Bits and Pieces

I heard a story today about a man in a old, beat-up row boat. He was fishing in a cove and looked up to see a beautiful, sleek yacht pass by. As the yacht passed him and his rickety vessel, he noticed the name on the back -- "Residual".

Evidently, this yacht owner had made some big bucks somewhere down the line to use his leftovers on such an elaborate toy!

I had to think twice about the word "residual". A residue makes me think of something slippery, slimy and gunky. A "residual effect" -- something negative coming from a bad decision.

We all have these "leftovers" from our past. They may haunt us. Satan uses the residual effects of bad decisions to make us feel guilty, angry, shameful. Satan makes "residual" feel like a bad word. He wants it to clog our hearts and minds and loose all hope, self-worth and joy.

Thankfully, "residual" has another definition: a situation following an event; payoff; impact. We Christians can cling to the residual bits and pieces left by Christ and what he did for us. The event of his death and resurrection and the residual effects of that are nothing but positive! The leftovers for us is forgiveness and eternal life! It is freedom from our past; hope for our future.

I may never have enough extra funds to buy a yacht; however, I know that my "Residual" is worth far more.