A Better Idea

Over the years the Ford Motor Company, which was founded in 1903, has had a succession of slogans to entice people to look at and purchase their products.  In the late 1960s one of the slogans was “Ford has a better idea.”  Ford felt that people were looking for a better idea in transportation, so this slogan would appeal to them.

Although that slogan is not used today, many people are looking for products and services that are new or better.  If there is something new it must be better so that is exactly what they want.  If something can improve their lives they are all for it.  Whatever is new and improved is attractive, so people jump at the idea and want to have it for themselves. Since the latest I-Phone must be better, it becomes a must have.  When new cars roll off the assembly line in the fall people purchase one whether they need one or not. The "better" might turn out to be a new adventure, new excitement, or even a new marriage.

In Boston, a well-known businessman once said to Mark Twain, “Before I die, I plan to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top.”  Twain turned to him and replied, “I have a better idea – why don’t you stay in Boston and keep the commandments.”  There is a huge problem when people constantly look for a better idea or something new.  The problem is that they usually look for it in the wrong place.  People usually look at things which are physical or temporal.  Temporal things just will not last.  Instead, people ought to look for that which is eternal.  Eternal things will endure, will not rust, will not corrode, and will not fade away.  

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul identified a new and a better idea.  He said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (II Corinthians 5:17).  Why is it that he suggests that to be “in Christ” is a better idea?  It is better because when individuals enter a relationship with Christ they become part of a vital life-sharing union.  Franklin Graham once said, “Satisfying our desires cannot fill the spiritual longing in the heart.”  That is why we need a better idea - one that is spiritual.  That is why we need God.  People might say “I do not just want something better, I want something that is the best – the best that money can buy.  They want the better idea because that will set them apart from everyone else, give them satisfaction, and put them on top.

The Apostle John tells us why God is better.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Even though the Bible tells us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), God has taken the initiative to provide a wonderful gift for us.  Romans 6:23 tells us this gift is “Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, God is not only a better idea – but He is the absolute best idea.

Here is a challenge: Turn to God today, believe in Christ, put your trust in Him and receive Him into your life.  John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  Why not participate with God today and take advantage of His better idea?