Overflowing

The other night I had one of those good waiters that can really make a dining out experience better. He never let my glass get empty, and maybe just because it was a slow Monday night, but it seemed that every time I took a sip he was right there with a pitcher to top me off.

I don’t like to sit at a meal with an empty glass. That is why I share in David’s joy that “my cup runneth over (Psalm 23:5).” God has blessed each of us so far beyond what we ever deserve. With God there is no debate on whether the glass is half empty or half full; it isn’t half anything. God has richly blessed each of us, but that doesn’t mean that we will never have a bad day, never lose a job, or never get a bad doctor’s report. It just means that God is meeting our needs.

If you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food in your stomach, and spare change on your dresser, you are in the upper 2% of the world’s wealthy. There are 360 million people in America, and some 6 billion people in the world; that means that 98% of those 6 billion have far less than we do.

James 1:17 reminds us that every good gift comes from God, so be sure to thank Him today for making your cup overflow.

Angry Birds in Space

If you’re like me than you were excited to hear that a new version of Angry Birds was out. From the original, through all the Seasons, and then into Rio, and now these ticked off birds are chasing the green pigs into outer space. 

These once popular birds had recently taken a back seat to Temple Run, so it was perfect timing to come out with this newest game. I have beaten the previous three versions of the game, and am a little embarrassed to admit that I even pulled a few all-nighters when the debut version was launched. But it was clearly time for something new.

With new gravity-defying strategies, backwards launching, and even a new bird joining the ranks, the makers of Angry Birds did exactly what developers need to do to keep from fading out of relevance.

Some churches and religious groups feel the need to do the same thing. They think that the message of the old rugged cross does not apply anymore. Sermons on sin were for our grandparents, but we need to keep up with the changing times.

While I am all for making preferential changes, the message of Jesus Christ should never change. Why? Because He never changes.

James wrote that with the Father there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” That means that God does not change who He is or how He acts.

As beings who change we may struggle with that concept, but that is the beauty of serving an out-of-this-world God.