Monday, August 20, 2012

Made in God's Image

August 20, 2012 Monday Message:

Christina at Prince of Peace asked me to retell this story. I first heard it from Billy Graham - 

It was a young man from a successful, wealthy British family who had become a doctor, carrying on the family tradition. In fact, his family owned an entire hospital and several clinics. Now, all men in Great Britain must serve in the military for a time, but because of his medical skill, our young man was allowed to serve the British military as a doctor in Egypt. He was allowed to live off-base, and as he was accustomed, he brought his driver and his beloved Rolls Royce automobile.

Here we need to interject that Rolls Royce has a well-deserved reputation as the finest automobile ever made, known for consummate reliability.

One day our doctor was summoned for medical assistance some distance from his residence, across the desert, and he told his driver to fetch the Rolls. The driver cautioned that perhaps they should take the Land Rover instead, but the doctor wished to travel in comfort, so they took the Rolls Royce. They reached their destination, solved the medical problem, and started the return journey. But a sudden, violent sandstorm allowed tiny particles of silica to permeate the precision gears, and the mighty Rolls began to falter. It ground to a halt in a small town, where our doctor and his driver took a hotel room for the night, phoning Rolls Royce headquarters in Great Britain about the problem.

The next morning, they found the Rolls all clean and shiny; it started right up, and drove perfectly. Obviously, the Rolls Royce company had come to the rescue.

Later, his military service complete, our doctor was back in England at the hospital, and he thought about the Rolls Royce incident. He asked the hospital's accountant about the cost, thinking it must have cost a pretty penny. But the accountant knew nothing about the situation. 

So the doctor asked his butler, who was in charge of household financial matters, if he had paid the bill. But the butler also knew nothing.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the doctor called Rolls Royce and inquired as to the amount that had been paid. Rolls said they had no record of it. 

The doctor persisted, informing them of the exact date, and the extent of the repair - a new transmission; plus an overnight airplane flight for the transmission and two mechanics, plus their hotel, meals, etc. It should have been a sizable bill. Again Rolls said there was no record of it. 

The doctor asked, "No record for such a huge sum?"

And the Rolls Royce spokesman replied: (dry, British humor...) "There's no record of a Rolls Royce automobile ever having been defective."

And that's what Jesus does with our sin. All have sinned, and really don't deserve heaven. But believers will find their names in the Book of Life, and there will be no record of their sin. Jesus doesn't just forgive your sins - your sins are removed; blotted out; made white, as if the incidents never occurred. 

There will be no record of you ever having been defective. That's what the Bible says.

Norton Lawellin

Sunday, Aug. 26, Jesus in the City Fellowship worships in the Oliver Ministry building, 27th Street & Bloomington Avenue, 10:30am. Pastor Michael will wrap up Luke 4 – Jesus casts out demons and heals the sick, but is rejected in his hometown… What’s with that?
 
Norton Lawellin

Sunday, Aug. 26, Jesus in the City Fellowship worships in the Oliver Ministry building, 27th Street & Bloomington Avenue, 10:30am. Pastor Michael will wrap up Luke 4 – Jesus casts out demons and heals the sick, but is rejected in his hometown… What’s with that?

No comments:

Post a Comment