Dear
Fellow Children of God,
What
is your deepest desire? What is it that
you will sacrifice everything else to keep, or to obtain?
In
some ways we don’t necessarily face those choices every day. But perhaps we reveal our hearts by our
actions and choices in life, without even realizing we are doing so. One of the reasons I share this story is that
the assigned Gospel reading for worship this Sunday is from Luke 12. At the end of this reading, Jesus teaches His
followers, “29 And
do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30
For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you
need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as
well. 32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased
to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide
purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will
not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.” So, where is YOUR treasure?
While on vacation
with family in Florida I played a lot of golf.
Usually I played alone. Once in a
while I would join someone. One day I was
playing the third hole of the Meadowbrook Golf Course in Gainesville and, as I
approached the green, two other players were looking for a lost ball beside the
green. Because they couldn’t find the
ball they waved me through. I hit to the
green, putted, and finished the hole.
But, they were still
looking for the ball. So I asked them, “Do
you need some golf balls?” I had some
extra old balls and left a few on the ground for them to use and then I moved
on thinking nothing more about it.
However, the next
day, as I approached the first tee these same two men were standing there
waiting to hit. One told me, “You can
play through if you want. One person is
quicker than two.” Then the other one
recognized me. “Didn’t you play through
yesterday? I recognize that hat.” My reply was a question, “Were you the guys I
left the golf balls for?” That sparked
recognition. “Oh yeah! I remember you. I like you.
Go ahead and play through.”
I didn’t expect to
see these golfers again, but as I got to the fifth hole they were in the
fairway in front of me, looking for golf balls.
It seems that, after they played the first two holes, they skipped holes
3 and 4 and went right to hole 5.
Anyway, they saw me standing on the tee box and motioned for me to hit,
which I did. I drove up to them in my
cart and one of them asked, “How far do you think it is to the green?” My phone has a golf AP that uses the phone GPS
to give distances, so I used that tool to help them. Again, one of the men said to the other, “I
like this guy. You can play in with us
if you want.” But, then came the rest of
the story.
I was told, “You can
play in with us if you want. That is, as
long as you don’t mind that we’re smoking weed while we’re playing.” In my mind I said to myself, “No wonder they’re
losing so many golf balls.”
But then, the man
who invited me to play immediately followed that offer with a question. “You’re not a cop, are you?” I responded, “No, I’m a pastor.” The golfer who had invited me said, “That’s
even worse!” But, the other one reacted,
“Oh no, Jesus is standing right here with us, and we’re the devil.” Then I noticed he also had a beer in his
hand. They hit their balls again, and
the balls went into the woods, upon which I heard a number of four letter
expletives.
I hit onto the green
and was about to play through when one of them tried to engage me in religious
talk. “You know, that ointment on Jesus’
feet was some powerful stuff,” indicating that he thought the ointment used by
the woman to anoint Jesus was a drug. I
tried to witness a little. “You know
who Jesus spent time with?” But, before
I could speak I got an answer. “The drug
dealers.” I finished my sharing. “We are told that Jesus spent time with the
tax collectors and prostitutes. But, he
called them to new life. He told one
woman, ‘Has no one condemned you? . .
. Then, neither do I condemn you. Go now
and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:10-11) That didn’t get much of a
reaction, so I left my interaction where it was and moved on to the next hole.
As I told that story
to my wife and family they laughed. But,
maybe in their everyday actions these men were answering Jesus’ question about
where their treasure and their heart were.
They really didn’t seem interested in golf, but were more seeking a
place to partake. They were even willing
to twist words of scripture to justify their pursuit.
Jesus has eternal
life in heaven waiting for His people who believe and follow Him. Jesus promises that we will be where He is. (John 14:3, Revelation 21:3) In the trials of this life Jesus gives joy
and peace through His forgiveness and His presence. There is no treasure nor pleasure in this
life that can surpass the love and gift that God has for us, in this life and
in eternity.
In recent years. in
the Middle East Christians have been asked to deny their faith or die, and many
have died for Jesus. For the most part
we don’t face those ultimate, one time, decisions in America. But, every day, by our actions, we are
answering the question, “Where is my treasure?”
How are you
answering this question of Jesus? Where
is your treasure? Are you seeking first
Jesus and His kingdom in your daily lives?
A
Child of God, Finding my Treasure in the Presence and Love of God,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. THANK YOU to all who filled in for my while I
was in New Orleans at the Youth Gathering and while I was on vacation. It is wonderful to have faithful church
members who serve God’s people in this way.
P.P.S. Next week I will share a more sober
meditation from my 45th High School Reunion.
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE
PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to
all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly
adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this
e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this
e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for
this message.
****
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