The Upshot

An article posted on August 2 by "The Upshot", a blog hosted by Yahoo,
told about a message in a bottle found a few weeks ago by a 9-year-old
girl in Hawaii.  The bottle began its journey a year earlier when a
10-year-old boy tossed it into the Pacific Ocean while on a deep-sea
fishing voyage off the coast of Oregon.  The boy confessed to being
surprised when someone responded to the email address he had given.

Stories about messages in bottles are not that rare; the same article
told of other such chance deliveries.  One, however, grabbed headlines
when a bottle was found in the Turks and Caicos Islands that had been
sent from the coast of New Hampshire 50 years before.  The distance
between those spots is about 2,000 miles, but no one knows how far
that bottle really traveled before being found.

I've never dropped a bottled message into the ocean, but I've done
something similar.  Years ago, during Vacation Bible Schools, we would
end our week of fun and learning with a balloon launch.  Tied to the
end of each balloon's ribbon would be a message asking the finder to
let us know the balloon had been found.  Two or three prompted
responses, but never more than a few days later and from within a few
miles' distance.  Most, apparently, never delivered our messages to
anyone.

The Bible is a remarkable message.  Launched (in its completed form)
almost 2,000 years ago from locations thousands of miles from the
United States, this Book was sent by God Himself.  Yes, human writers
were very much involved.  But Peter contended that this was a message
from God, not man: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture
is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will
of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20,21).

Many such statements can be found in the Bible, all agreeing that this
Holy Book was tossed into the sea of time by the Lord Himself.  Unlike
the messages in bottles mentioned above, God planned a more reliable
system of delivering this message.  Chance delivery just would not do.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Jesus
charged His apostles just before leaving the earth.  "Teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19,20).
Every follower of Jesus, therefore, has the responsibility of carrying
God's message to as many people as possible.  Ultimately the goal is
to blanket the earth with the good news of salvation.

Are you acquainted with God's message to you?  How could we summarize
a library of 66 books for those who don't know this message?  How
about this statement from Ezekiel 33:11: "Say to them, 'As I live,'
says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn, turn from your evil
ways!  For why will you die?'"

Yes, there are many more lessons to be learned from God's word.  But
this verse, in a nutshell, says it all: God loves each of us so much,
and wants to save us from eternal loss and ruin.  That fact alone
should make us want to pick up this "bottle" and read the vital
message inside.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him
in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you'd like
to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall.