I have a problem. We stopped at a Friendly’s this evening and I got a Fribble, a large chocolate milkshake. Even before I got halfway to the bottom I filled up; can’t eat as much as I used to. The server gave me a cup to use so I could bring it home. Now I have the problem. If I put it in the freezer it will get solid. If I put it in the fridge it will turn to milk. So where, other than my stomach, should I put it? Please do not be concerned for my health and say down the kitchen drain.
I wonder if God ever wonders what to do with us; too good for earth but not good enough for heaven. Obviously, there was no problem with Enoch. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5. And there was Elijah, “There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” II Kings 2:11. Apparently both of these men really really pleased God.
So what about you and me? I’m never going to be that good. And I have my doubts about you. The Good News is it isn’t goodness that gets us there. It’s grace. Eternal life is a gift of God. So neither Enoch nor Elijah really was good enough. Even for them it was a gift. For us, as it was for them, it is not a matter of being good enough but a matter of pleasing God by thanking Him for the gift and wanting to grow more and more like Him every day.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 28, 2010
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