Way back in 1978, a black comedy movie was released featuring Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise, called, “The End.” The plot was about an unscrupulous real estate agent who finds out that he has a terminal disease which will cause his death in a few months to a year. Instead of waiting it out, he decides to take his own life. He fails miserably, but his best friend offers to help in in the process. I mean, what are friends for, right? He is equally incapable of getting rid of his friend. (I told you it was a black comedy.) At the end of the movie, we see Burt being carried off in the ocean to his final hours. In that moment, Burt decides to make a deal with God. He promises to give 50% of his earnings to the church if God would spare his life. As he came closer to shore, the percentage dropped. I really don’t remember the ending. Did he live? Did he change? Did he repent? I guess the ending isn’t important. The truth is, there is no negotiating with the Creator of the Universe.
Yet how often do our prayers include just that? Maybe your life is on a downward spiral. You may have been unemployed for a long time. You may be in a difficult relationship. Your checkbook has a negative balance. Your body is showing definite signs of aging. You may even be facing a terminal disease. The devil likes to work on those times of struggle to make us think that God doesn’t like us anymore. He tries to fill us with so much guilt or pain that we don’t think we’re worthy of God’s love.
The truth is that none of us is worthy to face the Almighty. When the Bible says Jesus came to save the sick, He wasn’t referring to a specific group of people. He was talking about all of humanity. We are all sick – sin sick – and have fallen short of the glory of God. Anything we say or do will never be sufficient to pay the price for what lies behind the door. We can’t make deals with God, because He has already paid the ransom in full.
That’s a hard concept for our human minds to grasp. We naturally feel we have to do something to earn our way and Satan uses that idea to make us lose faith. We want to be in control and God tells us clearly that He is. He is, was and always will be. It’s so simple and yet so hard for us to let go and let God do what He does so well. His plan for our lives has been initiated before we came to be. Since He is the One planning it, we can be sure our salvation is guaranteed. With that knowledge, we can thank Him by the way we continue to live according to His will.
They made some pretty weird movies in the 70s. This one didn’t do well because of the content of death, suicide and working your way into heaven. It was a time when the limits were being tested in many ways. Just as today, they have gone way beyond the limits. That’s an entirely different blog, so I won’t digress.
THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!
