A Man I will Never Forget

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The other day I met a man I will never forget.  As we talked, he told me an amazing story:

Turns out that a few years back he was reading an article online and stumbled across a featured story about a large settlement that jumped off the page.  At first it seemed like all those other too-good-to-be-true things that were going around a few years ago like ‘see if you have unclaimed money waiting for you from your tax returns.’  But the more he read, the more he realized he qualified for the settlement.

He went to his colleagues at work and sought their advice about whether he should pursue a claim with the company.  Some of them said ‘Why not?!’ and told him there was probably a catch… or that some spam-operation from a third-world company was trying to get his credit card and social information.  (I guess he was never privy to those hotmail-spam-emails from Africa about your deceased uncle’s inheritance… remember those?)

Anyways, he then thought it was wise to consult with his wife before chasing down this settlement reward.  She listened to all the reasons why he thought they would qualify and be rewarded, but in the end she was undecided about the risk of chasing something that might be all a hoax.

The more he thought, investigated and talked to others – the more he became convinced it was actually a real thing (literally) with his name on it!

So, I asked him where he was in the pursuing the claim.

I will never forget his answer.

“I started to, but the process took way longer than I anticipated… so I gave up.”

He then explained how he was required to give up too much personal information without a guarantee of a timeline of the payments.  They wanted his social security, his birthdate, tons of personal information, and he would have had to take a trip to leave his friends and family for a few weeks to verify himself in person.

He further rationalized that if it was truly legit, there must be an easier way… or at least some reviews online about other people who also qualified — but he couldn’t find anything concrete when he searched Google.

Admittedly, he confessed that such a reward would change his life forever.  He knew his family would live in a new reality, that his wife and kids would never be the same, and that his friends may even get weird or cast judgments and change or fade away.  The more we talked, the more I realized there was as much fear of how things would change as there was certainty of the promised-but-not-yet-attained reward.  So, he was stuck in a place of doing nothing at all…. and rationalizing it.

I finally challenged him:  “But if you are convinced the outcome is so life changing, why would you ever stop seeking the reward?!”

Are you frustrated by this guy too?  I mean, for goodness sake, why on earth would he let his wife or his friends sway him to just sit around and rationalize laziness on this thing!  I almost wished I could assume his identity and chase the reward for myself!  To think that anyone was letting him get away with this was next to insanity… and why didn’t God just show up and tell him in a dream:  GO!

Well, this is where I would ask you to check your pulse… of your spirit man.

See, the story above was a parable that the Lord laid on my heart last night…. I felt like some of you needed to hear from the heart of the Lord outside of your typical “monotonous rhetoric”.  Yes, this was only a story to illustrate the state that many of you may find your heart in.  Yes, Jesus spoke in parables too so before you get mad and say you were tricked… what you should be saying is “Jesus – is that me?!”

Men, here is what the heart of the Lord says for you: There is an inheritance of FREEDOM for you.  Your inheritance was already released upon the death of my son Jesus – therefore it is yours!  But it will cost you your life as well!  Yes, it is worth leaving behind the doubters.  His process will not be your own choosing.  It will not look like the person next to you.  You will not find many articles about it online, nor will you be able to take an easy route!

Search the scriptures and believe!  Don’t decide whether it is legit based on popular opinion or by weighing risks-vs-rewards.  There is no comparison!  There is no higher calling than to allow Jesus do what He came to do:  “To set the captives FREE!”

Wake up!  It is not my word you can rely on… it is His Word!

May our prayer be today: Lord, forgive us for our debts.  We choose to ask, seek, and knock for what is ours by your death and resurrection.  Through you, Holy Spirit, I choose to lose my life for the sake of knowing the fullness of the FREEDOM that was made available for me!  Do not let me ever rationalize my lack of encounter as a lack of your provision!  You have made a way… You are The Way!   I submit my life again to you today.  Be my Lord!  Be my inheritance.  I will not stop until I have all that You paid for!

Thank you Jesus.

From my heart,
Justin

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