Ring The Bell

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7


Reading Matthew 24 this morning and then turning on the world news I paused thinking as crazy as many of the events are happening around the world everything is going just the way Jesus said it would in the last days. Jesus told His disciples what the world would look like just prior to His glorious return in Matthew 24:6-8, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The key word being, troubled.

The point is this. Things are not always as they appear and thats really good news when much of what appears seem to be chaotic at best. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves and is why when things were about to get really ugly as He would be arrested, beaten and then crucified He told His disciples in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” God isn’t just working in all things that are happening in the world today. Just as important, God is working behind the scenes bringing everything to its ultimate end, which is the glory of God.

I don’t know what you are up against today or what you are going through in your life but I do know God is working in, through and behind it all. Thats why Jesus can say, “Let not your heart be troubled” because things aren’t what they appear. I love all things bikes and the following cycling story reminds me in a humorous way that regardless of how things look they aren’t always as they appear. I share it with you because the Bible says laughter is like medicine and doctors agree that laughter is a great stress reliever. Remember, things aren’t always like they appear. The story goes like this...


“A guy named Bill decided that he was going to ride his 18-speed Specialized road bike from one city to another. He got as far as the mountains when it just became too much and he could go no farther.

He stuck his thumb out, but after 3 hours of failed attempts he hadn't even got a single person to stop. Finally a guy in a Corvette pulled over and offered Bill a ride. Of course, Bill’s bike wouldn't fit in the car so the owner of the Corvette found a piece of rope lying beside the highway and tied it to his bumper. He then proceeded to tie the other end of the rope to Bill’s bike and told Bill that if he (the corvette driver) got going to going too fast to thumb the bell Bill had on his bike and the corvette driver would slow down.

Everything was going along fine for the first 30 miles. The suddenly out of nowhere, another Corvette blew past them. Not to be outdone, the Corvette pulling Bill on his bike took off after the other corvette.  A short distance down the road, the Corvettes, now side by side were both going well over 120 mph, they blew through a speed trap. The police officer noted the speeds from his radar gun and radioed to the other officer waiting just down the road that he had 2 Corvettes headed his way at over 120 mph. He then relayed, "And you're not going to believe this, but there's guy on a 18-speed Specialized road bike ringing his bell wanting to pass."

Every time I read that joke I laugh as it just goes to show you that things aren’t always as they appear. The good news though if you are a follower of Jesus is this. For the believer things are actually better than they appear. No matter what you are going through, no matter what is happening in your life today, God is working on your behalf behind the scenes to bring you to a glorious end. It may not look like it or even feel like it but I promise you He is. So hold on, keep pedaling and enjoy the ride!


“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Romans 8:28-29

I LOVE YOU!