A few years back I was a witness to an accident, I was standing on the
corner when the car ran through the intersection and t-boned the van. I knew
what I saw, the van was in the intersection, and the Nissan hit it. End of
story, Nissan guilty. Until the CHP showed up and started asking me questions.
Which light was green? Which light was red? Where were you when it happened?
What did you see and when did you see it? Suddenly, I wasn’t sure what I had
seen, too many details for a split second observation. In my heart I knew the
Nissan was wrong, she hit the van, and even admitted it to the Chippie. But he
kept asking questions, and soon we were all confused. I finally told him,” I’m
going, I know what I saw. You figure it out.” And spent some time with the
woman and her husband and son who had been hit. They wondered why all the
questions, it seemed their treatment was being delayed, and they were being held
as criminals. All of us saw what had happened, we all were there, except for
the CHP. It seemed in the confusion he was the only one confused, and was
trying to confuse us. Just like no traffic jam until a cop shows up, his
arrival just made the situation worse. I was willing to go to court, even give
a signed testimony to what I saw. What part of the truth didn’t he get?
Now I understand some people are not so honest, don’t carry insurance, and
will lie every chance they get. I was in eight grade when a car ran into my
father and I, the driver saying I was driving. I was 13. I was hit from the
side once, the police took the report on one day, dated it the previous day, and
I was told “it happens all the time.” Funny how her insurance company without
admitting guilt was willing to pay for all the damages. What did they know the
Escondido PD didn’t? As a rider, every time we see a crash, we are trained they
must be going too fast. With all the losers on their cell phones while driving,
which is against the law, why doesn’t it matter when reported? I was rear ended
in my new pick up once by a guy on is cell phone, who told me “let me finish
this call and I’ll call 911.” He hit me, yet the officer responding wanted to
know where I was when hit. Ask the dude who hit me where he was, “on the
phone!” So you may know what happened, know the truth, and even have witnesses
to back you up, but under interrogation, you may doubt what you saw. Isn’t the
truth the truth? Or has perception become the new truth?
Reading in Isaiah this morning, chapter 40, the verse stated how Jerusalem
has received double from the hand of God for her sins. On the surface, it may
look like they were punished twice, and that God is mean, evil, vindictive, and
cannot be trusted, all the things your non-believing friends want to hear. They
leave thinking they won the argument and were smarter than God, but they just
prove their ignorance. The term paying double was a term used in reference to
those who owed a debt. When they couldn’t pay it, a note declaring them to be a
debtor was affixed to their front door. But if someone paid the debt for them,
the note was folded over, nailed to the door for all to see the debt was paid.
A cool reference to Israel that God would send a messiah, Jesus, who would fully
pay for their debt of sin, by his death and resurrection. Just the opposite of
what it sounds like. The same offer extended to us today, Jew and Gentile
alike. We were all non-believers once, and God paid a debt we never could.
Maybe if we see things through his eyes it would make a difference. What sign
hangs on your front door?
Our sign says “BE NICE OR GO AWAY.” Yet many don’t obey it, and leave the
same way, yet we try to offer them peace. Think about it next time you are
wrongly accused, aren’t the words not guilty, innocent, and forgiven beautiful
to your ears? When you know you are right? But even if wrong, you too can be
offered mercy. You have to screw up to get it, so we all qualify. In Jesus, I
know who I know, I may not always have the words, many times the spirit has
offered them without consulting me, and sometimes I can get confused, I’ll get
back to you. But the truth is still the truth, no matter how you interpret it,
not your perception, not some exception concerning your situation, the truth is
the truth. I saw what I saw that evening, and the other witnesses backed me up,
and I them. The officer was looking for evidence, Jesus offers us evidence that
demands a verdict, a decision. Unlike the EPD sorry excuse for poor reporting,
his word never fails. I would love to see that officer before a judge, I forced
it and he was reprimanded by his superior, but try explaining God to a
non-believer without the spirit guiding? Remember it was the Lord who set you
free, someone was just the messenger. So what is your message, if asked about
Jesus, what did you see and when did you see him? Your answer is your
testimony, the answer I gave to one of the men in our fellowship who was sharing
with another homeless friend. The friend thought God was evil for the fire and
brimstone he would cast the devil and his angels into, I told him tell him the
hell Jesus rescued you out of, and that he was going to. God doesn’t send
people to hell, Jesus rescues them. Your testimony is that strong, the world
may think you deserve double, God give you more than that in forgiveness.
That night two cars met by accident, you never meet Jesus just by
accident. God had me there that night to substantiate what had happened, I told
what I saw, I testified. I was able to comfort those who had been hit, and also
the woman who hit them. The spirit offers peace, the draw condemns. Proved
that night, at an accident, that really wasn’t, as God knew all the time it
would happen. No one was hurt, the cars would be fixed by the insurance
company, and a deductible paid. God’s insurance has no deductible, covers fire
and theft from the one who comes to steal and rob. Includes life insurance
too. Sign up with Jesus today and be covered. Be ready to be asked and don’t
worry about the answers. God knows, now you know. A witness can only tell what
he has seen or knows. So where were you when you first met Jesus? You already
have a testimony to tell....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com