“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.  Aim at earth and you get neither.”         C.S. Lewis

Telling stories is what we do as writers.  We use words to create interesting situations, to draw in our audience, to share an experience, to offer solutions and to entertain.

During His time on earth, Jesus also told stories – called parables – which were earthly stories, familiar to the crowd He was addressing – having a spiritual message.  These stories could be related to by the audience.  He was speaking in their terms, about things they understood and lived.

When Jesus told a story it held more than one truth.  It was usually told to teach us about living and how to do it.  He took an earthly situation and turned it into a lesson.  When He told of the prodigal son, who had squandered his inheritance and, after all had fallen apart in his life, he returned to his dad and asked to be forgiven.  This was to show us how much our heavenly Father wants us to return to Him and repent of our wrongdoing.  It also shows how much He loves His children and waits for them with open arms.

Jesus talked of not storing up earthly wealth, but to look forward to heaven.  He used agriculture in His story telling and often referred to shepherds.  He took everyday situations and turned them into beneficial truths for our daily walk with God, the Father.

These weren’t merely stories intended to pass the time.  They were filled with spiritual relevance.  Through them He was teaching us how to pray – how to relate to each other – have faith in God for daily provision – prepare for eternity in heaven and how we should pass these stories on for all generations to hear.

In Jesus’ stories, we have God speaking directly to us.  His words have been preserved by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.  The words are truth.  Jesus has taken away our sin and guaranteed us a spot in heaven.  That doesn’t mean sin will never enter our minds again.  We will continue to struggle through life, but our forgiveness is our future life insurance policy.  Forgiveness was won, once for all, but now we need not fear death. The sting has been removed and we can look forward to eternal life in paradise.  The happy ending comes when we leave this earth and enter the heavenly realms.