CONTAINER AND CONTENT

MEMORY VERSE: And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. Matthew 8:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 13-15

READ: Matthew 8:24-27

Just of recent, i read the story of an extravagant city trader who spent 125, 000 pounds on a 99L bottle of champagne. (I think he could have helped the poor and needy with the money – although it is his money and i don’t have a say on how he spends his money.) What was this flamboyant trader after, the container (the crystal bottle) or its contents (champagne)? He was after the content i.e. champagne in the bottle. When a Christian brother walks into a departmental store or supermarket and buys a bottle of non alcoholic fruit wine, what is the brother actually after, the container (the bottle) or the content (the fruit wine)? The content i.e. fruit wine. People are after the content not the container. Do you know the enemy is also after our contents (the precious gifts that God has deposited in our lives, his great plans for our lives, our visions and dreams)? In the bible passage that we read, Matthew 8:24-27, we see that the enemy was after what the ship carried not the ship. What did the ship carry? Jesus.

No matter how expensive a bottle of non alcoholic fruit wine is, after consuming its content we throw away the bottle i.e. the container. It is the content that gives the container its value. Years ago, I and an older housemate went to buy provisions. When we got to the milk section, we saw two types of milk. One was 25 pence and the other was 45 pence. Whilst my housemate went for the 45 pence milk, i settled for the 25 pence milk. As we were about to leave, he asked me a question. "Sam", he said, "do you think the ‘white man’ – referring to the manufacturing company – is foolish? The ‘white man’ who created both milk decided to sell one at 45 pence and the other at 25 pence for a reason. Don’t you know that the 45 pence milk is more healthier than the 25 pence milk?" It is the content that determines the price. Why is it that in the same country, one man is paid 1.5 million pounds with 500,000 worth of company shares as salary and the other man is paid 25,000 pounds only. It is their content ( what they know ) that determines their salary. The content determines the worth of the container. It is unfortunate that i see a lot of single men chasing after container (a lady's physical appearance); they ignore the contents (a ladies character –her inner beauty). Many of them later discovered that they made a big mistake and by this time it is too late. Women do the same, they run after looks. No matter how good a container looks, if the content is bad it is useless. The container may fool a lot of people but once they see its content, they will move away. People will see what you carry and automatically draw towards you. They may even put you in a position of authority. Be humble. That good thing inside you was put there by God. Without that good thing in you, you are just an empty container.

NOTE: Do everything possible so that the owner of the content don’t take it away and you become empty and people begin to treat you as an empty can of drink.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world