Altar Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
An unusual gift reminds me that only one thing lasts
forever
The most
unusual gift ever given me is a piece of stone from the city of
I pressed him to tell me the stone’s history and why he gave it to me. His answer was as unusual as the stone itself and made the stone powerfully significant to me. So let me explain why it has become one of my most treasured possessions.
Klaus found
the stone in ruins near what was once the beautiful palace built at the end of
the third century by Roman Emperor Diocletian. The palace was situated on the
Was the stone
once part of a proud palace column? Perhaps, though no one knows. It may have
been and that is the point Klaus makes to me. Imagine the power of the emperor.
He could send thousands of soldiers to do his bidding.
People stood
in awe and fear of the great
Now
Klaus asks me to tell him what does last. Does anything last forever? He answers his own question by quoting Jesus: “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.” My little stone reminds me that only one thing lasts forever – Jesus and his words. They will never lose their power. They will remain when all the world’s palaces lie in ruins.
Honestly I
had never heard of the city of
Jesus, on the other hand, is quoted by millions of people. His words are so powerful they have been translated into almost every language in the world. His words remain, and so does he.
One simple sentence spoken by Jesus will be proclaimed with confident joy on this Day of Resurrection on every continent – “Because I live, you will live also!”
Today many will hear the story of the big stone that was rolled away from the tomb, but I will let my precious little stone speak to me its message of eternal hope. I will thank God for my brother Klaus whose gift of friendship is even more precious than the stone. And I will thank God for this most unusual gift that will always remind me of the one thing that lasts forever – the words of our Risen Lord.
Hallelujah! He lives! + + + +