LESSONS FROM AN ELEVATOR
Choose Your Ride Carefully
I remember the first glassed in elevator I ever rode. It was in Atlanta and carried passengers 20 or 30 stories to the top of the atrium. You could look all around and watch the lobby floor shrink beneath you as you soared skyward. It was soooo coool. So different from an elevator that is visually cut off from its surroundings.
I was on an elevator yesterday, which only went to a second floor. It was one of those basic elevators that closed you into a private room with no view. I joked with another passenger, who was pushing the control buttons, that I wanted to go to the 32 floor. We all laughed at the absurdity, but then I said any floor was fine, so long as it was up. Of course I then pointed out that "up" is the direction everyone should be going. He understood my metaphor.
I continued to "ride" the elevator imagery by saying that most people are riding the elevator of life, and while they think they are headed "up," they are in fact going down. I explained that people assume they are headed to heaven, but actually have no way of knowing that they are not, because they do not have anything outside of themselves to evaluate their direction. I said that Christians know they are headed in the right direction because they are looking unto Jesus and trusting Him. I quoted the Scripture by saying,
Hebrews 12:2
(2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...
When people only go by feelings, by predetermined expectations, they assume that they are headed for heaven, when in reality they are headed in the other direction.
You need to look beyond yourself and beyond your own limited world of understanding. You need to see Jesus, as the crucified, resurrected and ascended God, who alone has the words of life. Don't blindly get on any ride that you hope will deliver you to a desired location. Be elevated by truth. Watch your surroundings. Look unto Jesus.
Surprise
Have you ever been on an elevator, whether alone or with someone else, when the door opened on an unexpected level, and an unwary passenger stepped out of the elevator onto a different floor than they had anticipated?
SURPRISE. Maybe the person expected to step into the sports department of the store, only to be confronted with women's wear, or they thought they had arrived on the geriatric floor of the hospital, but when the door opened there were children everywhere because it was the children's floor instead.
Imagine the SHOCK after a person closes his eyes in death, either thinking that there is nothing after death or anticipating that they would awaken in heaven, only to step into eternity without God.
Don't be surprised when you exit life's elevator and find yourself in the subterranean confines of the damned because you refused to believe on Christ, because you refused to confess your sins, because you refused to turn from your sins, because you refused to follow Jesus. Until you trust in Jesus you have a standing date with the denizens of the deep rather than a reservation with the redeemed in the realms of glory.
Be sure that when the elevator operator looks at you and says, "your floor," you will not be surprised when your eyes open in eternity.
Even "Nice People" Can Lead Us Astray
(another Elevator Moment)
Another reason that people sometimes get off of an elevator at the wrong floor is because they allow themselves to get caught up in following the crowd. Yep, when a person strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger and the elevator stops, then the new acquaintance steps out of the elevator, it is easy to just follow along, assuming that they were going to the same floor. It was exactly where the one person intended to end up, but it was not where the other person wanted to be.
In life, a person who sets out for heaven, a person who sets his course, can become so involved with the issues or the people around him that he takes his eyes off of Jesus for just a short time. Notice too, it is not a matter of focusing on or desiring to do something evil. It could even be a good thing that distracts the person for just a short time. They may have been trying to help a fellow traveler or they may have been trying to do the work of God, but for a brief moment, they took their eyes off of Jesus and found themselves separated from their planned destination.
Be careful who you follow and the people that you allow to influence you. Not all of the nice people, interesting people that we meet are headed for heaven.
1 Peter 2:21-23
(21) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
(22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
(23) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
(watch the floor number as the elevator makes its stops).
Making sure that we don't get off at the wrong floor is really a simple matter. Each time the elevator stops, the number of the floor is displayed in a light. All we have to do is know what floor we want, and watch the light that indicates the floor number.
Okay, I know this is elementary. However, it is so simple that it is possible to miss it. The indicator light should be easy to see and read. But if we think about our schedule or we relive the day's adventures in our mind or we are burdened with a problem that must be solved, we can find ourselves exiting too soon.
God gives us clear indications concerning our relationship with Him. If we read His word, it is a lamp to our feet and a light on our pathway. If an opportunity does not meet the criteria of Scripture, then it is not the way you should go. Be sober, be diligent, be alert; do not let this world or the things in this world take your eyes off of Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
(2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
