I was watching a chick flick with my wife earlier in the day when I came across a catchy punch line. Viewing “A New Town” on the Hallmark Channel, an ambitious woman seeking to become a CEO, volunteers to oversee her companies new acquisition in New Alm, Minnesota. Beside the culture shock of leaving the city of Miami for a small northern town, her liberal beliefs clash with the religion of rural America. When asked if she had found Jesus, her response, “I didn’t know he was missing,” didn’t go over so well.
In professional sports, a similar line is often used to explain athletes who have turned their lives around following battles with alcohol, drugs and the law. Finding God, Jesus or religion is a common theme of the source behind these transformations. However, the success rate is not 100% as many are unable to completely break free from bad habits of their past. While victims of sin tend to blame God for their travails, Jesus isn’t the one missing, we are.
A relationship with Jesus is no different than any other thing that you want in life, you get what you put into it. Matthew 16:24-26 illustrates this concept like a blue print for how to find Jesus. Unfortunately, most people follow the path of the actress in A New Town, forfeiting their soul on the way to the top of materialism. The next time you feel abandoned by God, don’t be deceived by the father of lies, John 8:44. Rather, reflect upon Jesus’ words in the sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:33 so that the blessings of God will convince the world that Jesus is alive.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 