November 10, 2008 (MON)

Monday, November 10, 2008

 

Rejoice, be abundantly glad and give glory to Him, because the wedding of the Lamb has come and His Wife Has Made Herself Ready. And it was given to her to be Dressed In Fine Linen, bright and clean (For The Fine Linen Is The Righteous Actions Of The Saints). Rev. 19:7, 8.

The brother of a friend of mine, Jam Park, asked him to buy a 1972 Ford Mustang March 1 in Los Angeles and drive it to Rapid City, South Dakota(a distance of more than 1,300 miles) for the brother's girl-friend. The Ford Mustang March 1 was one of those "muscle cars" that were popular back in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States (the 1964 Pontiac GTO started the genre). Such cars had massive engines and, usually, elaborate and distinctive decorations of some sort.

Driving the powerful March 1 made Jim the center of attention wherever he was in the western United States. People would look and point and treat him as if he were a member of some sort of "muscle car" royalty.

1. October 10, 8:35 p.m., Monrovia, California. Heading home from the place of purchase, Jim saw a man driving a 1960s Chevy Malibu muscle car. The man glanced over Jim's car and quickly gave him a thumbs-up. Jim felt as if he were now part of an exclusive club.

2. October 11, 8:00 a.m., El Monte, California. Jim's son, Jimmy, was 13 years old at the time. Jimmy begged Jim, Sr., to take him to school or to pick him up after school in the March 1 so all his friends could see him in it. In no time at alll Jimmy was also part of the club.

3. October 13,  3:45 p.m., Provo, Utah. Jim was registering in the lobby of a motel on his way to Rapid City. A person in the lobby at the motel was very excited to see the type of car he had once driven as a teenager in high school. The appearance of the car was definitely feeding the memories of anyone more than 45 years of age.

4. October 14, 2:00 p.m., Rawlins, Wyoing. As Jim was pulling out of a gas station, two young people made a signal for him to "rev up" the engine. Jim gunned the engine, and the couple smiled in response.

The wife of the Lamb is dressed in "the righteous actions of the saints." Like the sound and appearance of a "muscle car," something distinctive about her commands attention. As we walk and talk and drive around the block of life, what do people notice in you and me? Do they see the "fruit of the Spirit" or are the "works of the flesh" more in evidence? The constant abiding in Christ by faith is the requirement to be in the heavenly club.

Lord, people know that I have chosen to serve You. They are watching to see if it mekes a difference. Make me mindful today that everything I do and say sends a positive message about You.

The grace of Christ, and this alone, can make this institution what God designed it should be--an agent for the blessing and uplifting of humanity. And thus the families of earth, in their unity and peace and love, may represent the family of heaven(TFMB 65).