Jun182023
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Nothing Like First Class

My brother asked if I wanted to go to his daughter’s wedding. Now if he had asked “Do you want to go on a fly fishing trip,” there would have been no hesitation. But I hesitated because I did know if my brother really wanted me. You know the burden of guests. He has to pick me up at the airport, clean the guest room, cart me around, and provide internet. My brother has more important matters to think about as the father of the bride. But he insisted, “I am getting you and Dad first-class tickets to fly out.” Well, in that case, I guess he really wants me to go.

Nothing like first class, right?

So God said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to remember that I brought you here on “eagles wings.” I get the analogy. Not on turtleback, so you feel like you are in slow traffic. Not on sparrow wings. You would have to be strapped to the wings, and with all that flapping you would be sick on arrival. Not to mention frequent fuel stops. No, we are transported on Eagles wings. Eagles glide, and those wings are so spacious like lying in a hammock, leg room, non-stop, first class. The Israelites may have had some doubts about how much God wanted them. They were, after all, a lot of work for God, not to mention all the murmuring and complaining about the desert conditions. When God says eagles’ wings, they know that God must really want them.

Here is the lesson for us. It is important to hear all the details when God speaks because it helps us with our decisions.

One time a guy called my brother and asked him if he would work in his new computer company. He told my brother that he didn’t have a lot of money, but he could pay him with stock options. He thought long and hard about it, but in the end, he declined. Later, my brother called me and asked, “Do you remember the guy that offered me a job in his computer company? He didn’t have a lot of money, but he would give me a lot of stock options?” I retorted, “Ya.” He continued, “I just found out that the guy who took the offer which I had declined retired from the company, sold his stock options, and bought an island.” I joked, “You big dummy. How did you let an opportunity like that get away?”  He answered, “I didn’t know. I was just married, and we were going to have a baby. I just didn’t know.” In other words, if only my brother owned a crystal ball and could have looked into the future, he would have known and made a different decision.

Unlike my brother, we have the means to see into the future. God’s word is far more reliable than a crystal ball. God tells us about eternal life, heavenly banquets, and treasure in heaven. He offers us first-class travel and guarantees because God never breaks His word.

Based on all of that, we should make good decisions in life. We do not want to have regrets.

I once thought about my future in heaven. I pictured myself telling God, “This is so great, Lord.  I never imagined it would be so wonderful up here.” “If I only knew how much You really loved us and had everything under control I would have been different.  I would never have been discouraged when it got tough, and I would never lose heart or started to doubt when it got difficult and the storms of life got to me.  I would have always been strong and never wavered.”  Then God will say, “I thought you knew. Wasn’t My word good enough?”

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