Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker

The other day I found a nearly-empty jug of maple syrup in the refrigerator. I thought for a moment how to get rid of it in order to make more storage available in the fridge. So I pulled out a jar of peanut butter and whomped up a concoction my Dad used to eat on hot homemade biscuits. (He also ate pancakes with peanut butter and syrup.) Since I didn‘t have any biscuits or pancakes, I just ate it like pudding. I can’t remember the last time I ate peanut butter and syrup on a biscuit. Somehow, through the passing of time, I’d forgotten all about this lip-smacking treat! How could I forget something that yummy?

God knows that humans have a tendency to forget, so we’re reminded of His loving benefits in the following verses: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV).

Believers are to bless and praise the Lord with our whole being (soul). Our entire life is to bring glory to God as we continually remember the great things He’s done for us. Worship is a 24-7 lifestyle and everyday is an opportunity to show the lost and broken that someone on earth and Someone they can’t see loves them. The other day while driving, I was listening to Glen Campbell sing, “Try a Little Kindness.” As I absorbed the lyrics I thought, “This is a song you could sing in church.“ Here’s verse 2: “Don’t walk around the down and out, lend a helping hand instead of doubt. And the kindness that you show every day will help someone along their way.” That sounds an awful lot like Luke 20:25-37. And at the end of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” We need to remember this teaching.

As children of God, we shouldn’t forget why He created us. We’re God’s visible reps, thinking and acting as He would. God also desired fellowship with mankind. To me, one of the saddest verses in the Bible is Genesis 3:8 NKJV: “And they [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” The moral of this story is to remember to fellowship with the Good One and not the evil one. When the serpent (Satan) began his deceptive conversation with Eve, she should have said, “Shut up, Liar!” and walked straight into God’s rock-solid arms. God wanted fellowship, but the devil only wanted to destroy a loving relationship.

There are numerous scriptures regarding the importance of not forgetting. “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:1,2 NLT). To say you’ve never seen an angel may very well be an untruth. “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God” (Hebrews 13:16 NLT). All believers have a mission and shouldn’t be standing around scratching their heads wondering what they’re supposed to do for God. It’s plain and simple: Do good and share.

The Key: Don’t forget all of God’s benefits and remember to bless His holy name.

Easter season has passed. Colorful baskets are bubble-wrapped and stored in plastic containers, chocolate marshmallows have done their diet damage, and pastel, church clothes are washed and hung for the next dress-up event. Ham and scalloped potato leftovers have been devoured, the Easter bunny has started his/her 12-month hibernation, and soon 4^th of July gizmos will begin appearing in store windows. We move on. Jesus did too. Three days after his death he joined two faith-shaken men—one named Cleopas and one unnamed– in their walk home after witnessing the crucifixion of the one they trusted would save them from the Romans. Seven miles outside of Jerusalem a stranger joined them and questioned their grief. Stopping in their tracks, one said to the outsider, “You must be a visitor to Jerusalem. If you lived there, you would know the things that have happened there in the last few days.” After all, anybody who was anybody had heard of the crucifixion… anybody, it appeared, except this man. So, they filled him in on the details of the empty tomb. As one pastor preached this past Sunday, “Nobody saw no body in the tomb.” What they didn’t know was the stranger walking alongside them was the very one about whom they spoke. I love the irony: “Are you the only one who does not know…?” when they are addressing the only one who really does know! (Filling Jesus in on his death is sort of like me explaining electrons to Albert Einstein.) The stranger confronted them. “How foolish you are! How long it takes you to believe all that the prophets said! Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and then receive His glory?” Beginning with Moses, he explained to them how the one crucified fulfilled death and resurrection prophecies made thousands of years before. (Since there are over 300 such prophecies in the Old Testament, I assume Jesus shared only the most relevant ones.) Wanting to hear more, the men begged this learned man to join them at their home for dinner. It was there Jesus broke bread, and the pair’s eyes were open to recognize their Savior, very much alive and reclining at their kitchen table. Once Jesus left, they couldn’t wait to share the good news (Is it any wonder that “Gospel” means “Good News”?) with Jesus’ closest followers, the disciples, so they sprinted back to Jerusalem to relive their encounter with their Risen Lord. So, let’s backtrack to look at a few hidden nuggets in this scripture. Did you ever question why only one of the traveler’s names is given? Some speculate that this was intentional so that we would put ourselves in the place of the nameless journeyman. If so, we should imagine the joy experienced when the once-downtrodden men realize that they have witnessed the unthinkable. The story in which they are partnering has a new beginning. The grave is empty because Jesus is alive! And they are in the elite group to witness the miracle first-hand. I wonder how many of us, like the two men, “miss” Jesus. We expect him to show up at a Sunday morning church service or a trip to a mission field, but not right beside us as a fellow sojourner. If we’re not alert and ready, we won’t take the time to invite him into our lives, and we will keep hopelessly strolling down the road without recognizing his presence. Instead, let us keep Easter season alive. Let us expect Jesus to join us in our daily walk so that we never miss an opportunity to spread the “Good News.”