LightGrams
February 8, 2017
Volume 22, Number 6
When deciding where to take their special date for Valentine’s Day, men in Boston might not think of Pauli’s, a “fast-casual Italian restaurant” in the north of the city. But when they hear about the $3,000 hamburger offered there, they might think again.
No, the ingredients of this hamburger are not that pricey, but the diamond ring tucked into the bun is. It’s the 14k gold ring with a 7/8 carat diamond from Kay Jewelers that fetches the price. Orders must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance. Then the daring men will have to wait to see if their beloved’s response is “Well done!”
Another story was reported last year in which an Australian man proposed to his girlfriend by giving her a ring – which had been hidden in a necklace she had been wearing for the past year! The man explained, “I had always loved the idea of giving someone a gift where they didn’t know its true value until years later.” (She said “Yes”.)
One command Jesus gave His followers is found in John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” The image was a familiar one to Jesus’ first audience; He was referring to a grape vine. His followers were to bear grapes.
In past years I tried my hand at raising grapes. A couple of years I did fairly well, and enjoyed the succulent fruit those vines produced. One part of the fruit that I didn’t keep was the seed; I would spit it out. If I swallowed it, I knew that my digestive system wouldn’t process it. One way or another, the seed would be left behind.
That entire process is by God’s design. Sweet and delicious fruit is the “bait” to get animals (and people) to ingest the whole package. They carry the seeds with them until they are eliminated at some other location. Thus, eating fruit is part of the plan for reproducing and expanding the plant’s territory.
In another place Jesus explained that “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). But seed alone doesn’t make anyone’s mouth water; it needs to be presented in a package that is delicious and desirable. So it is with the spread of our faith; using another image (light), Jesus made the same point in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Christians are to do good works for others (see Galatians 6:10, 1 Timothy 6:18). Some will look more closely and see that there’s more than a hamburger that has been set before them; there, in the bun, is a costly ring! In the spiritual realm the good deed set before our friend will contain a pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45,46). The fruit we have produced will be enjoyed for a time, but the seed can lead to life eternal.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2018, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for noncommercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.