True Abundance

When I was a kid, I was a comic book freak. If the stories were stupid, there was always a great full-page ad to spark my imagination. Oh, how I wanted the sea monkeys, a hovercraft, and the little machines you could use to make counterfeit money. Charles Atlas wanted to beef me up to take on the bully with his 15-minute trainer. However, the one wonder I couldn’t resist was the X-ray glasses.

These specs were advertised to help a young man full of testosterone see past all types of barriers. I wondered why everyone didn’t have a pair, but quickly came to the conclusion it was because I was a visionary genius.

So, in 1979, I saved up a whopping $1.99 for my x-ray glasses and another $5 for shipping and handling. I also dedicated the next six weeks of my life to checking the mailbox each and every day to see if they’d arrived.

After what seemed like an eternity, I got a very small package in the mail. Inside was a very lame pair of cardboard glasses. I was crushed. It was a scam. Who knew? I felt so cheated and stupid. It was my first taste of a dishonest world full of cheating schemes.

Thanks to the father of lies, our world is filled with scams, con artists, and just plain lies. Where do I run where I know I’ll never get ripped off or disappointed? Jesus.

You see, the proof of authenticity is not just in the book, it’s in the lives of all of us – believers who love the Lord and serve His people. We see miracles, live beyond what is reasonable, and shoot for limitless possibilities. We love beyond our capacity and live beyond our means. We choose to be battleships instead of cruise ships. What’s real is the hope of Christ in us. What about you? Do you have this hope? If not, let the truth set you free.