Beer and Baptizing.  Not two things that normally go together.

I have some very unique opportunities — and I try to never forget that it’s God alone who allows me these opportunities.

Recently, I was standing at a pool where a very long line of people were waiting to be baptized.  It was an amazing sight.  All those people wanted to show the world they trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  One young woman caught my eye.  She was holding a bucket of beer with one arm and drinking one of the beers with the other.  I laughed — and I’m embarrassed to even write the words.  But I laughed and thought to myself — What she doing in the line?  A bucket of beer?  Does she even get what’s she’s doing?  Is she going to sit her bucket down when she steps in to be baptized?  

The woman’s turn came and she set down her bucket of beer as she stepped into the water.   When she stepped out she left her bucket of beer at the edge of that pool.

I’ve  thought about her a lot over the last many weeks.  I have even told the story of seeing her — and laughed at the story.  Until I realized that I was and am no different than the woman with the bucket of beer.  She stepped into her relationship with Jesus holding tightly to her beer.  Jesus invites us to Himself BEFORE we put down our sins.  We come to Him holding our buckets filled with all manner of sins – pride, unforgiveness, anger, addiction, to name just a few.  The difference is our buckets are invisible — no one can see the buckets we bring before the Lord.  Often we hold onto these buckets long after we’ve accepted the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  We hold onto our sins, we hold them in our hearts, we never let them go or release them to His power.

I want to be more like the woman with the bucket of beer.  I want to leave my bucket and walk away.

I want a real faith.  An authentic faith.

What about you?  Are you holding onto your bucket?

 

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