And I saw when the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come!" Rev. 6:1.
I have always considered it a good idea to have a little extra cash around in case of emergencies. While it is dangerous to have a lot of cash, because that might end up rewarding thieves for no purpose, a couple hundred dollars is worth the risk and can come in handy on short notice. I have kept the envelope in my desk, in the refrigerator, in a dresser drawer, and in a couple other places. And no, I have no intention of telling you where it is right now!
One day I came home from a fairly long trip, needing to replenish my wallet in order to pay off some expenses that had accumulated in my absence from home. I went to the place where I kept the envelope and pulled it out. Something was wrong. It didn't have its usual bulky feel, with several ones and fives along with larger denominations. when I opened the envelope, the shape and color of the contents startled me.
You see, instead of good old "greenbacks," the envelope had several Post-It notes inside. One said, "$20 for birthday present." Another declared, "$15 to order pizza." And a third stated, $3 to rent video." You get the idea. It reminded me of the scene in a funny movie in which a guy finds a briefcase full of cash and spends it on frivolity, accounting for every cent on little bits of paper. When the owner of the briefcase returns and opens it, he finds a useless pile of notes instead of the cash.
"What's this?" he asks.
"Oh, those are IOUs," comes the reply. "Don't worry, with me they're as good as cash!"
Right!
Needless to say I confronted my teens with the absence of "my" money. Their response was interesting. "Dad, it's not your money--it's our money. We got things we needed."
You see, my kids are OK with living on Dad's earning. I was tempted to feel they had taken advantage of me, but when I stopped to think about it, I realized they were at least partly right--for the time being.
My experience illustrates something similar going on in Revelation. Because of the cross, the Lamb can open the scroll and provide everything necessary to redeem the universe. Salvation costs me nothing, but it cost Him everything. In a sense, "His money is our money." It is good to be the child of the King.
Lord, help me to remember today that everything I have ever had was a gift from You, the fruit of Your sacrifice on the cross. I choose to be generous with Your gifts today.
I have always considered it a good idea to have a little extra cash around in case of emergencies. While it is dangerous to have a lot of cash, because that might end up rewarding thieves for no purpose, a couple hundred dollars is worth the risk and can come in handy on short notice. I have kept the envelope in my desk, in the refrigerator, in a dresser drawer, and in a couple other places. And no, I have no intention of telling you where it is right now!
One day I came home from a fairly long trip, needing to replenish my wallet in order to pay off some expenses that had accumulated in my absence from home. I went to the place where I kept the envelope and pulled it out. Something was wrong. It didn't have its usual bulky feel, with several ones and fives along with larger denominations. when I opened the envelope, the shape and color of the contents startled me.
You see, instead of good old "greenbacks," the envelope had several Post-It notes inside. One said, "$20 for birthday present." Another declared, "$15 to order pizza." And a third stated, $3 to rent video." You get the idea. It reminded me of the scene in a funny movie in which a guy finds a briefcase full of cash and spends it on frivolity, accounting for every cent on little bits of paper. When the owner of the briefcase returns and opens it, he finds a useless pile of notes instead of the cash.
"What's this?" he asks.
"Oh, those are IOUs," comes the reply. "Don't worry, with me they're as good as cash!"
Right!
Needless to say I confronted my teens with the absence of "my" money. Their response was interesting. "Dad, it's not your money--it's our money. We got things we needed."
You see, my kids are OK with living on Dad's earning. I was tempted to feel they had taken advantage of me, but when I stopped to think about it, I realized they were at least partly right--for the time being.
My experience illustrates something similar going on in Revelation. Because of the cross, the Lamb can open the scroll and provide everything necessary to redeem the universe. Salvation costs me nothing, but it cost Him everything. In a sense, "His money is our money." It is good to be the child of the King.
Lord, help me to remember today that everything I have ever had was a gift from You, the fruit of Your sacrifice on the cross. I choose to be generous with Your gifts today.
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