. And we must do the same. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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It All Went Up in Smoke

After spending months writing his book The French Revolution, Thomas Carlyle took his manuscript to his friend John Stuart Mill for his comments. Mill passed the manuscript on to a lady named Mrs. Chapman, who read it by the fireplace on the evening of March 5, 1834. Before she went to bed she laid the manuscript on the mantel.

The next day, the maid came to clean the room and start the fire in the fireplace. Mistaking it as trash, she used the manuscript as fuel to start the fire and burned up the book! Carlyle had to start over and rewrite the entire manuscript.

The same thing happened to the prophet Jeremiah. God told him to write on a scroll everything He had spoken concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations (Jer. 36:2). That covered 22 years, and it would soon be burned in a fireplace.

Jeremiah spent about a year dictating the words to Baruch the scribe, who wrote them down. Because the message called for everyone to turn from their evil ways, it was never going to be a New York Times bestseller. The scroll was taken to evil King Jehoiakim to be read.

The king was in his house with a fire burning in the fireplace. When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king grabbed it, cut it with a knife, and threw it into the fire, destroying the entire scroll (36:2-23). The king tried to seize Jeremiah and Baruch, but the Lord hid them (36:26).

It had to be devastating for Jeremiah to see all his work go up in smoke. Then God told him to start over and write it again! He took another scroll and rewrote all the words on the scroll that Jehoiakim had burned, plus more information (36:28-32). 

Maybe you need to start over because everything you had before went up in smoke. You’ve lost your job. You’ve lost your reputation. Your house burned down. You got divorced. You’ve lost a loved one. Like a burned-up manuscript, all you have left are a pile of ashes.

However, the Lord still has a good plan for the rest of your life. He will give you “beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair” (Isa. 61:3). God will help you start over. Don’t say that you can’t. You can and you will!  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

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