Last week, my kids and I went to see the newest super hero movie, Iron Man. The kids really liked it and it was very well done. More importantly, the message was clear. (For those of you who do not know the story, I will quickly give a recap)
Tony Stark is a brilliant young man who inherits a weapons manufacturing plant from his father. Tony is everything the word “playboy” implies. He is a partying, egotistical, arrogant, and self-centered fellow who lives to make money, spend money, and meet the young ladies. But something amazing happens along the way. On a trip to the Middle East, he is kidnapped and held hostage by a band of terrorist who ask him to create a weapon of destruction for them. He begins to realize that his only hope is to use the tools available to create something that can help him escape his captors. He does… and Iron Man is born. While I will not give you the rest of the movie plot, the main thing that happens is that Stark discovers new priorities. Suddenly his former lifestyle becomes irrelevant and he realizes that his life can best be used in helping people instead of creating death and destruction for profit. I want to share with you a couple of Biblical stories which illustrate a transformation of priorities for individuals.
The first is the story of Saul of Tarsus. You know him as Paul in the New Testament. Before being renamed, Paul (then known as Saul) was one of the most adamant opponents to the Christian movement. He was having Christians arrested and stood by as Stephen was stoned for testifying to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In Acts 9:1-20, we read that suddenly Jesus appeared to Saul and he was blinded. When his sight was restored, Saul gained new insight to Jesus and literally saw his life in a different light. Saul became Paul and transformed into a zealous defender of the Christian faith. We know of that faith through all the books of the New Testament which bear his signature.
The second story is about a Syrian commander named Naaman. His story is found in the Old Testament book of II Kings chapter 5. Naaman, although a man of power and prestige, had a sever skin condition that cause him great agony. The prophet Elisha sent word to Naaman by way of a slave girl to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman listened to the words of Elisha and did exactly as he was told to do and only then was the skin condition cured forever. Through this miraculous healing, Naaman realized that there was only one true God and swore that he would never sacrifice to any other gods except God. His life was forever changed!
That’s the challenge for us. What part or parts of our lives do we need to examine in order to see our priorities fall into place? Even in the best believer, there are ways to improve ourselves and our walk with God. When we believe we are either too good to grow in Christ or we convince ourselves we are too bad to even be in such a relationship, we are simply allowing ourselves to be fooled. You are probably somewhere in between and that means we can and should find new ways to get into a deeper relationship with God. It may be in your worship, your prayer life, your Bible study, or even your service to others. Focus in on just one of these aspects of faith and try to improve in that area. It may even be in some small way, but it is progress. Somewhere there is room for improvement and/or transformation.
The truth is… we are all put here for a reason and that reason is to glorify God and serve others in His name. We do these things by a continual effort to get to know God better. Put your priorities in order and be an Iron Man or Iron Woman for Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment