Nano Tract

           I have been saving up my pennies for awhile now and was finally able to purchase an iPod Nano.  It arrived last week!  It will certainly make walking the track at the YMCA more tolerable and maybe even enjoyable.  There's just one problem.  You see, I'm very absent minded.  I lose my keys.  And my cellphone.  A lot.  Long ago we made a designated hook to hang my keys on but many times I'll say to myself, oh, I'm just going to run inside the house for a quick second, I don't need to put them on the hook.  It almost necessarily follows that I can't find them a minute later.  I've left them at church, in the car, on the table at the restaurant--you name it.  Most times when we walk into a place, I'll just hand my keys to Tom because then we both know they won't get lost.  And it seems like at least once a week I need Tom to call my cellphone because I can't locate it otherwise.  Do you see where I'm going with this?

            The iPod Nano is quite small.  Tiny, in fact.  Thus the name Nano.  Tom and I both agreed that it may not last very long in my possession.  I hope this is not the case, especially since I can keep it in my pocket while I listen.  When I placed the order, I discovered that Apple was offering free engraving.  Very limited space, like 20 or so characters, so it needed to be pithy.  I decided to make it into a little tract.  It's my prayer that if anyone finds it and/or steals it, that they would be challenged and convicted by what is engraved on the back (not to mention what's downloaded on it!).  And if one soul is found as a result, then it will have served its purpose.  It really doesn't matter if I ever get it back because though it is mine, it doesn't truly belong to me.  It belongs to God because all that I have is given to me by Him (1 Corinthians 4:7) and is ultimately His by right.  The thief would be sinning primarily against God--not me.
          How so?  Well, it was God who said, "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15) and that's the only reason why stealing is wrong.  So when we steal, we sin primarily against the One who said we shouldn't do it.  Morality has no foundation if it does not originate from God's Moral Law and we are all accountable to the Lawmaker for every violation (lying, stealing, blaspheming, lusting, coveting, etc, Romans 3:19)---unless we have turned away from the love of sin toward God and are trusting in the Law-fulfiller to give us His perfect righteousness in exchange for paying the penalty we owe for our violations which is death (Acts 20:21, Acts 26:20, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10).  Jesus is that Law-fulfiller.  And as such, He is the only way to be saved from the wrath of God on Judgment Day, John 14:6.  And though He died in the place of sinners, He also rose again on the third day, conquering death once and for all (2 Timothy 1:10, 1 Corinthians 15:54, Revelation 1:18).    This is why for the true believer, death is not dying.  Death of the believer's mortal body brings reward-- everlasting life for the soul which is eternal,  Philippians 1:21.
           Did I put all of this on the back of my iPod Nano?  If only I could!  This is what I decided on:  Mark 8:36  (and then) NeedGod.com

              On my iPod right now is mostly reformed rap/hip hop.  This isn't just "clean, Christian" rap, these guys are serious lyrical theologians.  It's "reformed" because embedded in the lyrics are the truths of scripture, the basics of reformed theology and the Doctrines of Grace.   I am truly edified and built up with this music though I realize the style is not for everyone.  Hey, I love  the old hymns as much as anybody but I do need to stay awake while exercising!   So far I have on my iPod:  Lecrae's entire Rebel album, a few select songs from Trip Lee, Sho baraka, and Tedashii, two Mandisa albums, a Paul Washer sermon, and 12 Wretched Radio podcasts.   We'll see what the Lord will do with it!