I have found a new favorite thing. At my age this is really exciting. A good friend of my wife Karen gave her a gift. There is a group of friends who go out every once in a while to lunch and they bring gifts for each other. That is like an alien world to any guy I know. If we decide to get together every once in a while it would probably be to watch a game but we certainly wouldn't ever think to bring little gifts for each other. That is just one more thing that proves that my wife lives in a totally different dimension than I do. Anyway, this friend gave my wife an old fashioned hot water bottle. I didn't say they gave great gifts to each other. So my wife brought this home and as a lark I filled it up with hot water and put it under our sheets since my wife is almost a reptile when it comes to how cold she gets at night. This blog is not going to go over well with her. But the hot water bottle was wonderful. I mean it was the greatest thing. Now, every night I fill it up and put it under the sheets on my wife's side and it gives me so much joy it should be illegal. I have been trying to think for days how to relate that to Jesus. Do you know why I like to relate everything to Jesus? My self centeredness and selfishness and sin grows like a cancer in my soul. The ultimate remedy is the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. That is what has forgiven me. But the cross of Jesus, the Gospel, is the only thing that really works on the sin right now. Thinking about the cross, the love of my Savior, the great exchange (II Corinthians 5:21)does something deep down inside of me that nothing else does. Trying to suppress my sinful nature with will power is pretty useless. Even if I am successful I tend to be proud of myself and BANG, I am right back in with vanity. I heard a preacher say that sin is like cancer and being reminded of Jesus is like radioactive material that shrinks the tumors. That is why I try to think of Jesus in everything. As far as the hot water bottle goes, I am going to have to keep thinking. Maybe some of you can help me out but even trying tends to make my thoughts radioactive for a while.
Friday, March 14, 2008
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5 comments:
Who wrote this ... a first grader? I've never seen so much hot air (as opposed to hot water) in my life! Ha ha ha. I still got it. Thanks for wasting 3 minutes of my precious life! I'll never get those back! Let me know if you're ever going to write something significant! Peace brother!
Crazy Joel
Hey Joe (and everyone reading this), I was JKing!! I'll soon be a regular diner at the "Coffey Talk" shop. Keep me inspired!
Crazy Joel
Let me see...Jesus is like the hot water bottle. A gift given that most men would never think to receive or offer until they see just how much he warms the hearts and helps the sleep of others...sound good?
We are to be renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator. Colossians 3:10 Does that no mean to follow Joe's eaxample of filtering everything through Christ "All things were created by and for Him" Colossians 1:16 in other words don't get all your info from someone else's mind - study God's word yourself. God is the only one that is awesome and what he reveals in his word will bring about a renewed mind to see all things through spiritual eyes and a heart that continuously kneels in thanksgiving. His love can not be taken away from you and that love was demonstrated by the blood shed on the cross. Praise His Holy Name.
Joe,
You did not have to fill the water bottle up, but you did. Because you love your wife. Jesus certainly did not have to die on the cross for us. But He did because He loves us. Everything He does for us is out of love. Some things we do not even ask for. He just does it. And I bet it brings Him joy to do those things kind of like the joy you are talking about. Kind of.
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