Not All Are Equal

They say that all days are created equal.  And, I suppose it is true.  After all,  each day has the same number of seconds, minutes, and hours.  However, it is also true that some days seem like they will never end while others fly by so fast it seems they are pushed along by hurricane winds.  Most of the days we live are forgettable, but occasionally one comes along that is never forgotten.  Not only is it never forgotten, but it leaves an unmovable mark on us.  For some of us such a day is a day of graduation, or a wedding day, or the day a child was born.  And while I have experienced and remember those days, the day I really entered into a relationship with Jesus is also one of those days to be remembered.

 

Now some folks who are farther down the road of faith and walking more in step with Jesus than I have managed claim no remembrance of such a special day.  Instead of being able to circle a day on the calendar as the day it all started with Jesus, they just speak of a relationship that somehow started even before they were aware it was taking place.  Those kind of relationships we often try to characterize by calling them Emmaus Road Walkers.  My beginning point was one that was markable, but certainly does not place me in a better spiritual position than someone else.

 

It matters not how we got on the road of faith in Christ.  The important thing is being on it and walking it.  Yet, sometimes it seems that the church and its preachers are a bit reluctant when it comes to actually preaching with intentionality for a decision for Christ.  Preachers say they do not want to be manipulative.  Good idea.  But, it has always seemed to me that good preaching is persuasive and invitational.  Some may find some other point in preaching, but if it does not lift up Jesus in such a way that listeners are drawn toward Him and the message, it hardly seems like preaching at all.  Persuasive preaching that is invitational makes for days that are never forgotten.