Sunday Mornin' Hope : Passions

2 Samuel 23 : 13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!" 16So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD; 17 and he said, "Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.



Have you ever walked through the candy aisle of Walmart or Walgreen's on the night before Easter looking for strawberry creme filled eggs from Russell Stovers?



Coming home from a Easter service Saturday evening, my wife mentioned in all her running that she forgot to get the big creme filled eggs. She mentioned this several times while we drove home. So when we got home I jumped on the bike and figured this was an easy task. WalMart and Walgreen's are across the street and likely loaded with strawberry creme filled Russell Stover eggs. Was I ever in for a culture shock. I remember how people would shop for groceries when a storm was predicted. They would GRAB all kinds of stuff off the shelves. That's how Walgreen's looked. The candy aisle was cleared out of ALL Russell Stovers candy except sugar free peanut butter filled eggs. Just the thought of a sugar free egg doesn't sound American. If I'm going for chocolate, I want the best tasting chocolate available. Cheap chocolate just tastes bad. I asked one of the cashiers if she had this certain R.S. egg. She walked over to a shelf display that was extremely sparse except someone put peanut butter eggs in all the shelves to make it look full. Frustrated but courteous I smiled and got back on my bike. Surely WalMart (the biggest store chain in the world) would have shelves running over with Russell Stover's strawberry creme filled chocolate Easter eggs. CRICKETS! I tell you. There were shelves of empty boxes in the candy aisle. Sure they had a giant supply of peanut butter filled eggs and sugar free chocolate eggs. Not willing to give up, I asked a guy with a headset to help me with my quest. If you have a headset, you must be important. I pleaded my case with him and he said "Go down past the checkouts and take a right at the lawn mowers. There is a large Russell Stover display there!" I put on camo gear and sped to the area. Surely I would score a dozen Russell Stover's strawberry creme filled eggs. I got lost in the paint department. There was a lady nearby putting away pots and pans. Surely she could quietly guide me to the 'pot of gold'. She pointed to a display on the end of the aisle with a big Russell Stovers banner over it!!! I had arrived. I did it!! My wife is going to be so happy. This is going to be worth a dozen 'atta boy's. I hurried over to it with credit card in hand. I'm going to buy the whole display and have UPS ship it to my house. As I got closer I found asst chocolates and peanut butter filled eggs. There was also a few holes in the display where my eggs once were. I rode home with the radio off and antenna's at half mast. I walked in the door and told my bride of 30+ years that there are no strawberry creme filled eggs in Fort Smith. There's always next year. I will start my gathering of eggs (like a hen) on New Years Day.



Of course my quest was nothing like the three that brought King David some water from the well in Jerusalem. Think of how those men enjoyed the pursuit. They risked their lives for a bucket of water. David was probably just thinking outloud 'Man I wish I had a drink of THAT water.' Was there anything special about that water? Probably not, but David wanted the original.



We all have passions that we strive for. We see things we want but don't need. When someone close to us hears our desire, they make it a quest to fulfill it. Several years ago I told my older sister about the coolest picture from just after the Civil War. It was called "Music for the dance" and was a drawing of four black men heading to a dance in the snow. Each of the men walking had fiddles and one had an upright in hand. My sister found it online and had it framed. She gave it to me for my birthday. I was overwhelmed! She made it a passion to find that picture.


What is your passion? Do you collect a certain item. Some people have a "Coke" room or some other cool hobby. I used to collect Sears Silvertone musical instruments in my music store. Eventually it got out of hand and covered much of the walls of my shop and looked more like a museum than a store.



This past week is considered the 'passion of Jesus Christ'. Long before the movie, this week was referred to that. Jesus Christ had a passion to pay the price for our sins over 2000 years ago. He succeeded and today is still passionate for our lives. He is passionate for us to spend eternity with him and gives us the choice. Soon he is coming to take us away like a thief in the night. For eternity we will reign and rule with him over nations. satan also has a unquenchable passion for the souls of men and women. The road to hell is wide and the way to heaven is narrow. Choose to have a passion for Jesus Christ and experience peace, joy, love, and hope while we're still here. Have a great Easter and celebrate the empty tomb. Remember I'm praying for you.

Thanks Dino.

thanks dino