Weird-Os

Ezekiel 5:1

"Wasn't that a great sermon today by Rev. Smiley?" Dave adjusted the rear view mirror as he backed out of their recently purchased exclusive church parking space. "Boy," he continued raving, "Pastor sure knows how to craft a message." "Every time I leave church on Sunday I feel ready to conquer the world!" "Um-hum," responded his wife, Lisa, as they turned out of the parking lot. " Oh! Can we stop by the mall?" she requested. Soon they were walking through the mall doors. "Let's head to the toy store," said Lisa. "Yep, that was a real shot in the arm today," Dave continued with his Sunday review, "Nothing can stop a believer!" Suddenly, a small crowd caught their attention. In the middle stood a rather average looking fellow with long hair. "What's going on?" Lisa wondered. They approached only close enough to hear. The young man was speaking of how America has drifted away from God and it is urgent that its people repent. Suddenly he whipped out a knife as the crowd collectively gasped and stepped back, but he turned the knife on his own hair and began to cut it off. "If we do not repent of our sin and return to Jesus, then we will be cut off just as I cut my hair off!" He flung his loose hair high into the air. "We will be scattered and destroyed and cut off from our Source of life if we do not return to loving and respecting God!" "Humph!" snorted Dave, "What a weird-O!" By then the security guards arrived and started hauling the man away. "Please repent!" were the last words he yelled out to the scattered listeners. "Must have a mental disorder," Dave muttered to himself. "But what if he is right?" questioned Lisa. "Coming from that nut?" responded Dave as he put his arm around her, "No way! "Let's just stick with Pastor Smiley." 2 Timothy 4:2-4

Image credit:http://www.prophetasartist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/17-Michael-Buesking_Ezekiel-Cutting-Hair.jpg

Superglued!

It was one of those random tips that you file away in case of the unlikely event. The helpful survivalist was explaining that the way to un-superglue something is by using nail polish remover with acetone. How little did I know that this unlikely event was soon to be my reality! Just a few days later as I was using superglue, I suddenly realized that the side of the glue tube had a hole in it and my finger was completely fastened to it. At first I found it a bit surreal, then comical… then desperate! I tugged at it and realized there was no way to get it unstuck short of literally ripping a hunk of flesh out of my finger. That’s when the filed-away tip came back.  Nail polish remover! Oh, how I hoped I had some! After some digging, I came up with the precious remedy and, just as promised, it dissolved the awful bond between my finger and the glue container. No broken flesh; just a simple remedy that I had to apply and I was free!

How similar is the bond of sin! We are busy working through the business of life, when suddenly we realize that our hearts are firmly glued to the most hideous and awkward things. Sometimes we carry the burden of deep regrets, weaknesses and sins that have caused pain, or failures that haunt our every thought, or hurts and anger that we alone cannot resolve- our past hangs onto us most annoyingly! We can tug and pull, cry and shout, but to no avail.  We are in desperate need of a remedy! The Good News is that there is a remedy to break the awful bond of sin. The hymnist said it best, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus”! The one and only bond breaker is the forgiveness of a loving God. So simple! So available! So real!

Photo credit: http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/286/6/d/super_glue_by_wibblethefish-d30pz16.jpg