Demolition  Derby *

      Fairs sometimes feature this strange form of entertainment. A bunch of old beater cars from local wrecking yards that are driven in an arena solely to crash them & see which one is the last running – even though in rough condition with parts falling off. With no insurance, each driver takes his own losses, and a crew comes out and clears away the debris in the arena. My daughter has been driving for a few years now & sometimes I think she is winning in her personal “demolition derby”. She has had full coverage insurance, and gets into total job accidents. Thankfully not getting injured so far,(until May '19 that is) & (always the other driver's fault of course). Due to the insurance she always ends up with a better car, maybe money to spare (5 so far), Amazing.
    Now could life in general be thought of as a grand “demolition derby”??  Humans do dreadful things to their bodies & minds while they are young, often for sport. But when aging, the body damage may be even worse by nature. See “Old Age” link 63. We take a fall & say “there goes my hip”, or “there goes my shoulder”. It’s sad to hear of heart problems, back problems, ankle bones deteriorating, protest gland “down for the count”, mind turning into wood & body parts falling off?, or going south. But with insurance the picture is somewhat better. The hospital is happier & maybe does better work with paying customers.
      From a spiritual point of view, human life may also be a “demolition derby”. After all, we are born on this planet to ultimately die. (Only a couple exceptions – Enoch & Elijah of the Old Testament.) And the old age picture applies to religious folks also. Today in church an elderly Christian lady gave God credit that she was “still standing”. But Christian people have a spiritual “insurance policy” that makes the “demolition derby” a LOT better. That policy is Christ’s salvation which the whole New Testament speaks much of. Jesus Christ made it clear that believing in him was central to being fully covered. And His death on the cross as the Lamb of God was payment in full for the policy. So even though we get to the end of the “derby” in rough condition with "parts falling off", we end up in heaven with a better eternal body. Kind of like my daughter coming out with a better car & money to spare??
      Here’s some references that may be useful:
  • John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him    should not perish but have eternal life.” -- The insurance policy in a nutshell. --
  • John 11:25 “Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”
  • 1 Corinthians 15:43-44 “It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is    raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.”
  • 2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner  nature is being renewed every day.”
     Well, the word Gospel means “good news”, and I believe it’s good news that we can go thru the “demolition derby” of life, whether deliberate or natural and come out well at the end. But belief in & commitment to Christ is truly the insurance policy. According to God’s word, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, he that believeth not the Son, the wrath of God rests upon him.” John 3:36 Choose Jesus & His salvation. They are Alive. Don’t “crash” without insurance & take your own losses.

Many other Titles:  www.gospelnotes.org                                                                         * * F.J. Stone * *
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* This analogy is not perfect, and may over-simplify the Christian life, but it does make a few good points.