One Billion

Here it is March already. I said that to a friend the other day and she quickly responded, “Oh, and I don’t feel up to a thirty-one-day march at all.” It’s said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but so far all it’s been is a lot of wind. The mornings are still cool to cold, but people are talking about planting, or should I say gambling on putting some seed in the ground. In spite of the wet weather we had early last month, we’re still looking at the possibility of a continuing drought trend. This El Niño, Ozone Layer, Global Warming, climate altering, reverse osmosis phenomena that scientists say we’re bringing upon ourselves because we’re burning our fossil fuels at an ever alarming rate of increase, just may very well be rearing its ugly head up as a real big, “Oooops!!” Maybe the crackpot scientists should have been taken more seriously in the ‘60’s when they started warning us about this possibility. Did you know that the U.S. alone burns on average 4,000 gallons of gasoline per second? The BP oil refinery in Houston, Texas, just one refinery in the U.S., produces 11million gallons of gasoline per day, 4 billion gallons per year. It’s estimated that the American consumer bought 140 billion gallons of gasoline last year. At this rate we might all be walking soon.
While on the subject of walking; A young boy had just gotten his driver’s permit and inquired of his father if they could discuss the use of the car. His father said, “I’ll make a deal with you. You bring your school grades up from a “C” to a “B” average, study your Bible more, get involved in church activities a little more, get your hair cut and we’ll talk about it more. Well, the boy thought about it and decided he’d settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six weeks they again met in the study where his father said, “Son. I’m real proud of you. You’ve brought your grades up, I’ve observed you studying your Bible more often and your participating a lot more in Bible classes and youth group activities. But, I’m real disappointed, since you haven’t gotten your hair cut.” The young man paused a moment and then said, “You know Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed that in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there’s even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair.” To this the father replied, “Yes you’re correct on all points, son. Did you also notice that everywhere they went, they walked?”
[2 Peter 3] Every eight hours and twenty minutes our government spends $1 billion. A billion days ago man was not yet here. A billion hours ago man was living in the Stone Age. A billion minutes ago Jesus walked the earth and a billion seconds ago it was 1959. Not a bit of this matters. So what if we burn the last drop of oil! So what if the climates all change because of the greed of man. Everything on and in the earth was given to man for his use. Granted much is being abused and overused, but nothing here is permanent. Don’t get me wrong. I cringe at the outright abuse of resources God has blessed us with. We are to be good stewards of our blessings for one day we will answer to God for the things we have done in this life. But of greater importance, are we preparing for the life to come? The fate of your spirit is far more important than drought or hurricane or tornado, which can hurdle you into eternity. This world is doomed no matter what. Your life will also end. Are you ready for the day of the Lord to come?