Start your day off with a smile!

If you are like me you receive lots of emails that share a variety of articles, political views, interesting news, testimonies, and at times, a funny story here and there. Sadly, much of that which occupies space out on the world wide network consists mostly of trashy stuff, but not all of it, and when I get something that is wholesome and funny, and it causes me to smile, well, that’s one I like to pass on. I received a good one from an associate the other day, (at least I thought it to be funny), and rewrote it a little to make it shorter. Sure, it is sort of simplistic and juvenile but allow it to give you a smile as you begin your Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Have you heard the story about the boys who were picking up pecans out in the old cemetery? They had them a little pile and began to divide them. They were squatted down behind a clump of trees when a younger fellow happened to come by on a path out near the fence. The lad wasn’t too keen on walking beside the graveyard. When he heard what he thought was voices, it really startled him. He leaned towards the fence and heard a conversation. One said, “I’ll take this one, and you take that one!” Scared out of his wits he began running and came upon an elderly gentleman shuffling along on a cane. He cried out to the old man, “You have to come with me in a hurry, I came by the cemetery and heard the Lord dividing up souls with the devil.” The old man laughed and said, “Don’t be silly, and besides, I can’t hurry anywhere with this bad foot.” But the boy pleaded and was visibly shaken, so the old man did his best to hurry back with him. When they reached the spot where the boy had heard the voices they stopped and listened. They then heard one of the boys say, “Okay, that’s it for these, now lets get those nuts over by the fence and divide them up.” No one knows just how much of a bad foot that old dude had but some say he beat that boy back into town by nearly two minutes!

While we might laugh at this joke, (I did), I know plenty of folks who really want nothing to do with being anywhere near a cemetery. Maybe some respond this way because of the huge number of horror flicks they have seen where dead people come up from their graves and inflict calamity. The majority, however, most likely would whether not be reminded about death itself. Death is final, at least as it relates to this life. The inspired writer of the letter to the Hebrews said that it is appointed once for a person to die and after that, judgment comes. (Hebrews 9:27) That’s a sobering thought because it tells us that this life, the life we live at the present moment, is only a prelude to the eternity that awaits us. Perhaps the concept of judgment is what many fear, and rightly so! But God has made provision for this fear by judging His Son on the Cross in our place. Therefore, for those willing to accept His provision by faith, they don’t have anything to fear including that trip to the cemetery. For those who reject this provision, they have good reason to fear but should do something about it now instead of waiting too late! Amen. …..More later.