Vultures
Sold my Cadillac. Humbled myself to a straightdrive, no frills, manual windows and locks Ford Focus. Josh, our son, chided me that I was driving a teenager’s car. But, oh how sweet is to cruise along at 35+ MPG.
No time to waste. Taking interstate around Charlottesville in my “new” (new to me) car. Sun shining. Good day. Just rigorous schedule. Must move along.
Suddenly, swooping out of the sky flew a huge black vulture. Of course I saw it. I said I saw it. However, common sense knows that birds have eyes. Birds can see. Birds like that do not fly into cars.
But it was coming. Then I saw why the vulture was diving. In front of me was roadkill. The vulture saw his dinner. It was diving for dinner, oblivious to a Ford Focus.
I hit the brakes, virtually coming to a stop. Did it work? No, that bird weighing about 100 pounds and being ten feet across (not really) flew right into the hood of my “new” car. Left history on my car and flew away. Did not apologize before it flew away.
The Bible says pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 11:2). Woe is me for the vanity of being so proud of that pretty little blue Ford. But I did not know that pride would bring me to a head-on with a vulture.
Oh, it is true. The story is true. But there is more than the bird and the Focus. Just today I hear that a man who was given much opportunity, spurned all the generosity, and is now behind bars. He wants a visit from the pastor. A vulture took him out.
I hear of a man who has a beautiful wife. She is a good woman who loves the Lord and has been faithful. He is a man who has been hit by a vulture who says she can offer more than a faithful wife. He thinks it is a proud moment to have an attractive woman tell him how handsome he is. He thinks his children will respect her as his future lover, mate, spouse, whatever. He is sin dazzled for the moment, while his adrenalin is pumping, that he should be the pick to enjoy physical pleasures of someone besides his wife. He does not know in this proud moment that a vulture is flying in to leave her history on his life, scarring him for eternity.
A letter comes from a young lady whose family is precious to me. In a time of weakness, though beautiful and intelligent, she allowed a sinner man to woo her into marriage and a child. “Can you help me get some clothes for my baby?” she writes. What she could have said was: “Uncle, in a foolish moment I allowed my beauty to betray me. A vulture flew in and took away my chances of a Christian home, a husband that would love me, and a life in the family of the Church.”
Vultures are flying all around. Imagine looking at a doctor and saying: “Doctor, I don’t need you. I don’t need your office. I don’t need your medicine. When I am sick I go walking in the forest. I watch TV and have medical thoughts. I heal myself.”
Can you imagine such ridiculous thinking? If you can, then you can imagine people looking calmly right into the eyes of a pastor (and pastoral staff) who live their entire lives serving Our Lord’s Church and saying: “Pastor, I don’t need you. I do not need a congregation. I do not need to worship with others. Jesus and I, or my family, have our private thing. I have church at home. I walk in the forest. I watch TV for my religious experience. I heal myself with private religious therapy.” That ole vulture just knocked out their headlights, and they do not even know that they have been hit. Pride has exalted them. They are in error, while vanity refuses to see the history of having been hit by the vulture.
I do not know how long one must live to say some things about the wisdom of life. However, allow me to venture that vultures are flying everywhere. He/she is a fool who thinks he is strong enough in his own right to avoid, shun, refuse, deny, and overcome all the wily moves of vultures. Wisdom that prevails in the face of temptation is wisdom from the Lord. Power to overcome the vulture is from the Holy Spirit, not psychology, philosophy, or home-spun sayings of ancestors.
Vultures of hell circle overhead looking for road kill. Who is so foolish as to take eyes off Jesus, the cross, and eternity? Let us not be vain in our thinking. There is a war between forces of heaven and hell. There is an enemy of our soul. Those who count the cost of the cross will happily lay down their lives for the Church, that they may perfect the Great Commission in their own lives.
Covenant Church, or any other church, has no other foundation that can be laid than Jesus Christ. Further, Covenant Church has a rich heritage of missionaries coming from around the world to testify of sacrifices, persecutions, shedding of blood, and martyrdom of our precious brothers and sisters in distant lands.
Can we do less than keep our eyes on Jesus?
Can we understand that a vulture is circling over our own head just hoping that we will be foolish enough to think we are smart enough to manage the vulture on our own? Will we be alert to know that if we enter on a course intersecting with the vulture that there is little hope of avoiding a collision?
Dear Friend, please do not give the vulture a chance to leave his fingerprints on your life. Be faithful to Jesus and you will inherit a reward (Rev. 21:7) and a crown of life everlasting (Rev. 2:10).
Owner of a scarred hood on a
Ford Focus,
Pastor Bare
“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of you lord.’” Matthew 25:21 NKJV