Contents:
NO NUMBER THIRTEEN
DON'T TRUST THAT MAN!
A SHAZARD POST-SCRIPT
A WARM EMBRACE
Hi, everyone. This is My Point of View, Page 14. The last
one was Page 12. But in a look through the archives, it seems that
I did page 11 twice. That means that really this ought to be page
14. And so it is. I hope you enjoy it.
“Don’t trust him!” they said. “He can’t deliver on his promises.” “He hangs out with the wrong people.” “He’s nothing but trouble.” “You’ve got to be careful – don’t have anything to do with him!” He wasn’t from the right side of the tracks. His birth was questionable. And he seemed to say things that were unrealistic, and he was always asking for something, for more, for everything you had, if possible. But people said, “Don’t trust him. He’s not what he says he is. He’s trying to fool you. You can’t trust that man!” He told incredible stories, stories that struck you as unbelievable at first. He talked about his father. He talked about a great reward that he would bring. And he was amazed at the unbelief.
Some of you may think I’m speaking about Mr. Shazard. (The man who has come to me several times asking for assistance for many strange situations and problems, and has admitted to lying to me.) And in a sense, I am. But I am also speaking about Jesus Christ. As I consider the situation with Mr. Shazard, I am surprised at the number of parallels that can be drawn.
Can this man be trusted? Is there enough evidence to support his words? Are his character and his words in-line? How do you evaluate the claims of a Man whose claims cannot be proven with the human eyes and perception.
“I am the bread of life” “I am the living water” “I am the door” “I am the way” “I AM”
It takes faith. Faith grounded on evidence, but faith that cannot be proven in a scientific sense.
And he wants everything from you. He wants your heart, your dreams, your plans, your life!
But you have to know for yourself if his claims are valid. There
will be those who say He is what he says he is. There will be those
who deny His existence and reality. You have to find out for yourself
– and this is the most important quest of life. Can you trust this
man? I do. Because without Him as a foundation, all else loses
meaning.
I may be close to end of my dealings with this man. He’s had enough chances to come through, and seems to encounter too many disasters to be realistic. Some people tell me he’s a drug addict. He’s admitted to doing drugs, but claims that he is no longer on drugs. What would Jesus do? How would he handle the situation?
“Love is patient, love is kind. Love believes all things”
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” I have experienced almost every condition in the person of Mr. Shazard, with the exception of the prison visit. (And I’m considering using my computer’s recording capability to have him indict himself and consider a fraud charge against him, at which point I may visit him in prison.) What would Jesus do? If a man were on drugs, and you did not give him money, he would find it another way. If a man had a serious problem and his reputation made it impossible for him to ask anyone else for money, would Jesus help him? If there was doubt as to the truth of a man’s story, well, Jesus being the truth, would recognise whether or not there was truth in the story.
“I am sending you out as a sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
Wise as serpents… harmless as doves…
Will he come back? I don’t know. Will he be welcome? I don’t know. Is he telling the truth? I don’t know. Does God love him? I do know. He does. And that can make things difficult.
Pray for me. Pray for him. Thanks.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)
A wonderful picture – a warm embrace, a tangible display of love.
I have always been a lover of hugs. There’s something about a warm embrace that words cannot communicate effectively. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are different kinds of hugs. There are the hugs where you turn sideways, because you don’t really want to touch the other individual. There are hugs from the side where you want to show strength. There are hugs where you bend at the waist because you’re afraid of communicating anything that might be perceived as sexual. There are hugs where you feel swallowed in the embrace of your hugger/huggee. There are hugs that remind you of a limp noodle, and then there are hugs that make you feel you’re a part of the other person. Those are the hugs I like the most.
A lot is communicated in a hug. And sometimes an invitation to hug puts us in a position where we aren’t ready or willing, and end up with a hug that communicates just that. You really can tell if someone is sincere when they hug you. And if they’re not, it leaves you with a sour taste. Sometimes, it’s best not to give one if you can’t be real in it. But even that places you in a tough position.
Hugs are wonderful, and Jesus wished he could hug all of Jerusalem. “Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you did not let me.”
God wants to hug you too… why not lift your hands to him and cry, “Up, please!” =)
All of us need hugs. Some of us need a hug right now. The important thing to remember is, the easiest way to get a hug is to give one. And if you need one, click here:
http://angelfire.com/me/eps1/index.html
Have a great week everybody!
In Jesus,
Dave.