“Don’t you like the window that we just installed?” He asked when he saw that she wasn’t enthralled “But Gramma the level was perfect” he said But she was certain still shaking her head
“It’s the eye of the artist,” she replied with a grin So he went to the window to check it again Then sure as the sun sets each day in the West His level confirmed it was low on the left
Now, twenty years later I recall with a smile That the work that we did was still off by a mile We just didn’t notice the sag of the sash But the eye of the artist saw all in a flash
And the Artist of Heaven, left His throne room above To come to my window and fix it with love For the eye of the artist sees beyond who I am Then He lifts me up by the blood of the Lamb
For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost. Luke 19:10 NLT
I love to feed the birds who hang around our community. Now, for the, “Don’t feed the birds” purists, know that I don’t do this every day. But about once every week, while out on my walk, I bring any leftover bread from a restaurant meal or leftover crackers or chips from our small group meetings. Last week, my wife and I brought a bag of some stale corn chips, but when we arrived, only one lonely Ibis was standing by in the usual place where I feed them. So, we smiled and said something about his being the lucky Ibis and began tossing out the crumbled chips. But our lonely lucky recipient wasn’t alone for long. Almost immediately, as if by magic, first one, then another and finally thirty in all were joyfully pecking at place where we had distributed their little treat.
Their joyful abandonment at the few crumbs we passed out that afternoon made us really laugh and reminded me of today’s verse. Even though those birds weren’t receiving anything of eternal value, they joyfully danced about, making sure they didn’t miss even the tiniest crumb. They sorted through the tall grass, wove their way through the crowd of feathered friends and thoroughly delighted in what we gave them. That reminds me of how Jesus told us that we need to pay careful attention to how His Father delights in feeding the birds. Now, we are far more precious to God than sparrows, ravens or Ibis, but He uses them to teach us a lesson on joy. So often we lose our joy when things don’t go as planned, we don’t reach the goals that we had set or we face difficulty, suffering and sorrow. But the difference between joy and disappointment, contentment and anxiety is that we want to dictate what is on the menu. We overlook that God has a daily bread planned for each of us and it isn’t stale, leftover crumbs. The details of our day have been carefully chosen by Him, just for us. Our job is not to dictate the how and when of His provision, but to joyfully seek out every crumb that He has set before us. Things were not always joyful for Jesus while He was on this earth. But the Bible tells us that, seeing the joy that was ahead of Him He endured the suffering of the Cross. While there was not a single detail of the day of His death that anyone in their right mind would consider joyful, Jesus found what others missed. A lost thief, a hardened centurion, a frightened disciple, a grieving mother and a crowd of enemies each received a blessing from Him. He could still give joy because He saw the joy that lay ahead of Him. He finished His time here on earth with the joy of knowing that He had finished everything that the Father had sent Him to do, and that one day all of us who trust in Him could join Him in Heaven and rejoice forever in His presence!
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Luke 10:30 NKJV
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a story that even non-believers know and love. There are Samaritan hospitals, charities and even a national Good Samaritan day! (March 13th). Who doesn’t want to rush in to save a helpless child, an abused widow, or an innocent bystander being robbed? But what we miss about the guy being rescued is that he was just an ordinary person, who Jesus calls a “certain man”. Maybe he cheated on his taxes, was unfaithful to his wife or wiped his nose in public. When Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus isn’t saying, “Love your nice neighbor,” or “Love the sweet old lady next door who gives cookies to all the kids on the block.” Jesus is commanding us to love the pain-in-the-neck neighbor who doesn’t always pick up after his dog, doesn’t mow his grass and who plays loud music late at night. Yes, that neighbor!
And did Jesus tell us it would be nice and easy? Absolutely not! Loving your certain man neighbor is going to cost you something. It cost the Good Samaritan, two-day’s pay, a long walk to the inn and a half a bottle of wine and another of olive oil. It might have cost him his reputation among other Samaritans for stopping to help a Jew. Yes, being a good neighbor to that “certain man,” who God puts in our path today might cost us a lot. But when being a good Samaritan or a good neighbor seems unreasonable, expensive or even dangerous, just remember that it cost Jesus everything including His death on the cross for you and for me!
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