“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 English Standard Version)
Weeks ago, I saw a couple of vintage lamps that would be perfect for my home office. Initially I thought, “I just have to get them.” This rare find was at a thrift mall where various people rent booth space to sale new and used merchandise. From a historical perspective, the site used to house a large grocery store. After several years, it was converted into a spa for ladies only. But for the last several years it has been a treasure mine for good buys, if you don’t mind browsing. What will you find? There are knock offs, as well as items that will knock you out because of the low price. There are items made by woodworkers, as well as weights of iron, and window furnishings. Foot traffic is low to modest during the weekdays, so after resisting the riveting temptation to return and purchase the lamps to give them a new home and a new life, Monday morning I relinquished my “yield not” mentality and I headed to “the mall.” Keeping my reputation of being early, I showed up about twenty minutes before opening hours. So, I had to find something to do in the meantime, hoping all the time, the lamps would still be there.
I ended up driving south to a main thoroughfare. Then I turned east on a bust street that was once the main road to travel from the east to the western part of the country. After passing several businesses, I looked over to my left and saw a big thrift outlet store. I turned in to the parking lot. Many of the cars parked in the lot were late models, some definitely came off the manufacturing line after the time the vehicle I was driving was sent to the dealer’s lot. (That’s a nice way of saying, “…my wife’s car.) Based on my external observation, I decided to go inside and check it out. My eyes and facial expressions probably gave away what I was thinking when I saw about 40-50 people waiting, I said “waiting,” waiting for one of the workers to take down a rope barrier so they could join in the quest for a good deal. There were already people in the shopping area going from one blue moveable table to another, frantically looking to at things, grabbing what they wanted, and throwing the rest back on the moveable tables. A sense of order was apparently senseless for any of the shoppers. It looked like a madhouse. Finally, a buzzer went off, sounding like the start of one of the triple-crown horse races, and race the 40-50 people did. I was frozen still, amazed at the sight. You would have thought the store was selling a limited pair of celebrity branded tennis shoes or perhaps a new CD release by the top artist in the whole world. I walked around the perimeter, still observing behavior, still unable to control my facial communication that was utterly shocked by the actions of the patrons. As I departed, buying nothing, and deciding to head to my more passive thrift shop, I saw the cash register personnel serving and customers who were paying for their finds. No price tags were needed. The price was simply based on the weight of the merchandise.
Now here is where I have been trying to get to in this meditation. People are rushing, waiting, shoving and pushing, just to purchase some used items of questionable quality. But being fair, each to his own, right? One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Nevertheless, they were paying for this “stuff.” Questions started to enter my thoughts, one after the other. “What if people ran into our churches the same way? What these individuals were able to get something that was more precious than silver and gold? What if they lined up, waiting eagerly to get a seat in the pews? What if the unsaved in this crowd came seeking eternal life, by means of salvation through Jesus Christ?” If all these “what “if” questions were answered in the positive, in reality, those eager shoppers find something that will last forever and best of all, there find would be, no charge!
Pray for our world that once this very week, referred to as Holy Week, even though every day is filled with holiness for you and me, but pray for our world that once this very week is over, people will come with great anticipation of being blessed to places of worship. By places of worship, I mean places where God is worshipped in spirit and in truth. If they come, they will uncover a great find, one way or the other specifically for them. And on top of that, there will be something to look forward to when this life is over, something incomparable in value. Share this with some shopper who does not know the Lord or who has strayed from the church. The latter will be reminded of that which is free, and the former will reach the same conclusion.
Reach out to the lost, rescue the dying, and recover the sheep that have wandered away! Have a wonderful Wednesday! Be blessed!
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24 NASB)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King