A few days ago, my wife was having trouble turning the TV on, and after a time of frustration, she finally realized she was trying to turn off the TV with the telephone.

You may laugh, but it seems that half the world doesn’t know what to do when the VCR machine starts blinking 12:00 a.m….or maybe it’s blinking 12:00 p.m. Who knows. At any rate, Louise had a right to be confused. Right next to the phone, which in our case, looks like a remote, sits another remote that we use to get captions on whatever we’re watching on TV. That’s because we added the VCR a long time after we got the TV, and the two aren’t compatible unless you use both the remote controls.

But wait…there’s also a separate remote for the VCR. And don’t forget that the TV has its own remote. So that makes three remotes, plus a phone that looks like one. And when we turn on the TV, we must remember to then push the “satellite” button so we can run through the 150 channels that the dish opens up. If all that sounds confusing, just let it go at that. I know how to operate them, so when I hear loud static, I know to go push a couple of buttons so Louise can get on with that cook that yells “Bam” a lot. The fact is…Louise often wants to yell “bam” and put an end to her TV confusion.

What if God was like that. What if you had to read a book of instructions and call someone for help before you could get through to him. What if a voice would say, “If you want the gate, press one, and so on. But the Good News is that is is not like that. When you need the Lord, you just call out to him. No wires or buttons…no busy signals…no static until you figure out things. Just speak out, wherever you are, and tell Him you need Him. Some unbelievers call that a weakness, asking Him for help. But look at the trouble they get in, trying to handle life by themselves.

Accepting Christ doesn’t do away with life’s problems, but it gives you someone to lean on…to have faith in, that with His help, you can make it. Becoming a Christian gives no guarantees that all of a sudden, things magically get alright. No, being a Christian gives you strength for the day and hope for the afterlife. That’s when the payoff comes. Think about everyday life with habits that harm your health, or cost you your family and job, or leaves you broke. Oh yes, that evil one lets someone win a lottery or have some good fortune now and then, but that’s his bait to keep people hoping they’ll be next.

So don’t be mislead. He had no lasting good plans for you. And his number one trick is to tell you there’s plenty of time later, to turn your life around. Talk to the Lord about getting on His side.

37BT Bill Thornton June 13, 2005