Monday, 10/14/19 – Pressing on…

No one ever thanks a genie.

Well at least I can’t recall a single story where anyone ever thanked a genie. Usually the story line goes that after the “poof” and the thing wished for appears the action shifts to what happens next with the thing to or with or by the protagonist. But I don’t ever recall a scene where the lamp owner thanks the genie.

Genies, it seems, are just meant to be used like a tool — a fantastic miracle-making tool indeed, but nonetheless just a tool. Genies are kind of like robots, or toasters, or lawnmowers in that sense. No one ever thanks these things. Genies are often viewed as possessions or at least the magic lamp or whatever is. You see the genie responds to whomever “possesses” the magic device. So like any device the genie inside it is also seen like something of a possession. You don’t have a

relationship with, or thank, a possession. Then, when three wishes are used up, the lamp really isn’t much good to the possessor at all. In fact most people come by such a lamp or magic device because they stumbled upon it in the trash after it was of no use to the previous owner.

It seems even magic things and genies are becoming a part of a throwaway mentality. Get it, use it, dump it. Unfortunately it seems that many people look at Jesus that same way…

A crisis hits! There is nothing that can be done! “Oh God!” we cry out … We sometimes make all sorts of promises. Perhaps God in His great, great Mercy responds to even this shallowness. But like nine out of every ten lepers once things are made right, we toss Him aside. Or perhaps he does not respond. So we, angered, still toss him aside. Stupid lamp it doesn’t work… it doesn’t deliver!

But God is NOT a genie! We are NOT deserving of any favours, any mercies! If we think we are we are wrong, dead wrong!

We are the ones deserving to be tossed aside. God made us for Himself. He made us so He could demonstrate His Love, his Goodness. He made us for relationship… fellowship… intimacy. But we spat in His face, tore ourselves from His arms, and hid in His woods.

Yet still He loves us. Still He gives to us. He cannot stop. Our God IS Love. He is not a genie. He is our Father, our Maker, and Christ is our Redeemer, our Brother, and the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Teacher, and deposit of wondrous things to come.

Today in Canada is “Thanksgiving Day!” Are you thankful?

More tomorrow…