I remember giving away a beautiful dress that I owned. The fact is the dress had gotten just a tad too small for me. So, instead of hanging on to it and hoping to lose those few pounds to get back into it I gave it to another lady. At the time I felt it was a good cause. She was a new convert who was also a struggling addict and I thought it might encourage her.
The navy, white and hot pink dress was very stylish and looked beautiful on her. She proudly wore it to church.
I felt blessed and I was thankful I had given it to her until a few weeks later when she wore it again. You see, her situation was poor. I did not think of the fact that the dress was dry clean only when I gave it to her. The next time she wore it I could tell she had washed it and pretty much ruined the beautiful material of the dress. I immediately became annoyed at myself for giving her something she was unable to care for properly.
As I think about this scenario today I realize it really did not matter, that dress was going to rot and ruin with the passing of time anyway. Everything will!
They (heaven and earth) shall perish; but thou (Jesus) remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Hebrews 1:11
One thing my good Lord has taught me through the years is that I need to get better at losing. We will lose it all one day and everything in heaven and earth will pass away. Oh, but our Jesus remains forever and He will never fail!
Jesus never fails,
Jesus never fails,
Heaven and earth will pass away,
But Jesus never fails.
By A.A. Luther
It does not surprise me that one of the key words in the book of Hebrews is the word better - better than the angels; a better hope; a better testament; a better covenant; better promises; better sacrifices; a better … substance; a better country; a better resurrection; better thing for us.
Everything is better with Jesus! In fact, with Jesus the very best is yet to come.
What we have in this world is going to get old like the dress I gave away and like the worn out sweater you put in the Salvation Army box. So go ahead, get better at losing. Remember these thoughts as you do:
Losing is better when we have Jesus.
With Jesus we can get better at losing.
It’s better to be losing all along the way! As we do so may we realize that we have that which will remain and continue forever without fail, our better Savior, Jesus Christ.
Theme Verse:
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated “perish” in our verse, Hebrews 1:11, for today.