Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Fox News had a recent story of a possible serial killer, as evidence by the discovery of the remains of three victims.

They are, as follows:

"...48-year-old Jewel King, who vanished in April 2006; 41-year-old Verdell Jefferson, who was reported missing in August 2006; and 43-year-old Dorothy Botts, who was last seen on Christmas Day of that year."

They had died 12 years ago.

While not explicitly stated, I believe that these pictures of the ladies are police mugshots, based upon tone, direction, and style.

I almost missed this story.

I also almost dismissed this story.

Except that my entire work week is ministering to people like these.

I can hear the epithets used now.

"Crack Whore". "Slut". "Welfare Queen." "Stoner". "Hooker." "Thief". "Trash". "Parasite".

Those are the repeatable ones.

The world may look at these ladies with disdain.  One can hear the collective sigh of dismissivness.

"No biggie, no big waste. No one will miss them."

The world finds nothing endearing about them. They didn't care for themselves, why should we?

But these are exactly the people Jesus was referring to in Matthew 25:40: "’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" (ESV)

And just in case you might think that Jesus was just rambling, remember who He hung out with.

Hookers (Mary Magdalene). Thieves (Levi the Tax Collector, Judas Iscariot).

He was genuinely concerned about the Least of us. He commanded us to Love them.

And so I do. Probably not as well as I should sometimes, but at least I am aware.

I am aware that these ladies were also "Daughters". "Mothers". "Sisters". "Wives". "Friends".  I am humanizing them because that is exactly who they were; human beings created in God's Image and loved by other human beings.

And deserving of being loved simply because of that fact. The fact that they were knit together in their mothers' wombs. Fearfully and Wonderfully made.

Don't miss that!

Just a reminder for y'all today.

For Where Your Treasure Is....

I have a gentleman who has been visiting us for some time now. He never misses a Sunday or Wednesday.

Last week, his truck broke down.

He, like a lot of us, simply doesn't have the funds to get the necessary parts to repair it.

He'll repair it himself, he just needs the parts.

So what does he do to continue to get to church?

He gets this:

It's an old bike. It's his niece's bike, in fact.

Our church is about 3 minutes away from his house by truck, but about 20 minutes by bike. Each way.

He rides this bike to and from our church in 90 to 100 degree summer weather. Sundays and Wednesdays.

That got me to thinking.  I asked myself, "What would I value so highly, or need so badly, that I would do whatever it took to get there to get it?"

One could immediately get a mental picture of an addict in the midst of lying, cheating, or stealing to get the next fix, but I am talking about something much deeper than that.

What, or who, in your existence, is something or someone you need so badly in order to not just get through the day, but through life itself?

This particular gentleman comes from some rougher straits than most. He's tried the other stuff, but his current need is Church Family. People who love him for as he is.

In Luke 12:34, Jesus said "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (ESV)

We cannot escape that fact. We will treasure something. Our hearts will be focused on it, and we will do whatever it takes to obtain it.

At root, we look for those things that make us feel good or feel better. If drugs, alcohol, or sex makes us feel good, we take more to feel even better. We crave it even more when we feel bad.

Jesus invites us to crave something that only He can provide, which is not just something that makes us feel better, but some that actually makes us better.

We become better siblings. Better spouses. Better parents. Better people.

When was the last time you did whatever it took to get God in your life?  When was the last time you fought to get to church, instead of fighting the church Herself?

What would happen if Jesus became the Treasure you absolutely had to have in order to live? And live life more abundantly?

You might even borrow your niece's bike.