Earthly vs. Heavenly Treasures

I know Sunday is supposed to be reserved for Church, but this past Sunday, I was on a mission. I had to get a Wii. My son had saved his own money all year for the privilege of owning one and the least I could do was help him get it. So, at 6:00am on a frosty Sunday morn, I headed out to stand in line with all the other gamers and their parents. After a short stint at my local Target – where I knew they only had 12 and there were at least 50 people in line ahead of me – I decided to make a dash to the line at Toys-R-Us. The line was just as long, but I decided to take my chances. After some time had passed and I could no longer feel my ears, the store manager came out and everyone held their breath. They had 41 Wiis and would hand out tickets, one per person, until they ran out. At first I figured I was doomed. The line was so long they would never reach me. But they continued to come closer, closer, and the stack of tickets stayed thick. Once they reached about four people ahead of me, I knew it would be close. One, two, three…..FOUR!

They handed the last ticket to the guy right in front of me. Why, WHY?? I was so disappointed! I spent the entire drive home going over my morning. If only I had gotten up 15 minutes earlier. If only I hadn’t stopped at Target first. If only….. But the reality stayed the same. I didn’t get what I was after.

Fast forward 4 hours. I am now sitting in the fourth row to-the-back at church and we are observing the Lord’s Supper. Part 1 went fine, we each got our corner of saltine, listened to the pastor remind us that this represented the body of Christ, broken for us (That part always brings me to tears). Then the trays of shot glasses of grape juice began to be passed out. As the trays reached the back of the sanctuary, I began to wonder if they underestimated the attendance today. When I picked up my cup from the tray there were only 2 left; not enough for the poor folks in the back. Then a miracle happened. The usher whipped out another tray – and it was full! There was plenty for everyone.

Right then I realized how blessed I was to know Jesus. The things the world offers are finite. There are only so many Wiis to go around. But the gift of Salvation offered to us is available to everyone! And there is no second-guessing our approach to him. We don’t have to show up early or make a beeline straight to Him to receive his gift. We can show up late and be last in line and He is just as thrilled to give us His gift as he was when he shared it with the very first person in line!

My son has not yet acquired a Wii and, even when he does, it will only satisfy him for awhile. The real gift of Jesus Christ as Lord of your life will satisfy for an eternity.

John 1:12-13 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.