I Want That

 

Do you really want your life to be as a rainbow, with pots of gold at each end? Sounds wonderful, doesn't it - until you realize the biblical story about rainbows comes at the end of a flood neither you nor I want to face. It comes after days of being inside with door and windows closed, and the first look for a sign of life was a failure.

Or do you see the rainbow as a promise from God, as the biblical story continues. There was no pot of gold, but there was a renewal and God's promise that floods would not cover the earth at one time again:

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:12-15 KJV)

God has made other covenants - promises - and He has kept them. Mankind has a way of making promises, and not keeping them. Native Americans, or First Nations, can name several that were signed, but later broken. It takes a strong desire to want something strong enough to make promises and keep them. To believe strongly enough to point at a specific goal and state, "I want that."

As an example, I met a gentleman who believed his sinfulness was such that he was not acceptable to God. He fully understood:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV)

As all of us who come to God, he knew he had fallen short and deserved condemnation. God, however, knew he didn't:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

The gentleman had reached the point where he believed Jesus is the Son of God - but did not understand that Jesus came that through Him we, individually, might be saved. By believing Jesus, we no longer stand condemned as we did when we did not believe. We can reach our goal of life with God by saying, "I WANT THAT!"

Maybe not with such emphasis, but with a desire strong enough to want the salvation God is freely giving to everyone who will accept. There is nothing but condemnation for not believing. God said so.

What did that gentlemen, and me, give up? Nothing, really. We accepted God's promise and His way of looking at the world:

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9 KJV)

Paul finally understood, after condemning those who followed Jesus, after being complicit in the death of Stephen; after obtaining orders to imprison and kill Christians, it took a personal encounter with the risen savior for Paul to understand he could have what he had wanted all his religious life - the ability to be with God for eternity.

Have you ever wanted that? Wanted it enough to wonder what you would have to give up to achieve it? Wanted it enough to say to God: "I want what you offer. I believe you exist and I need to learn more to understand"? You have the time, and the Bible tells us:

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV)