The Right Stuff

As seen in the  "The Heartbeat" and published in the Hot Springs Village Voice

The Right Stuff

             Imagine yourself in the early 1960’s hearing your president challenge the scientific community to put a man on the moon before the decade has elapsed!  I’m certain there were skeptics, advocates, and the vast majority of disbelievers in the middle.  We all could agree it was a monumental undertaking which required people who had the right stuff, or better said the right mindset.

Putting a man on the moon required baby steps in the process of reaching the goal.  First was the choosing of the right rockets, the right place to launch, the proper recovery methods and location, and of course the people with the base knowledge of aeronautics and jet/rocket propulsion, and ever increasing challenges before the goal was reached (and then getting them back home – a return trip).  Special people had to be brought in for this earth-changing (or should I say moon-changing) event.  Dare I say, the human race would never be the same, nor the surface of another planet which had never been walked upon since creation!  This would far surpass early humans’ dream of not just flying, but astronomer’s imagination of touching another planet.

Even though the nation of Israel knew a messiah was coming, were they really looking for him?  The prophets foretold of not only His coming, but also of a second coming – a return trip if you will.  They probably thought that even though some very smart people believed the event would happen, there were a lot of skeptics too; a great deal like the early 1960’s.

Christ came to earth with a mission – to fulfill a prophecy and to change the world forever!  Long before His arrival, prophets plainly spelled out His name, his birthplace, and the purpose of mission.

And once He came and began His ministry, He had to choose a dozen with the right stuff; some with the knowledge of Jewish law and prophecy, but mostly with a desire to see a mission fulfilled.  It didn’t really matter what their background was, all He needed was some with the right mindset to undertake a mission that would forever change the world as they knew it!  And we can read where there were skeptics, advocates, and the vast majority of unbelievers in the middle.  But that didn’t stop the mission He was given.

Is this the same calling Christ makes to us today?  He needs people with the right stuff to change a world with a message of grace, hope, love, and forgiveness.  This message is so much more pivotal than walking on the surface of the moon.  That event changed space travel and exploration up to that point.  Christ’s message will change people’s lives forever.

Jesus is asking:  Do you have the right stuff to be my disciple?