A Non-Christmas Story

            An old story goes like this:

            Little Leroy went to his mother demanding a new bicycle. His mother decided that he should take a look at himself and the way he acted.

            She said, "Well, Leroy, it isn't Christmas and we don't have the money to just go out and buy you anything you want. So why don't you write a letter to Jesus and pray for one instead."

            After his temper tantrum, his mother sent him to his room. He finally sat down to write a letter to Jesus:

            Dear Jesus:

                        I've been a good boy this year and would appreciate a new bicycle.

                        Your Friend,

                        Leroy.

            Now, Leroy knew that Jesus really knew what kind of boy he was (he was a brat). So he ripped up the letter and decided to give it another try:

            Dear Jesus:

            I've been an OK boy this year and I want a new bicycle.

            Yours Truly,

            Leroy

            Well, Leroy knew this wasn't totally honest so he tore it up and tried again:

            Dear Jesus:

            I've thought about being a good boy this year and can I have a bicycle?

            Leroy

            Well, Leroy looked deep down in his heart, which by the way, was what his mother really wanted. He knew he had been terrible and was deserving of almost nothing. He crumpled up the letter, threw it in the trashcan and went running outside. He aimlessly wandered about depressed because of the way he treated his parents and was really considering his actions.

            He finally found himself in front of a Catholic Church. Leroy went inside and knelt down, looking around not knowing what he should really do.

            Leroy finally got up and began to walk out the door and was looking at all the statues. All of a sudden he grabbed a small one and ran out the door.

            He went home, hid it under his bed and wrote this letter:

           

            Jesus,

            I've got your mama. If you ever want to see her again, give me a bike.

            You know who.

            It is easy to jump on Leroy, but before we do, let us consider this: do we ever attempt to coerce Jesus to get what we want?

Temple of the One Thousand Buddhas

            The legend is told that in Japan, there is a temple called “the temple of the one thousand Buddhas.” Upon entering the temple, a person can view one thousand images of Buddha, each one slightly different than the other.

            You might ask, what is the purpose? It is so that the worshipper can enter and find the image of Buddha that is most like him or her. That image, then, is the appropriate one to worship.

            Scripture teaches, this is one of the many reasons idolatry is wrong—humans tend to create a god in their own image.

            (Sarcasm alert!)

            Fortunately, we, in the United States, don’t have that problem.

    

The Temple of the 1000 Buddhas

Rick Atchley once related the story about a temple located in Kioto, Japan. It was called the “Temple of the 1000 Buddhas.” When one entered into that temple to worship, he encountered 1000 images of Buddha—each one slightly different than the other. Why? So that the worshipper could go in and find the image of Buddha that looked most like him. That would be the one he worshiped.  

Could we be guilty of similar worship?

"How do you get 300 people to worship God together when they can't worship God alone?"

--Ravi Zacharias

Gluttonous Dogs

I read, this weekend, that veterinarians in Great Britain are beseeching dog owners to not give their pets so many treats and table scraps. It seems that their animals are becoming overweight and not exercising enough.

I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about this, but I know how I do feel – convicted. My guess is that the dogs’ masters are projecting upon their animals the same desires that they have. These actions from the masters also reflect their lack of self-discipline. Unfortunately, the humans are hurting the health of the animals, just like they are hurting their own health.

What an indictment. I see this report as a great word picture for where we are in Western society today. We don’t govern our appetites; our appetites govern us. I suspect that when Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me..." he knew who his competition was—us.