The Road Traveled
A Christian based podcast geared to men to be able to take the bible and make it applicable to each man's life on the road he travels.
The Road Traveled
Ep 4: The Man in the Box
A chance encounter at a funeral visitation changed everything. Standing in line, Allen asked the preacher a question that would haunt him for years: "Was this man a Christian?" The preacher's response was devastating in its simplicity: "Did he show it?"
That exchange forms the emotional core of this soul-searching episode where we confront an uncomfortable truth – if people have to ask whether you're a Christian after you're gone, your life probably didn't reflect Christ as clearly as it should have. Drawing from Matthew 5:13-16, we explore Jesus's powerful metaphors of believers being "salt of the earth" and "light of the world," examining what happens when salt loses its flavor or light gets hidden under a basket.
What kind of legacy are you building? Not the fleeting accolades of worldly success that fade from memory within years, but the eternal impact of a life authentically lived for Christ. We unpack what true belief entails – acceptance of truth, confidence in God's promises, and trust without empirical proof – and how that belief naturally manifests in our daily actions and choices. Like a single flame that can ignite countless others, our faith should spark belief in those around us, continuing long after we're gone.
The most profound question remains: When people walk past your casket someday, will they know without asking that you were a follower of Christ? And if those who knew you in life might question your faith, how will you stand before God on judgment day? This isn't about earning salvation through works, but about living in such a way that your relationship with Christ is unmistakable – not for your glory, but for His. We challenge you to examine your life today: What does it reflect? Who does it point toward? The answer shapes not just your legacy, but your eternity.
Welcome to the Road Traveled, a Christian podcast for men where real faith meets real life. Through honest conversations and personal stories, we help you apply God's Word to your everyday journey by sharing the road we've traveled, whether you're walking through challenge, change or calling. This is your road and you don't have to travel it alone. Now let's take the next step with your hosts Aaron Degler and Alan.
Speaker 2:Hugh Gator, welcome back. Thanks for taking a little time to join us today. Aaron Degler, your host, and Alan Hugh Gator, also your host. We're just going to our mission and challenge each time we visit you, join us, is to share a little I hate to say wisdom. Maybe it's experience we've gained, maybe thoughts we've had that we know we're not alone in that. Many share those thoughts, those ideas, that thinking, that sometimes isn't expressed. So it's our challenge, our hope, that we share some of those but also share some light into what the Bible says about those thoughts and those challenges, that we share some of those but also share some light into what the Bible says about those thoughts and those challenges that we may have Today.
Speaker 2:One of the things that Al and I were talking about and have talked about is the funny thing is about funerals. We've all been to funerals. We all have heard the talk about the obituary, read, you know who, who's passed away, who went, who's surviving, and then typically there are sometimes people will stand up and speak about the person that the funeral are at. But you know, still sometimes we always wonder if we knew the person. We kind of maybe sometimes wonder who they were. We hear all those things and we and a lot of it is is their life showing who they were, and that's kind of always the question. And you know Alan and I have. You know we've married people. I have never done a funeral. It's not something I think I'd want to do. Alan has done some, he has a little more experience with that, but we've all attended them and we kind of always have that question.
Speaker 3:Right? Well, let me share a little scripture to get us started here, and then we'll go from there. So I'll fumble through. I'm going to be reading today out of Matthew, the book of Matthew, 5 and 13. Jesus here is speaking to his disciples. He said you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by man. There's a story just within that by itself, but I'll continue to read here. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a blanket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house, who are in the house and in 16, it's. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. So with that, I'm going to tell you a story.
Speaker 3:I went to a visitation of a man I'd known since I was probably seven or eight years old, and this has been 10, 12 years ago. I went to the visitation night there and went in, was in line and all. And I looked around there in a moment there was a preacher that I knew there. I got to visit with him and I said well, you knew this gentleman here too. And he said, oh yeah. He said I'm doing the service. I said, oh good, great, great. I said something's been puzzling me. He said what's that? And I said is this man a Christian? And he said what's that? And I said was this man a Christian? And he said did he show it? Got me to thinking there a little bit and it really got me to thinking real deep that if he had been showing it and living it, I wouldn't have had to ask that question. The preacher went ahead and said yes, he's. Uh, he accepted Jesus. He was. He has accepted Jesus here. A while back I'd been talking to him and counseling him and he had accepted Jesus.
Speaker 3:And give me comfort, as a lot of times I've done two or three funerals and we have to give comfort as part of the deal or we try to give comfort to the family, friends, but the uncomfortable part that it gave me was is when they walk, when you walk by my box one day, I don't want you asking nobody that I believe in Jesus. My job is to live for Jesus. I don't do it like I should, but I'm struggling every day and I'm trying to be better and I'm trying to walk the walk that reflects Jesus in my everyday life to where nobody walks by my box and ask is this man a Christian? And I'm not saying I've conquered that yet, but it makes me shiver when somebody would say that when they walk by my box. So I'm asking all the listeners and you think about that real deeply what would that do to you?
Speaker 3:Today, if somebody walks by your box, do they know without a doubt that you are a Christian man or woman, that you're a Christian and you had walked it and it had reflected Jesus?
Speaker 3:Where there's no doubt that they know that, or is there any doubt? Is there a doubt in your mind that maybe somebody walked by? Well, I don't know. It's like oh, I ain't real sure. Oh, alan wasn't no Christian. I mean, I've seen him do this, this and this. Well, yeah, maybe you did years ago.
Speaker 3:But I hope, as my walk has improved, that people can see the reflection now and they don't have to ask that question, because if they have to ask it, I hadn't been living for Christ. It wasn't the image that it left with them that bothered me, it was knowing that if they asked that question about whether I was a Christian or not, then I hadn't showed it, I hadn't lived for Christ enough, or it would show through me and that puts me in the wrong path. I can't get through that narrow gate as we spoke of before If I'm not reflecting Jesus in my life or the Lord. So again, think about that deeply yourself. Everyone that's listening Will it be somebody question that? Then you might be able to get a measure. I think it is not my job to measure you.
Speaker 3:I asked the question of that man. I probably shouldn't have, but it made me think later. Was he really? But all I've done is reflect it back to myself. Don't worry about him, don't worry about anybody else, but worry about what I'm doing and as you may do a funeral one day, and it's a lot easier when you know that person had walked with God and known God. It's a lot easier to do. I've talked to other people that's done funerals and they've said the same. So it's quite an experience that I went through personally that helped change my path. A lot of things is taking little things to to move me, but that's just one of them and could you read that, that scripture one more time, be glad to in which part all of it yes, okay, was it back in matthew again was in chapter 5, and this will be verse 13.
Speaker 3:You're the salt of the earth, and we can speak on it, because he's talking to the disciples that they are the salt. They're the people that's following him, right? So we're supposed to be the salt we're. We're disciples. When we've accepted Christ, we become disciples, not apostles, but as disciple we're supposed to be spreading the word. That's what that means, preaching it.
Speaker 3:But if the salt has become tasteless, have we got off track? And it is not showing through us, right? It's not reflecting him. We become tasteless. How can we be made salty again? We become tasteless. How can we be made salty again?
Speaker 3:It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under by the foot of men. So what we say then falls on deaf ears. No-transcript. We get trampled by men because they'll go. Well, crap, look at how he's living. I see. No, I won't tell that story. But no, but people think of it that way and they won't respect what you're saying today. That's when I've got to change even more, because I want people to respect what my true feelings are and I've got to show it.
Speaker 3:And then verse 14 is you are the light of the world. God is the light, right? Okay? So it's saying because God lives within us, then you are the lie of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket. But on the lamp stand and it gives light to all who are in the house. So you don't hide this light, you don't put it under a basket or a blanket or anything. You put it up on a lampstand where everybody can see the light.
Speaker 3:And it says gives light to all who are in the house. So that means in your home. If you're walking the walk and god's light is in you, then your family that, and that's lighting the path for them. And in verse 15, nor does oh, that was 15, pardon me verse 16. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Good works and glorify your father who is in heaven. So when we believe we want to do works but works won't get you to heaven We've talked on that but it does say that then you will want to do works and it will shine through your work and gives light to all and glorifies your Father who is in heaven. I went through that, probably a little more than you wanted to listen to.
Speaker 2:No, no, you're right. Once we accept Christ into our lives, asking for forgiveness of our sins, and then it starts lighting that up within us of our sins, and then it starts lighting that up within us. As you're reading that, it being a lamp on a lampstand, I thought about a shade and how when you have the light without a shade, it just lights a little part, but when you put that shade on there, it expands out the light and I think we have that light in us, which is God, and we put that lampshade on. It helps us spread that out. Like you said and like the Bible says, it lights the whole room which is our family, our friends.
Speaker 2:What room are we in? Who are the people around us that they should see, that we are the light and there should never be question is sometimes I can tell, sometimes I can't tell, so I don't know. Because what happens if something happens 50-50? You're never really sure. If sometimes you know we try to be the best we can and 90% of the time there's going to be 10% we're going to mess up, say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, but people still see that light and they don't question it.
Speaker 3:So when I said I wanted to not doubt that I'm a Christian. What does that entail? There's a lot to being a Christian in lots of ways, but you've always heard it you have to believe, right? You have to believe that this is correct, the Bible is correct, and that there is a God, our only one, god, our God, and you have to believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and is the Son of God, right? So I looked up belief and it says accept as true, which means we have to accept as the truth. We have to accept the Bible as the truth and God is the truth.
Speaker 3:I've always said the reason that I've studied the Bible is and that I have go to Bible study is I want to know the truth, which God is the truth, but I want to know the truth. I don't want to know somebody's dreamed up. They'll over here to make it sound easier, feel good here. I want to know the truth. Bad, good, whatever I've done. I want to know the truth and all says to have faith. So we have to have faith in God and all of his promises, which are in here, and also have faith that Jesus Christ is his son, which brings me to the story in a minute about a cab ride, but I'll go ahead a little bit more on belief first.
Speaker 3:But to have confidence in the truth. Well, we have confidence in the truth, we have confidence in God. So belief is to have trust. So if you believe in your wife, you have faith in your wife, you know, you have confidence in what she says she'll do, she'll do, and you got confidence in her and all those things, then you have trust. That's what comes to marriage also. I mean, you know a good friend, you have to have those things and them also. Belief does not require proof. Our proof is just written, but we have to accept it. We have to accept it as the truth. So we have belief in Christ and in our Lord and John 3, 16,. Whoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. Believe in Jesus Christ and you have eternal life. It says belief, and we just talked about what belief is. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that belief and the faith moves us forward in shining our light, because we know who the light is and that we don't want to be thrown out and trampled. In other words, like that scripture said, like you said it's, then our word is no longer means anything, and I think any man wants to. There be no question what kind of man he was, and no doubt we'll leave a mark. We just get to decide what kind of mark we want to leave, and so there is no question. We want to leave a mark for our family, our friends, those we come in contact with our community, the world. As people hear this it can be heard anywhere around the world, which is an impact. And then it puts a challenge on each of us is how are we living?
Speaker 3:We're selfish, I'm selfish, we're selfish, I'm selfish. We talked earlier about a situation of leaving a mark and being in the hall of fame or whatever, or the poem will. But what kind of mark is that compared to living in love, like Jesus commanded, and in faith with him and the morals that all come, the morals of this world has come from here, and all of that? What does that leave a legacy? Compared to some other hall of fame in this world that just passes and you forget the name of who scored the touchdown in the last Super Bowl and who won the last one or the one two years ago, and all the different things that we spoke of earlier, means nothing.
Speaker 3:It's fun. I mean, yeah, we do things, but it's okay to enjoy that. But the legacy, the true legacy, is how we've lived for Christ, and that's what got me to thinking about what kind of legacy am I living for my children and for my friends? What little mark is you recall on this earth? And at that time, whenever I said, can I know that everybody that I've come in contact, that walks by my box will not ask that question or wonder, and at that time I couldn't answer that correctly I mean, well, should they? I had doubts Because I was living in a way that they would doubt that I may have had God, but I wasn't letting him shine through me for others to see.
Speaker 2:And you know, when we talk about, I think of a light and I think about the lamp. And how is that lamp lit? How is it lit? If it's a lamp that you put a fire to, it's a flame. How many matches does that flame? Can you continue to light more matches with that single match? It goes on and on and on, and when that one burns out, oh, you got another one and you can continue lighting on and on and on with that single flame that keeps carrying on and on and on.
Speaker 2:And that's the way we are. With that flame we light someone else Because of the light shining through us. We put that light into someone else and that light doesn't die, even when we're gone from this world. That person now puts that light into someone else and someone else. And so when we let our shine light shine from inside, from what God's done for us, it carries on. And that's our responsibility is as mankind, as as Christians, as disciples. Discipleship of men is is to let that flame carry on. And if we're hiding that flame, we can't share it. If it's under that sheet, under that cover, so the wind doesn't get it. You know, I'm a good Christian, but you know I don't want anything to shake it because I don't want that flame to go out. So I'm going to guide it. We're not going to talk about it, I'm not going to put myself out there, but what did Jesus ask us to do?
Speaker 3:to believe within him, right. And then what? To spread the word, to be disciples. So, when you accept Jesus, that's one of your responsibilities is to share it.
Speaker 2:You're taking on that challenge, that responsibility.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You can't. You know what's that children's song? Hide under a bushel. This little light of mine we're going to hide under a bushel, oh no, and as simple as a child's children's song. That is what our responsibility that we've taken on. It's to let our light shine and share it with others. So, at the end of our day, no one has to ask who's that man in the box Exactly.
Speaker 3:Yep, what kind of life did he live? He showed it, mm-hmm. It shined through him every day.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. They walked by saying I knew that man.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Because when he gets to heaven, god's going to say I know you.
Speaker 3:I got to answer for a lot more there than I do. The people that walk by my box. That's what I thought of. If I can't pass the test by the people that walk by my box, how am I going to pass the test when it comes judgment day? Everybody, stop and think about that. Is your life really reflecting? What is your life reflecting? Are you leading them to or from?
Speaker 2:That's our challenge as men to lead them to Yep.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I want you to lead us in prayer.
Speaker 2:You bet Lead us in word of prayer.
Speaker 3:Join me, lord. We lead us in prayer. All right, you bet I'll lead us in a word of prayer. Join me, lord. We stop at this time, lord, and we pause, just giving you all the gratitude, and we're so grateful, lord, that you've given us this book for us to go by. You've showed us the way you give us Jesus Christ, your son, and his death, as an example. If we will follow in through him and try to live as close as we can to that and let your light shine through us, then we'll help lead others down that path and through that narrow gate that leads to eternal life. So, lord, we're very thankful and we come to you today again in the name of your Son, our Savior, jesus Christ's name, amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. Thank you so much for joining us and we look forward to seeing you right here next time.
Speaker 1:You've been listening to the Road Travel where real faith meets real life. Remember every step matters, even the hard ones. So keep walking your road with courage, conviction and Christ leading the way. Until next time, your hosts, aaron and Alan, say we'll see you down the road.