Michael Jackson is Alive!

 

 

...I saw him...

 ...at the supermarket!

And, you'll never believe this; he was standing right next to Elvis Presley.

When I was a kid it was a running joke to see some dead person (especially Elvis) at the local grocery or big box store. I wonder how long it will be before they immortalize Michael Jackson in the same way. There are already rumors that he was not in the casket at the memorial.

When all the media coverage was highlighting the life of Michael Jackson I began to see some very intriguing similarities between his life and Elvis Presley's life. Is it any wonder? Michael Jackson idolized Elvis. According to Lisa Marie Presley, she stated that Michael feared he would die just like her father. His fear became reality. Just look at a few of these other similarities:

Both were music superstars.

Both were labeled a king: Elvis the king of rock, Michael the king of pop.

Both were waiting to do shows with tickets in the fans hands.

Both had deep depression due to their fame.

Both abused prescription drugs.

Both died strange, unnatural deaths.

Both had some type of relationship with Lisa Marie Presley.

Both died at an early age.

Both had plastic surgery.

Both had their own lavishly eccentric "lands". Michael had Neverland and Elvis had Graceland.

(and there are several others comparisons)

Let me ask a question: what happens when someone starts outs with the wrong precept in whatever they do? If we have the wrong precept, won't every concept that is derived from the precept be wrong?

Both Elvis and MJ had the wrong precept about life, just as most people do that are living today.

How do I know, you ask? Just look at their lives. You could look at those men off stage and tell that something was extremely wrong with them and the way they viewed life. They had almost everything that the "world" says to strive after. But sadly, they could never find satisfaction with life itself. Why? They had the wrong precept. They had no sense of why they were actually on this earth. Michael even tried to "heal the world" with his many charitable donations, but satisfaction wasn't found there. He had the wrong model. He had the wrong frame.

Have you ever seen the frame of a car without a motor? If you haven't, just try to imagine your own car without a motor under the hood.  That wouldn't serve much of a purpose would it? The car is intended to run, but it can't run without a motor. And, of course, it also needs it frame to support the motor and carry the passengers. Now, try to imagine the frame of a bicycle; there really isn't much there. Try taking a 460 Lincoln continental motor and placing it on the frame of a bicycle; it won't work. The motor needs to set inside the appropriate frame. There is no way a bicycle frame could support the weight of an automobile motor. It just won't work.

I see kids all the time running around with their favorite sports athlete jerseys and shorts hanging off their bottoms. I see kids "bumping" down the road with their favorite musician's music playing so everyone can hear. I see teenager's rooms plastered with teenybopper posters and Hollywood paraphernalia. I see adults who still "idolize" someone (rock star, athlete, movie star, etc.) and their lives are turning out just like their heroes...broken. Depression, anger and bitterness toward God mark their life.

Sadly, most have never come to realize this oft' quoted nugget of truth: Association breeds assimilation. In other words, what you strive after; what you set as an idol before you; who you model yourself after; who you hang out with, YOU WILL BECOME.

Unfortunately, very few individuals really understand their purpose in this life. Even some Christians will run around like a chicken with its head cut off spouting off, "I was created for God's glory, I was created for God's glory, I was created for God's..." And have absolutely no clue what that even means.

God has given everyone life. Or maybe I could put it this way: God has given us all a motor.

But where we put that motor, what frame we stick it in, is up to us.

If we place our life in the wrong frame, we won't be productive in this race of life.

We can put our life in several different frames, but only one will support the weight of the life God intended for us to have-a life carried by Him. Obviously, He is the only frame capable of supporting His creation.

Some people laugh at the idea that people have a God shaped hole in their heart. But actually, we don't really have a God shaped hole; God has the hole. Let me explain: God has a man shaped hole in His heart because has given every man life-His life-and He wants it back. He has given every person a small piece of Himself. Crude as it may sound, imagine that God is the great Gazillion piece jigsaw puzzle (that not even your grandmother could solve) and that He has given everyone a small, seemingly insignificant, piece to every person that was ever born. Suppose He desires that we all come back to Him and present that piece to complete the "big" picture.

There are a lot of puzzles out there and several frames to choose from. There is the frame of fame...the frame of fortune...the frame of status...the frame of position, etc. But, sadly, what people do not realize is that their puzzle piece won't fit in the frame they've chosen. People may try to clip and cut, and snip and primp, but it will never work because there are two different manufacturers involved-just like the Ford motor won't fit on the Schwinn bike. God created us, and He desires that we give the small piece of our life, molded in His image, back to Him. Invariably, men who have never found satisfaction from life construct the frames we choose. They are the frames of life that only keep on taking from us, and others, no matter what we do. They are the frames that take the life of God and make it absolutely useless because try as we may it was designed to fit in only one specific frame.

We must stop trying to fill up a hole that was created eternally deep with shallow earthly things that will never bring what we are looking for. Our true purpose is only found in God. Only when the piece is put back into the puzzle can we see the big picture and what we are designed to do. Give your life back to God and fill the hole in His heart. You'll find your purpose and have complete satisfaction. Make the Lord God your idol; spend time with Him. Be enraptured with His love, and then you can pass it on to others.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: Genesis 1:26

...Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7b