The businessman was vacationing on the tropical island. He paid for a fishing trip with a guide. He was surprised to see that the guide’s boat was not very fancy. He noticed that the guide’s clothes were comfortable but not real fashionable. And the fishing gear? Well, it was, um, primitive.
He decided to make the guide an offer. “Hey, how about I invest in your business here? I’ll purchase you a better boat and nicer clothes and more modern equipment. In exchange for all of the business you generate, I’ll take a percentage, say, forty percent. Something like that. You could still make a killing.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Listen, you got a good thing goin’ here with the island climate and the great fishing and all. And there’s not a lot of competition. If you would just leverage your advantages a little, you could really make a bundle.”
“And what would I do with all of that money?”
“Hey, you could invest it to grow the business, and then when it’s really profitable you could sell out and live very comfortably. Perhaps you could even afford to … move to a tropical island and go fishing every day.”
You get the point. Sometimes we are moving so fast to improve our lives that we don’t realize that there’s something simple out there that’s really the improvement we’re looking for. That something is Jesus.
He’s not very fancy. In fact, his message is simple, almost primitive. His death is all the forgiveness we need. His life is all the righteousness we need (2 Corinthians 5:21). His message is all the peace and comfort we need (John 14:27). His spiritual clothes are all the covering we need (Galatians 3:27).
If you don’t know him, you don’t know what a difference he makes. But when you meet him, you find that out. No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the message you send into our hearts through Your Word about Jesus, Your Son and our Savior. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Galatians 3:27
for all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Living Hope Church 