May 11, 2020 – Click here to listen
Most everyone has some memorabilia in their home and I’m no exception. Having moved six times in the past three years I have trimmed down on it substantially and all, but the most special items have been given away or discarded. I have a feather from a passenger pigeon. There used to be millions of them, but they were hunted to extinction at the turn of the century. A friend who worked at a museum had one mounted and gave me a feather from the mount many years ago.
I have footballs signed by Bobby Bowden the second most winning coach in America, Mark Richt when he was coach for the Georgia Bulldogs, Mike Smith and Steve Bartkowski when they were with the Atlanta Falcons. I have a marlin bill from a large marlin I caught in Costa Rico, huge elk from Montana, an impressive whitetail mount from Honey Lake, a big brown trout painted by legendary taxidermist Jim Hall with the paint I invented, some arrowheads I found, and very important I have a cross made from bars from a jail cell that are given to those folks in the Bill Glass Prison Ministry that attend at least five prison ministry events.
So last night I tuned in to Netflix and watched the movie Left Behind. A number of years back I read all of the Left Behind books. The series is a biblically accurate but fictional account of the Rapture and ensuing seven years of tribulation. The movie depicted an airline pilot flying a plane when the Rapture occurred. Suddenly in an instant people were gone and their clothing, shoes, rings, necklaces were all that was left of them. Those left behind were the people who had not accepted Jesus as their Savior. It created widespread panic for millions.
As I was looking around my office this morning at all the things previously mentioned, I thought of the Rapture. If it happened today, I would disappear and nothing but a pile of clothes, my wedding ring, and watch would be left. All of my memorabilia and whatever else I had in my possession would be left behind. I refrain from saying everything I own it, because I don’t own anything; if I did, I could take it with me.
A friend of mine asked the other day about whether or not their little pooch would go to heaven. I told him no. Dogs don’t have a soul and I haven’t read anything about animals being raptured or going to heaven when they die. Geez, one would have thought I’d cut his heart out when I said that. He went on and on about the animals in the Garden of Eden, and the lion laying down with the lamb in heaven and I finally just told him that I suppose their pooch might make it and God just didn’t mention it. It seemed to calm him a little.
Whether raptured or dying from natural causes it is clear to me that we take only two things we have in this life with us when we die. We take the good and bad things we’ve done. The bad according to Hebrews will be remembered no more, provided we have asked for forgiveness and the blood of Jesus Christ covers those sins. The good things we’ve done on planet earth will live on forever and even crowns will be given for extraordinary service for the Lord, albeit the saints will lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus who truly deserves them . . . So what does that tell us about how we should live? It tells me that possessions including money will disappear like the passenger pigeon and the glorification of Christ is eternal . . . Think about it and ask yourself if your behavior needs some adjustment in prioritizing what is really important in life . . .
Hebrews 8:12
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”