The Ballestero Blog

Guest Blog

by

Pastor Dennis Morris

Soooo!

A few years ago I was looking for a Jeep to put a plow on for our church lot, I called Eld. Vanslyke to ask what model he had and he said, “Why don’t you buy mine?” So I bought a Jeep from Eld. Vanslyke. When I got it home I found the floor under the passenger seat had a rusty hole big enough to throw a Coon through and when I took the seat out to fix it, the seat was held in with two vise grips. By then I’m laughing my head off. I called him to kid him and when I told him about the floor, he said “Sooooo?” I didn’t get it till mentioned the vise grips and he repeated his first answer, “Soooo?”
Then I got it! I wanted a short Jeep, I got one! I fixed it and it worked great!

Thusly “If we want Salvation, God provides it! If the life around it has a hole in the floor and jury-rigged seats, Soooo? Just get busy and adjust life to fit salvation!

There’s an old saying, “Gettin’ old ain’t for sissy’s!” Well, living for God ain’t either! God isn’t looking for trained soldiers he wants servants that will serve in whatever circumstances He calls them into. He doesn’t just save the able, but He will enable the saved!

The question is not, Can we be saved? The question is, Will we have the intestinal fortitude to use and apply what God gives us to get the job done? He did promise to throughly furnish us to do good works!

Eden was ideal, a paradise, but the tempter was still able to sneak in and cause a problem! God provides all things good but we need to realize that a covenant requires two and both have to keep their part of the bargain. All God required of Adam and Eve was don’t eat from that tree! Easy as pie! Not forbidden fruit pie either… What did they do? Got themselves kicked out of paradise. PLEASE don’t think if you had a perfect environment, it would be a cinch to live for God. The Flesh is flesh, get the whiff? By the way, if you want to be a missionary don’t bother to put Eden on your application as a place you’re willing to go. It had to be relocated because of a lack of interest.

The ark didn’t smell good and probably wasn’t comfortable either but nobody jumped out! The main reason for the ark was to save Noah and his family not to be a luxury touring vessel. For them to file a complaint because it was uncomfortable would have been ludicrous, to say the least. IT SAVED THEIR LIVES, PEOPLE! Mission accomplished. By the by, the animals were kept to save their lives, too. God really wants us to be saved, also. He’s got all the bases covered, trust Him.

The scriptures about the “Great House” let us know everything isn’t perfect there either. (VESSELS OF DISHONOR… really?) If we want to be saved, we can, in spite of the flaws and bad smells. Some of the responsibility for cleaning up the mess in the house is up to us. Could be if we sniff around a little bit we might discover the problem is us. It does say to qualify as a vessel of honor we need to purge ourselves. That’s clean up! Don’t dirty yourself and complain that something stinks. Don’t be the problem. Be part of the solution. It’s a GREAT HOUSE! Be thankful you’re allowed in the door.

Paul said to stay in the ship and live! They didn’t like it and some doubted and complained, they were battered, soaked, saltwater chafed, hungry and thirsty but everyone survived! Not too shabby Paul!

Even the group Jesus assembled had complainers, jealousy, animosity and the worst, there was a traitor! Yes, One of the disciples that Jesus chose was a bad apple but it didn’t stop Jesus or the Apostles from completing the mission they were called for. Oh, Instead of calling Judas a bad apple, I should’ve called him a “Forbidden Fruit“!

Soooo, in spite of the flaws and bad smells! This God idea called the Church works!

Though life sometimes can be difficult the Scripture still says “Let us go on unto perfection“!

I mean, after all, we are all just a piece of work… in progress!