1/25/10

Take it with you?


The other day I had an unusual conversation with a good friend; the topic was burial.. This person wanted to be buried without a casket in the concrete liner. Inside the liner, he wanted to be reclining in his favorite chair with a beer in his hand and watching his big screen TV. For a touch of permanence he wanted the whole liner filled with clear epoxy, except for a tube that led to a solar collector outside (to run the TV, of course). I thought of him today when I saw this picture. My friend and the person in this picture had the same idea: You can take it with you!! Not a new concept, but this is the first time I have ever seen a real life picture. Reminds me of a passage from the New Testament from the book of Luke....

Luk 12:16-21
(16) He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly.
(17) He reasoned within himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I don't have room to store my crops?'
(18) He said, 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
(19) I will tell my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry." '
(20) "But God said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared-whose will they be?'
(21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

For openers, I really don't have a problem with anyone earning money. It is necessary and even desirable. To provide for oneself and family is a blessing from God. The problem I have is that some people make the acquisition of wealth their ultimate goal, to the exclusion of everything else. I am happy to say that my friend does not fall into this category; he is a well-adjusted family man for whom life has a whole spectrum of priorities. Just one thing; you really can't take it with you. Better to have a friend in heaven than possessions on earth; besides I imagine that God probably wants to decorate heaven the way HE wants to; your furniture would probably clash.

Fascination

Cat lovers will appreciate this picture. Those furry little creatures are often fascinated by the seemingly mundane. This little fellow is no exception; the light shining on its paw seems to hold an interest that is captivating! Light comes in all sorts of varieties: Northern light, Southern light, Noonday brightness, incandescent, fluorescent, soft white, and probably quite a few more that escape me right now. They all have one thing in common though, they enable us to see. Without light, we stumble, fumble, trip and fall. We err in so many ways. Jesus talks about light to and his words are as revealing as light itself.


John 8:12 WEB (R)
(12) Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life."

Light guides us, helps us understand the world around us and adds a new take on life. Consider; look out your living room window on a sunny day and then do it again on a cloudy one. The change in light puts a whole new perspective on things. Light also stands for purity and right living; just as darkness does for corruption and wayward actions. So, what is Jesus saying? His pattern is the one we should follow if we want to live correctly. Its not just a good way to live, its really the only way because his way is true life itself. The more you know of his light, the more fascinated you will be by it and just like the kitten in the picture you won't be able to takes your eyes off it. See what I am saying?