Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


11.14.2006  

Providential Provender

The items of sustenance that, by the grace of God, were ever so wonderfully sent my way within the last 24 hours included...

2 Calzones from Founders' Cafe
1 Smoothie from Founders' Cafe
1 Huge Iced Turtle Mocha from Java
2 cereal bars
4 Pop Tarts

The iced turtle mocha, in particular, was given with exceptional timing. Yesterday at Java, as I was chatting on the phone with Kev, I saw Dan and his buddy Scott as they were walking in to order and I was on my way to one of the outside chairs near the fireplace. Dan and I greeted one another with little fanfare, and I continued on in my conversation with Kev. This conversation just so happened to be on our human tendency to try to pay God back for grace. I told him that if he let me, as a friend of his, stay at his house and provided meals for a week, the improper (and offensive) response would be, at the end of the week, ask, "How much do I owe you?" In our culture, anyone who graciously opens up their home in that manner would be greatly offended if a friend reached for their wallet, as though friendship keeps account of such things. If anything, the proper response requires one simple thing: enjoy the gift to its fullest.

Thus, it was with great ironic delight that Dan came outside, and with a simple, "Here you go, man," handed me a huge iced turtle mocha, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with ushey, gushy caramel syrup. Wow. Was I grateful for the unexpected gift? Absolutely! I told Kev what had happened, and we both agreed that thanksgiving would most heartily be expressed if I downed the beverage with relish. And that's exactly what I did.

When the Father gave His Son, He gave a gift that was and is infinitely valuable. Now I know that Dan is a great guy, and that iced turtle mocha came to me out of a desire to bless a guy, but I'm sure that he'd think I was nuts if I proclaimed that gift as the most wonderful thing ever for any and all to hear from this day forth until Jesus came back. Why? Because the value of his gift runs out. The caffeine has run its course in my system, and the sweet coffee flavor is but a memory. A huge iced turtle mocha is undeniably and inherently finite.

Not so with Jesus.

Unlike a huge iced turtle mocha, the only proper response to the Father's infinitely gracious gift to us of a Son bruised, bloodied, and battered to death and raised to victories life once more must be a response that consumes us for all of our lives. Indeed, it requires us to proclaim the Son as the most wonderful thing ever for any and all to hear, from this day forward for all eternity. Why? Because the gift of the Son is infinite, and therefore, the value and effectiveness of His shed blood does not ever run dry. Why is this good news? Because the Son is now infinitely enjoyable, and is ours to enjoy even in the midst of a world where people like you and I are still prone to take out our spiritual wallets and try to pay God back for His freely given gift...His Son.

posted by Bolo | 10:46 AM
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