Bo​az Baptist Chronicles

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a garbage picker.

Here's my story...

A few days ago, while dumping some trash in the dumpster where I live, I peeked in some black plastic bags that looked shinny and new. I thought to myself, “Who knows what treasures might lie inside?” To be honest with you, my curiosity got ahold of me, and I spent the next ten minutes rummaging through about five of the ten bags that lay pell-mell inside.

What I saw to me was astounding. In those bags were tons of books, magazines, video tapes, files, cards and letters. Again, out of curiosity, I looked at the date of one of the letters. (Actually, it was the postmark.) It was from nineteen sixty-six! “Man,” I thought, “that was fifty years ago.”

Again, I thought, “Whoever these things belonged to saved this stuff for at least fifty years, and now all that effort is in the trash.”

Then a sterling thought entered my mind, “This person is probably dead, lying in a box themselves somewhere and now everything he or she thought was so important—important enough to amass for most of their entire life—was now also lying in a box (the dumpster).” “They're in a box, and their stuff was in a box,” I thought.

This made me think—think more about what's really important in life.

“What things am I going to leave behind,” I thought “that will wind up one day in a dumpster.” Once again, I had to admit to myself that some things in life are not that important “…They're not as important as I make them.”

One of the wisest men ever to live once said...

“I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11)

If you are looking for an end to this article, I will end it in a prayer...

Lord... “...[T]each us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)

Pastor Bob

http://boxedin2.webs.com/

Update (a few weeks later)

As you see by the adjoining picture, I passed by the same dumpster again, only to open a few more fresh laid shiny black bags, a few weeks after the first one's were carted away by the garbage truck. What I discovered was astounding. I discovered by the next installment of garbage that I was viewing this second time that this man was probably a believer. Besides seeing a copy of Dr. Ruckman's B.B.B (From 1998) and one of his soulwinning tapes. I saw multitudes of Dr. Tabb's tapes (brand new, in boxes) bulletins and Christian effects. Yep, he had saved all the other things for years; no doubt he had ferreted these things away as well.

After closer examination of this voluminous stash that was waiting for a rainy day to tackle, I was thankful that, as far as I know, this man had gotten saved, and had spent much time and money investing in those things that truly mattered: eternal things.

I wonder if he knew the scripture that says...

“Buy the truth, and sell it not...”? (Proverbs 23:23)

He sure bought and saved a lot of it.