“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
- John 3:16-17
I have long been a collector of various items of interest to me. Most of what I collect has an historical connection of some kind. Most collectors enjoy their hobby as just that, a hobby. But, in every group of collectors there are those who are in it for the money. They look at it as an investment, seeking primarily financial gain.
The investor-collector is more concerned about the potential profit that can be made by the investment, rather than the special significance the particular area of collecting might have to offer. Now, this is not to say that the “true” collector doesn’t like and /or hope for the value of his or her collection to increase, rather, I’m simply pointing out the difference in perspective.
Some time ago I bought some items at a garage sale that had a connection with past presidents and vice presidents of the U.S. Among the items purchased were packets of matches from Air Force 1, Marine 1, and Air Force II, the presidential and vice presidential aircraft. There were several very interesting styles of match books with Presidential seals, etc. I offered 3, yes 3, count them, books of matches on the computer world auction sales network, EBay. They were offered for a 7 day period. With two days yet to go, the bid on the 3, yes 3, books of matches was $28.00, more than I had paid for the entire group of items.
Now, I wouldn’t pay that kind of money for a match book, but, then, I don’t collect match books. I would pay that for a rusty old Wyoming 1913 license plate, but not a book of matches. It was quickly apparent to me that the person who had the high bid had a “love” for matchbook collecting or presidential items. I’m sure the $$$ spent in this situation, which I might add was significantly higher than the $28.00 bid with two days left, was out of a desire to add to his/her collection. My intent in buying the matches was in the hope of helping to offset the cost of the items I wanted to keep. I do believe I was successful.
And now to the point. God’s love for his creation prompted him to pay the ultimate price for our redemption, the death of Jesus on the cross. I am so thankful God loves us so much he wants us to be part of His family. He was willing to pay the price, NOT because he was going to see if he could make a profit from us, but, simply because he LOVES us. Not just 3 of us, not just 144,000 of us, but, ALL OF US.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for your great capacity of love for your children. Amen
Rev. Mark Jervis
Chair
Ministerial Leadership Committee (MLC) |
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