Tag Archive: Eternal


Above It All

Filed under: The Good News, Truth — Leave a comment
May 8, 2016

20150731_074724-1

This Mother’s Day…

As believers, let us never forget we can rejoice and praise the Lord in both the good times and in the bad.

We all have so many hopes and dreams, especially for our lives and our children’s lives, yet often this world sends storms beyond our control and we can do nothing but simply watch as our course and the courses of those we deeply love are altered. Sometimes these changes are, in part, due to decisions we have made. Other times, they are just the result of living in a broken and fallen world.

Special days like Mother’s Day can be so exciting, a time to thank our mothers and be thanked as mothers, yet it’s also a time when sorrow can quickly invade. There are many circumstances, some of which I understand first hand, that have affected families, ones that cause days like today to be quite difficult. Regardless of time, wounds are often still present. But dare we never forget that even in the worst of storms, the sun still shines above it all.

Praise Jesus, because for the born again believer, there’s eternal hope beyond the temporal storms and successes, above the peaks and valleys of this world. Regardless of the tragedies, trials, broken hearts and even beyond the earthly successes, there’s a wonderful kingdom above it all. This heavenly kingdom is eternal and available for any and all who choose to receive the full and free forgiveness of Jesus Christ. “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46.

Despite what we’ve been told, true life is not the sum total of all our expectations, experiences, hopes, and desires. Life is so much more than us. True life is Jesus Christ and no matter what storms come across our course, as Christians, we can still know victory because our God is outside and above it all. Jesus endured it all and laid down it all. He became sin for us, so we could finally be brought above it all to know what life’s really all about.

He became the lowest of all and then raised up to highest of all to provide the only way for mankind to receive Him as our All in All! Only because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection can we have true life, ETERNAL life! In John 17, Jesus reminds us, “And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”  John 17:3. The Christian life is not easy. In fact, it’s frankly impossible. Only Jesus lived it perfectly and only Jesus can live His life in us. True life is only discovered when we once and for all give Jesus the reins, letting Him lead us Home to our Heavenly Father.

But the old life I chose to mortify still knocks on the door of my heart and mind. It still wants to be appreciated, noticed, and coddled. It becomes jealous when anyone else gets the attention, most of all Jesus.The world, the flesh, and the devil will often remind us of the tragedies and fleshly triumphs, desiring nothing less than for us to lose sight of the Son above, all together forgetting about our risen Lord and Savior.  And days like today can sometimes become grand opportunities for the flesh to come knocking.

Instead of opening the door, may I embrace the true Comforter, the Savior and sanctifier of my soul. May I take my eyes off myself and instead look intently at the only One I truly cannot live without. May I learn to embrace the difficulties this planet offers as opportunities to steadfastly grow closer to my Rock and Refuge.

The Lord has called us to so much more than we can ever comprehend this side of Heaven. May we take time to love Jesus today, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth. And then let us simply continue serving Him, letting Him take care of every outcome. There are perhaps many tragedies filling your heart today. May the Lord bring us above them all, empowering us to continue running the heavenly race He has set before us with joy and grace in our hearts!

May we simply abide in Christ, continually feasting on His wonderful Word. Then let us continue faithfully planting and watering His Word in all those He puts in our path. We cannot truly change the course of anyone, but we can point them to the only One who can. His light will shine, even piercing through the darkest of storms, and with it comes true life. What an absolute privilege and blessing to wholeheartedly love and follow Jesus, knowing He truly is above it all!

“Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

The “Image” or the “Word” of God?

Filed under: Emergent, Truth — 2 Comments
March 9, 2014

bible-verses-about-love“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

The Origin: I wonder how many of us when asked to describe what Jesus looks like would immediately describe a man with long hair in a white robe, wearing sandals and walking the dusty roads of Galilee?  If this is the first idea that comes to mind, then we should ask ourselves where these kinds of images have originated from.  The Word itself says very little about what Jesus looked like. Obviously there are certain things we can deduce, but over all, the Bible spends almost no time explaining Jesus’ appearance, i.e. His height, exact hair color, etc. Clearly, we get most of our images of Jesus from the images made by men, not the Word.  

A Couple of Questions: If we take away every image, static or animated, would our understanding of Jesus be deficient? On the other hand, if we take away God’s Word, how deficient would we be?  Although many claim the images of Jesus are helpful in building one’s understanding, may we never forget the disciples saw Him face to face for over three years and constantly struggled with their understanding of Jesus. Only after Jesus was raised from the dead and opened their understanding could they begin to “see” Him according to the Scriptures.  “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures…” Luke 24:45.

A Limited Perspective: It’s been accurately said that whatever way an artist depicts “Jesus” will only limit the viewer’s overall understanding.  For example, if someone paints a strong Jesus, the viewer will focus on only one aspect of the glorious Savior.  The same is true for the many other “Jesus” portraits, i.e. crying Jesus, weak Jesus, compassionate Jesus, etc.  At best, an image will provide a shallow, limited perspective of just how great God really is.  At worst, it will seductively lead people away from the truth altogether, encouraging the viewer to seek more images and less of the Word.  This, although not always intentional, is a tragic result nonetheless!  

Lest We Forget: Jesus no longer even looks like He did when He walked as a man some 2,000 years ago. After He rose from the grave, He had a different appearance altogether. To take it even further, let’s carefully consider how Jesus was described in the Book of Revelation, the glorified Jesus who John saw and fell down as dead.  The most accurate understanding of the eternal, glorified Jesus is found in the heavenly perspective, not what He looked like two millennia ago. “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shines in His strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last, I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:13-18  Keeping in mind many of these are character descriptions, they still reveal Jesus in His awesome, glorified, and eternal state. Interestingly, the Scriptures speak much more in depth concerning Jesus’ appearance in Heaven than while He ministered in His earthly tent. 

The BIG “Picture”: The Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives every believer a wonderful hope, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12   There is much more to Jesus than meets “the eye”. We are so willing to picture Jesus as a man, which He fully is, but may we never forget He is also fully God and is coming back very soon in the clouds to call His children to their eternal home in the heavens! Jesus is called the Word, not the image, of God for a very important reason.  If we want our understanding to grow, we must go to His Word!  So until He returns, may we continually remain in Him, seeking to understand and know Jesus Christ by carefully studying and obeying His glorious and eternal Word!

“Sanctify them through Thy truth: The word is truth.” John 17:17

“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:20-21 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

“Heaven in Our Eyes” ~Matthew Henry

Filed under: Creation, Edifying Quotes, Truth — Leave a comment
December 19, 2011

    “There are phenomena in nature which cannot be solved, secrets which cannot be fathomed nor accounted for. But from what we see of heaven and earth we may easily enough infer the eternal power and Godhead of the great Creator, and may furnish ourselves with abundant matter for His praises. And let our make and place, as men, remind us of our duty as Christians, which is always to keep heaven in our eye and the earth under our feet.”  ~Matthew Henry, Genesis 1, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

“An Eternal Perspective”

Filed under: Edifying Quotes, Truth — 1 Comment
April 26, 2011

Some 250 years ago William Law portrayed a “very prosperous and busy young tradesman” who was “about to die in his thirty-fifth year.” The young man had this to say to the friends who came to express their sympathy:

“You look upon me with pity, not that I am going unprepared to meet the Judge of quick and dead, but that I am to leave a prosperous trade in the flower of my life…. And yet what folly of the silliest children is so great as this?

Our poor friend Lepidus died…as he was dressing himself for a feast. Do you think it is now part of his trouble that he did not live till that entertainment was over? Feast and business and pleasures and enjoyments seem great things to us-but as soon as we add death to them they all sink into an equal littleness….

If I am now going into the joys of God, could there be any reason to grieve that this happened to me before I was forty years of age? Could it be a sad thing to go to heaven before I had made a few more bargains or stood a little longer behind a counter?

And if I am to go amongst lost spirits, could there be any reason to be content that this did not happen to me till I was old, and full of riches…? Now that judgment is the next thing that I look for, and everlasting happiness or misery is come so near to me, all the enjoyments and prosperities of life seem vain and insignificant….

But my friends, how I am surprised that I have not always had these thoughts…! What a strange thing it is that a little health or the poor business of a shop should keep us so senseless of these great things that are coming so fast upon us!”
“An Eternal Perspective“, The Berean Call, see: http://www.thebereancall.org/node/5718.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment
%d bloggers like this: