Gawfer

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." James Madison

Monday, December 25, 2006

According to the Father's will

This morning, while listening to GregLaurie on the radio, he told a story that moved me. It went something like this:

A father and son shared a hobby of collecting fine works of art, and had an estate full of masterpieces created by the most famous artists and sculptors the world has ever known.

While serving in the military, the son was killed in battle, and when the father heard the news of his son’s death, he was heartbroken. The father was so distraught, nothing that he had meant anything to him.

On the Christmas following his son’s death, the door bell rang, and when the father opened the door, he saw a soldier standing with a package under his arm. The soldier requested to speak with the father, and after being invited in, the soldier told the story of the son’s death. He told the father that his son had died while rescuing him from certain death, and as a tribute, the soldier had painted a picture of the son. As a token of his appreciation, the soldier gave the picture to the father.

Though the soldier was not an artist, he was able to capture the very essence of the son, so without hesitation, the father moved priceless works of art to the side and placed the picture of his son directly over the mantel of the fireplace. The father would sit for hours, staring at the picture of his son, reminiscing of their lives.

A few years later, the father died, and there was quite a stir in the art world, as his pieces were going to be auctioned off. The day of the auction, art collectors from across the globe gathered with great anticipation of what might come their way, and soon the auction began.

The first piece of art was brought out and suddenly the room went silent. The auctioneer began with “who will give me one hundred dollars for this painting of the son?” Somebody towards the back of the room shouted “Never mind that picture, we came for the real works of art!” The auctioneer indicated that the auction would not proceed until the picture of the son was sold first. Finally, a neighbor raised her hand and said “I’ll give fifty dollars for it. That is all I have, but I knew the son and father, and I’d like to have it.” The auctioneer said “going once,” “going twice,” “Sold to the neighbor for fifty dollars!” With that, the auctioneer indicated that the auction was over.

The crowd became agitated and yelled what about the priceless works of art?! The auctioneer then said “According to the father's will, he who takes the Son gets it all”.

This Christmas, let’s not forget why we celebrate. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him, will not die but have eternal life. John 3:16

You see, “According to the Father's will, he who takes the Son gets it all”.

God bless each one of you, and Merry Christmas from Gawfer.

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