Initiate meaningful conversation with your family no matter how long the commute with Joe White's age appropriate short talks on scripture, parenting, culture, and community.
Episodes
Friday Jun 14, 2019
Friday Jun 14, 2019
"The tornado of time will eventually scatter our bodies into the dust of the ground."
Family Discussion:
- What is the blind spot that you have that causes you to focus so much time and attention on our earthly time and bodies?
- What are some ways you can change your priorities to refocus on that part of you that will live forever?
- How can you express high value for the spirit of Christ that lives in your heart?
Transcription:
00:06 Today I want to tell you about an amazing miracle in a horrible tornado. And I want to give credit to Dr. Bill Gillham, one of my heroes in the faith for something he taught me about the scripture. Today, tornadoes are the most devastating things, square inch per square inch, I think in the world. But in this tornado, something cool happened to a friend of mine. We're in Second Corinthians chapter 5 verses 1-5. I can't wait for this, it's awesome. Listen to this, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling because when we're clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we were in this tent, we groan in our burden because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now, it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come."
01:25 Randy Odom, oh man, what a great guy. One of the counselors at Kids Across America, these awesome summer camps that we have here in the Ozarks reserve, especially for some of America's most deserving kids who come from the financially depraved concrete world of the urban inner city in America. And, not only does Randy love God, but he loves urban kids with a passion. One stormy day in the spring, I'll never forget when Randy pulled up in front of his trailer house at the exact moment, a tornado arrived at his front door. True story. In haste, he jumped out of his car as the door was ripped off the hinges of that trailer. He dove into his home on wheels where he was met a head on in the hallway by a flying door.
02:13 The door pinned him to the floor while his whole house literally was demolished above him. Although his house was scattered for city blocks, Randy was protected by the door and escaped without injury. You know what these, as Bill Gilliam says, these earth suits we inhabit while we visit this earth are about as stable as Randy's mobile home in a tornado. You know, we can exercise them, we can feed them, we can doctor them all we want, but the tornado of time will eventually scatter our bodies into the dust of the ground. And you know, there's no medicine or vitamin or magic potion that can keep the inevitable from happening. You know, as, as for man, scripture say these days are like grass as a flower of the field. So he flourishes when the wind passes over it. It is no more in its place, acknowledge it no longer, Psalms 103 says.
03:04 But fortunately, oh, so fortunately our spirit is protected from destruction by the spirit of Christ, if he indeed is alive and well in our hearts. It's our spirit sealed by grace for eternity by his spirit that is destined to live with God forever, unscathed, unharmed, free to live and fit for a life with a king. And, here's the question for you today. What is the blind spot that you have that causes you to focus so much time and attention on our earth suit, as Bill Gillham says, with such a limited lifespan and so little time and attention to our inner man that will live forever? And then this question, what are some ways you can change your priorities to refocus on that part of you that will live forever? And then, how can you express high value for the spirit of Christ that lives in your heart? And here's the lifeline for the day, man, what a great time to pour your heart into these little daily devotionals to prepare the part of you that will live forever.