Alarm

The weather is in rapid change mode today.  Supposed to have some of the white stuff sometime today.  I know some people do not like winter, I love the first snow fall. Yes, I know it means everything is cold and wet. I know roads become treacherous. However, for me the splendor of a winter wonderland far outweighs the negatives.  Often the first snowfall  transforms leafless trees into delicate lace curtains framing a landscape glittering like diamonds. A peaceful softness wraps everything it touches. For a few moments a small part of creation whispers a fresh, clean promise to those who listen.

One year not too far in the past a heavy snow blanketed Huntington county.  It frosted the landscape in 12 inches of white.  So awe inspiring until the electric went out. Quite a few people spent less time enjoying the snow that year and more time trying to keep warm. Our church lost power for several hours. After it was restored, I hazarded a journey to the edge of town to insure all was well in our worship place. 

I cleared a path to the glass front doors before I could enter.  No problem, still beautiful and now I was warm too!  However, when I opened the door and stepped into the foyer my appreciation of God's masterpiece quickly turned to irritation. A blaring alarm welcomed me. The culprit was the septic system.  Its alarm screamed at me while I hunted for the trouble. No reset switch on this system; just a button to silence the alarm.  After a few hours of anxiety, I learned from the repairman that the pump simply needed to "catch up" or recycle or something. The technical explanation escaped me. However the irony of going from pristine beauty to thoughts of an overflowing septic tank did not. Neither did the lessons God built into our first snowfall of the winter.

Lesson one: nothing comes without a price. The beautifully frosted landscape cost some folks cold nights and others major property damage. Some families lost food and part of their paychecks. My point is that every gift comes at someone's expense. God's love for us cost Him the life of His only Son, Jesus Christ. The wonder of grace that brings us peace came with an enormous price tag: His blood.

Secondly if we repent and accept His gift of salvation, we are washed clean of our sins. We are a new creation full of life sparkling with the light of the Son.  We are whiter than a landscape full of snow. This too is expensive. Jesus made it very clear that the disciple's life costs plenty. It may cost embarrassment, material things, family, friends, and livelihood. Some pay with their lives. Yet, the peace, joy, triumph and hope of life lived for Christ will always be worth the price.

Third, when a person or a body of believers "lose power" an alarm goes off. God even sounds the alarm through the world's pain and sorrow.  Hmmm, I think hurricanes qualify as an alarm.  I found it sad that during Hurricane Sandy,  so few called people to pray,  Instead of hoping in the Lord, it appears most believe the media and government are our help in times of trouble.

Back to the alarm:  a disciple and/or large group of disciples can lose power when they choose to avoid sacrifice or believe God saved them only for their benefit. Some choose to complain rather than focus on the beauty of Christ. Many people ignore that quiet voice of God calling them to leave everything behind for Him. Yet many of God's people turn a deaf ear and blind eye. Others grow angry and blame. Some simply refuse to live a sacrificial life that offers the world's only hope: Jesus Christ. We try to silence the alarm but our powerlessness is seen in the ugly mess we can see all around us. Only through the power of Christ in us will anything truly ever change.

Praise be to God there is a reset button. A humble heart can always find forgiveness and new life just for the asking. God willingly offers salvation, peace, joy and cleansing to all who call on His name and follow Him.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)