Message in a bottle

I love the idea of sending a message in a bottle. I have always wanted to write something on a piece of plain white paper, roll it up, slip it into a bottle and let the ocean’s currents take it away to a far away land. Safe inside the confines of the glass bottle, the words would travel through time and vast oceanic expanses.  After many months or years, the bottle would wash up onto the shore and eventually into someone’s hands.

How exciting it would be to find that bottle and read the contents of the note contained inside. Now suppose the writer of the note was a President, a King or what if the message came from outside of our world, beyond time and space, wouldn’t you be interested in reading it?

 The fact is that we have a message just like that. The bible is a love letter from our Creator. What a treasure we have at our fingertips and what a tragedy if we never discover the wisdom contained inside. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16.

I talk to people who say they don’t believe in God. They give me all sorts of reasons for their lack of faith but basically it comes down to the absence of solid evidence. Although misguided, they are in good company. Even one of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, said “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25.

There are many infallible proofs for God’s existence, all of which are found inside the pages of the bible. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. But unless we open and hear the word, the seeds of faith can’t be planted in our hearts. All faith takes is a seed, some water and some warm light from the Son.

Found near the end of the New Testament, is the book of Hebrews. Chapter eleven is called the “Hall of faith”. There in verse 1 we find the definition of faith “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  It’s also said that without faith it’s impossible to please God. 

 We’re told Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by offering up a lamb from the flock. God had instructed that our sin can only be covered up with blood. “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin”.  Hebrews 9:22.

Noah who had never seen one drop of rain, by faith built an ark to God’s specifications and saved his household of eight. The only people who did not perish in the world wide deluge were the people who were safely on the ark. Once they were inside, it was God who shut the door and condemned the entire lost world outside.

On faith Abraham left his homeland and journeyed to a land he had never seen before. Even when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, Abraham obeys and witnesses grace and mercy as God delivers Isaac from certain death by providing a ram caught in the thicket. Later on, it would happen that on that very same mountain, Moriah, God would provide His one and only son to become our sacrifice.

So God did send us a message but it was not hidden inside of a bottle. Instead, He carefully inspired men to record ahead of time foretelling what was going to happen in the future. Then through the blood of many martyrs, the books were canonized, published and distributed worldwide.

One day Jesus will return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords to shepherd His people and put an end to sin. At that time all of us who have put our trust in Him, will rejoice as the Lamb of God takes the scroll and breaks its seals, redeeming the earth.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”