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Would You Rather . . .

"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matt. 6:20-21

I love music.  I love old hymns.  I love the new contemporary praise songs.  At one time, you could have found me singing pop songs from the 90's or twangy country songs to the top of my lungs!  I love quiet instrumental music as well as big band music.  I just love good music! 

One of America's best Gospel singers finally got to go home to be with the Lord yesterday after a hundred and four years on this earth, the majority of them spent belting out hymns for masses of crowds all over the world.  George Beverly Shea traveled with Billy Graham to his numerous crusades and presented the message of the Gospel beautifully and distinctly through song.

He's probably most well known for his rich, baritone voice singing "How Great Thou Art" at the crusades.  As much as I love that hymn, one of my favorites that he not only sang, but composed the music for is "I'd Rather Have Jesus."

Although he didn't write the lyrics, they are powerful and deserve reflecting on:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

Whenever we've sung this song in church in the past, my mind always wanders to Job.  You know Job.  The man who lost practically everything he had, including his family, friends, and wealth, yet his faith in God never wavered.  I realize that the story of Job occurred long before the time of Jesus, but had he lived during the time of Jesus, I'm sure his reaction to his circumstances would have been the same.

Job could have bought into the theories of his friends that there had to be some long, lost sin in his life that would be to blame for the travesties that he had encountered.  He could have fallen into such despair after the wealth he had amassed was stripped from him.  He could have lost his faith after the deaths of his children. 

However, I think Job reasoned in his heart that his love and trust in God was greater than riches, houses, lands, or anything else the world could afford him.  He would rather have a relationship with the one true God than denounce his faith and have the approval of his friends.

Could you be a modern day Job?

If your wealth and children were taken from you, would you be truly content with just having Jesus?

If you were afflicted with painful sores like Job, or maybe with today's affliction of cancer, would you still keep your faith and trust in God?

Let's play a quick little game of "Would You Rather?".  Truly contemplate your answers.
  • Would you rather live in poverty and have a relationship with Jesus or be afforded the luxuries of the world, yet not have a relationship with Christ?
  • Would you rather have a job or position of honor (king, president, princess) without Christ or be a lowly servant with Him?
  • Would you rather be led by God's will for your life or be led by what the world has to offer you?
Remember, the wealth of the world is temporal.  Your relationship with Christ is eternal.  There is nothing that you can amass here on this earth that is going to go with you to Heaven.  The one thing you can be sure WILL go with you are all of the souls that you have impacted for the cause of Christ while you were here. 

Ask yourself this one last question:

Would you rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today?

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