No matter where you live, you start your day in darkness. To those in the Mid-east the day starts when the sun goes down, and for us Western Civ types it starts in the morning-still in the dark. But as sure as the sun will rise in the eastern sky every morning, the day turns to light. And the light soon overtakes the darkness, and no matter which schedule you choose, you spend the day in the sun-unless it rains, where the sun just happens to be on the other side of the clouds.
And during these times we call days, a battle looms that is seldom known of, but we all participate in. It is the battle of horizontal vs. vertical. It involves relationships, and for those of us fellow earthlings, most of our relationships are vertical, or sideways, with others of our species. Earthly. Some are loosely based, but some get quite intricate and complicated. So since no one else came up with guidelines, Kurt Vonnegut, he of Slaughterhouse Five fame, came up with the term "grand falloon." Say you run into Abraham Lincoln. He was born in a log cabin, I lived in a log cabin. We have log cabins in common, that's our grand falloon. Say you meet Princess Di. She was killed in a Mercedes Benz, I was a service manager for Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz is our grand falloon. And say you drive a motorcycle-so do I, so we have a two wheeled bond as our grand falloon. A brotherhood. Simple isn't it. Or it should be per Mr. Vonnegut. And that takes care of the vertical relationships. If only life were so easy...
But what about the horizontal ones? The ones that go between our God in heaven and us? They can get pretty complicated if you buy into religion-don't let that be your grand falloon. It is wiser, and much better to have Jesus as our common denominator. For He adds life to the relationship, and makes life more exciting. For example-
Years ago we visited a man in the hospital who was dying-he tried to commit suicide by alcohol. He was pretty bad the night we visited him in ICU, and while some prayed, I shared the gospel with him. I asked him if he wanted Jesus as his savior, and did he want to go to heaven. Via the Holy Spirit, he accepted the Lord, dying later that night. While leaving his room that still small voice of God told me "you will see this man in heaven." Now heaven, that's the grandest falloon of all. And so we fast forward five years to where Richard, a man who shared my devotions in prison is released. He calls me, and I go to his home, where he is staying with his mom. On the piano is a picture of his brother David, and Richard begins to tell me the story of how some bikers went to see David in the hospital the night he died, and led him to the Lord. As my heart started to beat faster, I asked him some questions about that night. With Richard telling me they didn't know who that man was.
That man was me! Through God's infinite grace, I had led David to the Lord, and now was ministering to his brother Richard. Talk about grand falloons, we had his brother in common, but more importantly Jesus Christ-the grandest of all falloons. Now to the horizontally challenged, this may seem like a coincidence, and you would be wrong. Bad falloon. For coincidence merely appeals to non-God items-this was definitely a
God thing. And with no such thing as coincidence, they are all God things. And although this grand falloon would bring a smile to Kurt's face, we as Christians know better. God calls it divine intervention-for without God, His timing, and His spirit, none of this would be possible. And when a vertical relationship among men meets a horizontal relationship with God, it forms the cross! The perfect combination of man with God, showing that Jesus came to earth to save those that were lost. And to bring us into fellowship with Him, and then into heaven for all eternity. Life begins at the cross-the best falloon I know.
God thing. And with no such thing as coincidence, they are all God things. And although this grand falloon would bring a smile to Kurt's face, we as Christians know better. God calls it divine intervention-for without God, His timing, and His spirit, none of this would be possible. And when a vertical relationship among men meets a horizontal relationship with God, it forms the cross! The perfect combination of man with God, showing that Jesus came to earth to save those that were lost. And to bring us into fellowship with Him, and then into heaven for all eternity. Life begins at the cross-the best falloon I know.
Did you realize by reading this, and sharing it with others we have a grand falloon? More importantly did you know we have a common relationship with Jesus Christ at the cross? Ask God to intervene today, to bring you into contact with someone, to share that precious moment of divine intervention, and have church while fellowshipping with someone-wherever the two are gathered, Jesus is among you.
Just like that night in ICU, and just like that day in Richard's living room. No coincidence, more than a grand falloon, most definitely a time of divine intervention. May all your relationships take the form of the cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus. For as night turns into day bringing light with it, when Jesus comes into your life He shuts out the darkness, and replaces it with life. It would have been nice meeting Abe, Di, and doing it while riding a motorcycle. But spending eternity with Jesus...it takes divine intervention. At the cross-the only place where two lines intersect to make something of your earthly relationships. It takes Jesus. And the only thing that will turn you night into day. Out of darkness into the light, all this grand fallooning and we had Jesus all the time...
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com