LightGrams
December 7, 2017
Volume 21, Number 41
The woman in Long Island, New York is not named in the Associated Press report from December 6, 2017. This 26-year-old was arriving for a court appearance in response to a summons she was given for possession of marijuana. For most of us, that would qualify as a bad day. This lady was just getting started.
She cut off an unmarked police car as she drove into the court’s parking lot. That was probably because she was talking on her cell phone and didn’t see it. That’s another violation of the law.
She topped it all off, however, when she pulled into the parking spot reserved for the chief of police. When an officer approached her to tell her to move her car, she was found smoking a joint of marijuana.
It’s never a good idea to break the law. But if you must break the law (I’m not sure how that scenario would arise), by all means don’t break the law while occupying the parking spot for the chief of police.
We chuckle over stories like that, but do we commit the same type of mistake? Are we not “parked” in a spot that belongs to the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25)? We live on earth because God made us. All things belong to Him; we are merely stewards of His acreage for a time.
Psalm 100:3 gives the reason why we should “serve the Lord with gladness” (v. 2): “Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” What does God own? According to that statement (and many others like it in the Bible), we belong to Him. And the pastures in which we graze belong to Him. We owe everything to God!
Isaiah 1:3 makes the same point using different livestock: “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” The sin of ingratitude is impossible to miss in that pronouncement.
Paul told the philosophers of Athens, Greece that they, like all people, “should seek the Lord” (Acts 17:27). Why? “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Those are pretty basic abilities – living, moving, being. How is it that we have those gifts? Because of God.
If I enjoy living in another person’s house, I should pay the rent they charge. If we enjoy living on earth, we should give God the honor and service He asks. And how foolish am I if I’m found violating His will while parked in His spot?!
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright, 2017, 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 “[email protected]” (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.