0:00:00 - 0:00:37 So I say here, I'm trying to work out amidst a billion thoughts. And uh uh I was thinking about how um how, what we think of as righteousness is superficial. There's much deeper things that are much harder to see uh more valuable to encounter and detain and um more consummate in how um how deeply and 0:00:37 - 0:01:10 broadly they take hold in our minds and our hearts. And uh I was, I was thinking back to a couple of experiences in my life. One specifically of people who on the surface casual contact, it would be unlikely that someone would say here's an example of someone that uh can, whose life can elucidate to 0:01:10 - 0:01:37 me a step towards greater righteousness. Um So one of these people, um I was, I was on a road trip and it was Christmas Eve is late and I was in the middle of nowhere and uh my truck, there's a blizzard and my truck went off the road. It was almost a cartoonishly ridiculous embankment. It was so steep 0:01:37 - 0:02:05 . Um Anyway, so there, I was at the bottom of this big uh deep ditch on Christmas Eve late uh in feet of snow and so many people stopped. It was like a real life good Samaritan situation. So many people stopped and they shouted down, are you? Ok? And I was like, well, I'm not hurt but no, I'm not. Ok 0:02:04 - 0:02:26 . Um, and, uh, they're like, well, I'm really sorry. And then they just drove away. It happened a bunch of times and I was just racking my brain. Like, uh, how do I get out of this one? And I didn't have any cell service there. I didn't have a shovel or anything. I had a little anyway, this is getting 0:02:26 - 0:02:43 longer. I wanted to be. But, um, this guy pulls up and he springs out of the truck. He's like a jackrabbit or something. He has so much energy and he calls out, he's like, are you all right? I said, well, told him, told him the same thing. He goes, just hold on and he starts, I can see this up on the 0:02:42 - 0:03:02 highway. He starts flagging down traffic like a madman. This is on a highway and people are going slow because it's a blizzard. He like, would jump out in front of cars right to stop. So he stops this big truck, this big, uh, pickup truck. And the guy's like, you know, he gets out, it's Christmas Eve 0:03:02 - 0:03:21 , you know, people are and it's late but he, uh, so they kind of have this fake, I'm gonna help people attitude, but reluctantly, right. The guy's like, is this four wheel drive. And the driver of the truck is like, yeah, he, he just springs into action. He's like, I got, I've got a tow strap here in 0:03:21 - 0:03:41 my car and he just starts barking out orders to this random poor guy who pulled over. And, um, you know, he, he like, he jumps down the hill, he slides under my car. The guy in a t-shirt, it's freezing outside and he's, he's, uh, he's covered in tattoos. He's got all these piercings. He's wearing some 0:03:41 - 0:04:05 kind of metal t-shirt, metal band. And, um, two times he jumps under my truck because the truck tow strap came off. Um, so anyway, he compels this guy to help me get pulled to safety and he had the tow strap, he had a smaller vehicle and then, uh, once I'm back on the road, he's like, he compelled me 0:04:04 - 0:04:31 to come with him to his house. And, uh, I, I learned it was actually his mom's house and, um, so he, he compelled me to come. He's like the roads closed ahead that, you know, it's late. It's Christmas Eve. Don't go to a hotel, just come with me. And so his mom, uh, like, they fed me and his mom was mad 0:04:30 - 0:04:48 because this guy, he had gone, uh, his, his kids were there, they were there for Christmas Eve. He was there with his kids and I guess he forgot something at his place. He went back to get whatever presents or whatever. And he just didn't come back to his mom's house. It had been hours the whole time 0:04:48 - 0:05:14 he was out there saving people, uh, who had gone off the road. And, um, anyway, a, you know, there's nothing I could do to repay this guy. And I was so grateful and, uh, this is the kind of person that most, uh, most of you folks who are more righteous than me would pass by on the street and just say 0:05:14 - 0:05:35 , just write him off, you know. Um, well, here's another story and this is what I actually thought about was lifting weights. This guy I, I met, uh, years back and a mutual acquaintance phoned me up and he said, hey, um, there's this guy, he's getting out of jail. He doesn't really have any friends because 0:05:35 - 0:06:02 he's been in and out of the system his whole life. Um, he could really use a friend and I said, ok, so, um, I don't remember how we got introduced or whatever, but, um, he is a really cool guy. So I ended up spending much of time with him. And, um, the, the guy just had, uh, he had like an innocent kind 0:06:02 - 0:06:25 of love in his heart. It's the only way I could describe it, like, like a child bike, uh, like just a uniform. Broadcasting, love. And, um, kids are up and down with this. It's not so uniform. But if, you know, kids, you know what I mean? And, um, yeah, he's just like that with everybody all the time 0:06:25 - 0:06:54 and yet he, he's a convict. Right. That's what most people would just classify him. This guy fits in this little box and, uh, every minute I ever spent with the guy was just very uplifting to me. And it's funny because you, I think we've envisioned these experiences as we're giving something. But, um 0:06:53 - 0:07:24 , in reality it was just, uh, you know, he got a lot out of it but I think it was me who was getting most out of it. But, um, the thought that occurs to me is this recurring theme that, that God, ah, he's, he's put a wealth of, he's put, he's put treasure into our lives by sprinkling goodness, um, across 0:07:23 - 0:07:59 the entire world and that's in people and in things. But obviously I'm thinking about people this morning and it's as if we're in a store that has a lot of things that really aren't very nice. Um, but some things that are, and our father owns the store and, um, when he takes us into the store he says 0:07:59 - 0:08:27 , um, you can have anything you want in here, just take it. It's yours. And, uh, the things on the shelf, they're like the qualities in people and everyone we meet. If there's something in them that we recognize is good, then we can have it and maybe we get to have it through excuse me, a relationship 0:08:26 - 0:09:01 with, excuse me, I, with the person that embodies the trait but ideas, ideas are fully transmissible and you can just take them and make them yours and build on them even. Or, um, you could also take them partially and, um, these qualities in these people when you encounter uh a wild man who jumps off 0:09:01 - 0:09:35 the highway and rescues you. Um, on Christmas Eve, you can decide that you're gonna do that too in whatever scope you might be in because you see that it's good. And uh with my, another example, you can extract the value within people and see the principles that are driving these things, the desires 0:09:34 - 0:10:02 , the actions, the reasons, and you can make them your own. So you go around collecting these things and then uh at end of all that, um or maybe on the way um people can use you too because you're also something on the shelf because um God says that same thing to everybody and he says everything in here 0:10:02 - 0:10:34 is mine, but uh you can have whatever you want. So it's hard, it's hard to uh effectively convey um the depth of feeling, you know, when I think about these people and that, that's another treasure that's available to us. I think we just get so hung up on superficiality, but there's so much there anyway 0:00:00 - 0:00:37 So I say here, I'm trying to work out amidst a billion thoughts. And uh uh I was thinking about how um how, what we think of as righteousness is superficial. There's much deeper things that are much harder to see uh more valuable to encounter and detain and um more consummate in how um how deeply and 0:00:37 - 0:01:10 broadly they take hold in our minds and our hearts. And uh I was, I was thinking back to a couple of experiences in my life. One specifically of people who on the surface casual contact, it would be unlikely that someone would say here's an example of someone that uh can, whose life can elucidate to 0:01:10 - 0:01:37 me a step towards greater righteousness. Um So one of these people, um I was, I was on a road trip and it was Christmas Eve is late and I was in the middle of nowhere and uh my truck, there's a blizzard and my truck went off the road. It was almost a cartoonishly ridiculous embankment. It was so steep 0:01:37 - 0:02:05 . Um Anyway, so there, I was at the bottom of this big uh deep ditch on Christmas Eve late uh in feet of snow and so many people stopped. It was like a real life good Samaritan situation. So many people stopped and they shouted down, are you? Ok? And I was like, well, I'm not hurt but no, I'm not. Ok 0:02:04 - 0:02:26 . Um, and, uh, they're like, well, I'm really sorry. And then they just drove away. It happened a bunch of times and I was just racking my brain. Like, uh, how do I get out of this one? And I didn't have any cell service there. I didn't have a shovel or anything. I had a little anyway, this is getting 0:02:26 - 0:02:43 longer. I wanted to be. But, um, this guy pulls up and he springs out of the truck. He's like a jackrabbit or something. He has so much energy and he calls out, he's like, are you all right? I said, well, told him, told him the same thing. He goes, just hold on and he starts, I can see this up on the 0:02:42 - 0:03:02 highway. He starts flagging down traffic like a madman. This is on a highway and people are going slow because it's a blizzard. He like, would jump out in front of cars right to stop. So he stops this big truck, this big, uh, pickup truck. And the guy's like, you know, he gets out, it's Christmas Eve 0:03:02 - 0:03:21 , you know, people are and it's late but he, uh, so they kind of have this fake, I'm gonna help people attitude, but reluctantly, right. The guy's like, is this four wheel drive. And the driver of the truck is like, yeah, he, he just springs into action. He's like, I got, I've got a tow strap here in 0:03:21 - 0:03:41 my car and he just starts barking out orders to this random poor guy who pulled over. And, um, you know, he, he like, he jumps down the hill, he slides under my car. The guy in a t-shirt, it's freezing outside and he's, he's, uh, he's covered in tattoos. He's got all these piercings. He's wearing some 0:03:41 - 0:04:05 kind of metal t-shirt, metal band. And, um, two times he jumps under my truck because the truck tow strap came off. Um, so anyway, he compels this guy to help me get pulled to safety and he had the tow strap, he had a smaller vehicle and then, uh, once I'm back on the road, he's like, he compelled me 0:04:04 - 0:04:31 to come with him to his house. And, uh, I, I learned it was actually his mom's house and, um, so he, he compelled me to come. He's like the roads closed ahead that, you know, it's late. It's Christmas Eve. Don't go to a hotel, just come with me. And so his mom, uh, like, they fed me and his mom was mad 0:04:30 - 0:04:48 because this guy, he had gone, uh, his, his kids were there, they were there for Christmas Eve. He was there with his kids and I guess he forgot something at his place. He went back to get whatever presents or whatever. And he just didn't come back to his mom's house. It had been hours the whole time 0:04:48 - 0:05:14 he was out there saving people, uh, who had gone off the road. And, um, anyway, a, you know, there's nothing I could do to repay this guy. And I was so grateful and, uh, this is the kind of person that most, uh, most of you folks who are more righteous than me would pass by on the street and just say 0:05:14 - 0:05:35 , just write him off, you know. Um, well, here's another story and this is what I actually thought about was lifting weights. This guy I, I met, uh, years back and a mutual acquaintance phoned me up and he said, hey, um, there's this guy, he's getting out of jail. He doesn't really have any friends because 0:05:35 - 0:06:02 he's been in and out of the system his whole life. Um, he could really use a friend and I said, ok, so, um, I don't remember how we got introduced or whatever, but, um, he is a really cool guy. So I ended up spending much of time with him. And, um, the, the guy just had, uh, he had like an innocent kind 0:06:02 - 0:06:25 of love in his heart. It's the only way I could describe it, like, like a child bike, uh, like just a uniform. Broadcasting, love. And, um, kids are up and down with this. It's not so uniform. But if, you know, kids, you know what I mean? And, um, yeah, he's just like that with everybody all the time 0:06:25 - 0:06:54 and yet he, he's a convict. Right. That's what most people would just classify him. This guy fits in this little box and, uh, every minute I ever spent with the guy was just very uplifting to me. And it's funny because you, I think we've envisioned these experiences as we're giving something. But, um 0:06:53 - 0:07:24 , in reality it was just, uh, you know, he got a lot out of it but I think it was me who was getting most out of it. But, um, the thought that occurs to me is this recurring theme that, that God, ah, he's, he's put a wealth of, he's put, he's put treasure into our lives by sprinkling goodness, um, across 0:07:23 - 0:07:59 the entire world and that's in people and in things. But obviously I'm thinking about people this morning and it's as if we're in a store that has a lot of things that really aren't very nice. Um, but some things that are, and our father owns the store and, um, when he takes us into the store he says 0:07:59 - 0:08:27 , um, you can have anything you want in here, just take it. It's yours. And, uh, the things on the shelf, they're like the qualities in people and everyone we meet. If there's something in them that we recognize is good, then we can have it and maybe we get to have it through excuse me, a relationship 0:08:26 - 0:09:01 with, excuse me, I, with the person that embodies the trait but ideas, ideas are fully transmissible and you can just take them and make them yours and build on them even. Or, um, you could also take them partially and, um, these qualities in these people when you encounter uh a wild man who jumps off 0:09:01 - 0:09:35 the highway and rescues you. Um, on Christmas Eve, you can decide that you're gonna do that too in whatever scope you might be in because you see that it's good. And uh with my, another example, you can extract the value within people and see the principles that are driving these things, the desires 0:09:34 - 0:10:02 , the actions, the reasons, and you can make them your own. So you go around collecting these things and then uh at end of all that, um or maybe on the way um people can use you too because you're also something on the shelf because um God says that same thing to everybody and he says everything in here 0:10:02 - 0:10:34 is mine, but uh you can have whatever you want. So it's hard, it's hard to uh effectively convey um the depth of feeling, you know, when I think about these people and that, that's another treasure that's available to us. I think we just get so hung up on superficiality, but there's so much there anyway 0:10:34 - 0:10:34 .