Tag: Eternal Life

Devotionals

Missing the last piece of the puzzle

Loring Schultz

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Matthew 19:21-22 NASB

A family of four are building a puzzle together at home during a game night.

            Working on a jigsaw puzzle on your own or with friends and family is an enjoyable and relaxing way of putting away the cares of the world for a period of time. All the pieces eventually fit together completing the work and revealing the final product. The rewards are not only the finished product, but what was accomplished along the way. How many times have you got near the end of working your puzzle and realized you do not have all the pieces to complete it, in fact you’re missing only one piece. The last piece making it complete.

            Our lives are like a giant jigsaw puzzle with the pieces falling into place throughout the years. For many of us there is a sense of urgency to feel complete in our lives. Despite what successes we may have there is this feeling that there is a piece missing making us incomplete. This feeling is two-fold, first of all we are created in the image of God, and whether we admit it or not, there is a longing to be united with our creator, and second we are created as spiritual beings with an eternal soul, meaning after this life is over we live on, and how can we know where that will be. For our lives to be complete in this life and the next, we need the missing last piece of the puzzle.

            The gospel of Matthew records the story of a rich young ruler who asks Jesus what good thing he can do to obtain eternal life. He was looking for the missing piece. Having kept all the commandments so he thought, there must be something missing, he felt incomplete. Jesus wastes no time in answering him, telling him to sell all that he has, give the proceeds to the poor, and then follow Him. The young ruler was devastated by Jesus’s answer. His yearning to find the missing piece to his feeling of emptiness was put aside in place of his present day wealth.

            Jesus’s instructions are clear, both to the rich young ruler and to us today. The thought is, there must be something else we can do to please the Lord and earn our Salvation. We are good people. We obey most of the ten commandants, and are kind to our neighbors, but we still feel incomplete. What is the missing last piece of the puzzle? It is Christ alone, accepting Him as our Savior and loving Him more than all our earthly possessions. Have you found your missing last piece of the puzzle? Read the story of The Rich Young Ruler: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-22&version=NASB1995

Devotionals

Going from last to first

Loring Schultz

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 20:16 NLT

            Today is Thursday September 7,2023. This date has been marked on the calendar of many football fans since last year’s Super Bowl. It is the start of the NFL season with renewed hope for discouraged fans of low performance teams and continued enthusiasm for the highly successful ones. Week 1 starts with every team equal in the standings. With no games played, every team is in first place and you can say every team is also in last place. But as the season unfolds there will be separation and the cream will rise to the top.

            A major topic in sports talk radio podcasts leading up to opening weekend is which teams, if any, will rise from last place to first place this coming season. There were only two that caught my ear as being possible contenders, one being the New York Jets with the arrival of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rogers, and the other the Atlanta Falcons in a division with not much competition. Going from last to first in the NFL is a major accomplishment through the hard work of physical training, dedication, coaching, discipline, patience, and focusing on one game at a time. Not many have done it, but it has been done.

            Jesus had a few things to say about those who are last and those who are first. He, of course, was not referring any sporting event but to service in the work of the Lord. Jesus used the Parable of the Vineland Workers to illustrate that faithfulness in serving Him will be rewarded. There were the first in line workers who agreed to work for the landowner for a day at a specific rate of pay. Others were hired by the landowner throughout the day right up to 5 PM, but for no specific rate of pay. As the wages were paid out, those who were hired first were upset that those who worked only part of the day received the same amount of pay. Jesus’s point was those who agreed to work for the said amount received what was due, and those who received the same payment were recipients of the landowners reward to them for their faithfulness.

            All who have accepted Christ as Savior, either as a young child, a teenager, young adult, middle age, or senior citizen will be rewarded eternal life. God rewards faithfulness in service to Him according to the ability and the time each one has to serve Him. Some have more opportunity to serve the Lord than others, but all will receive the full day’s pay of eternal life.

            Going from last to first in a NFL season will get you a reward, going from first to last will get you fired. In the Kingdom of God the reward is the same for all who receive Christ as Savior for Salvation, eternal life. “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”    Read the Parable of the Vineyard Workers: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A1-16&version=NLT