ARE YOU READY?

     Several weeks ago, there was a tragic car accident that took the life of a precious lady in our community.  I am certain she had a busy day planned as she set off in her vehicle when the unexpected happened. Our whole community was rocked with the news and grieved with the family at such a loss. Of course, no one knows the day when they will be called from this life, so when we are confronted by such tragedy, we need to stop and take stock of our lives.   

      In Psalm 90, Moses, the author, considers the brevity and sorrow in life in this prayer before the Lord. He asks God that people would be enabled to live a significant life while they are here.  In verse 10, he writes:  “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” Then he goes on in verse 12 to tell us what we must do:  “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” To put it another way, Moses is asking God to help us learn how to use the time we are given here on earth so that we can live to glorify God and bless others.

     Over the years, many folks I have talked to expressed the idea that they wasted a lot of time and energy not doing anything fruitful in their life.  They wish they had a “do-over”, but that is not something any of us get to have.  Our lives here on earth are short in comparison to eternity.  When our bodies die here, our soul goes on into eternity and an important question we all must answer is “Where will I spend eternity?” 

   

 Jesus spoke of two destinations: heaven and hell.  Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels, but men who have walked away from God in rebellion and never repented of their sins or asked forgiveness will join them in this place of torment…not for a day or a month but forever.  In fact, our Lord spoke more about Hell than anyone in the Bible.  He called it  “a place of outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12); it is called a fiery furnace (Matt.13: 41-42); and the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).  Finally, Jesus refers to it as “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46).  What a contrast between spending an “eternal life” with never-ending pleasure in God’s presence to “eternal punishment” which will be an experience of unending misery and separation from God (John 3:36; 5:24).  Yet there is good news while we still have time here on earth.

     God sent His only Son born of a virgin to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins…something we can not do for ourselves.  Jesus was fully God and fully man in the flesh who obeyed perfectly all that the Law of God demanded. Then, He gave His life on the cross that His life’s blood would atone for our sins once and for all. Even more, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, was seen by His disciples and at least 500 people who witnessed Him and even touched Him in the flesh.  Therefore, He broke the yoke of sin and death for all who believe in Him.   John 3:36 says:  “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”  We are called by God’s Spirit to confess our sins and trust in the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for us.   When we take that action, we become children of God who will inherit eternal life.  

     Knowing the dear lady who died in the accident, I know she is in the presence of the Lord living there in His peace and glory where there are no more tears, death or separation from loved ones.  We grieve her loss here but she is enjoying God’s great rest because she trusted in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.  Perhaps, you have already made this commitment to Christ.  If so, you can rest in His assurance of your destination. If you have never made this commitment of your life to Christ and received His forgiveness of your sins, then make today your day.  We are not promised tomorrow.  Each day is a gift from God and how we live that day matters for all eternity.  Meditate on these things and look beyond the day to day because our time here is short compared to eternity ahead.  May the Lord bless you as you think on these things.  Selah

P.S.  If you have never read the Bible or want to begin, please start with the Book of John in the New Testament to see who Jesus Christ is and what He said of Himself.  

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

      Most of us have, at one time or another, encountered someone for the first time that left a less than outstanding impression on us. Whenever I was tempted to write such a person off as a potential friend, my parents would remind me that we should “never judge a book by its cover.”  After all, they would tell me, maybe the person was having a bad day. Until we spend time getting to know the person’s heart, we cannot come to any real conclusion concerning their character.  This advice has been a blessing to me throughout my life.  Interestingly enough, I found this to be true even in the Bible.

     As I was doing my Bible reading, I came across a chapter 21 in 2 Kings concerning Manasseh.  He reigned as King of Judah after the death of his father Hezekiah.  According to God’s Word, Hezekiah “...did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.”  However, when he died, his son Manasseh took the throne (chapter 21):  “And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.”  The chapter goes on to recite that Manasseh rebuilt the high places for pagan worship and made altars to Baal and Asherah.  He even built altars inside God’s temple to the host of heaven.  As if this were not enough, he burned his own son as a sacrifice to a pagan god and dealt with the forbidden mediums and necromancers.  God promised that He would judge Judah for such sins.  Now, if I had stopped reading at this point, I would have been left with the opinion that Manasseh was beyond reach. He was unfaithful to God as much as his own father Hezekiah had been obedient to the Lord. The chapter ends with his son Amon taking the throne. However, this was not the end of my reading for the day.

     2 Chronicles 33 repeats some of the story of Manasseh but expounds even more on his life. Indeed, he did evil in the sight of the Lord and reversed much of the good that his father Hezekiah had accomplished. The Bible tells us:  “The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention” (vs.10).  So the Lord brought the army of the King of Assyria to take Manasseh captive to Babylon. This action caught Manasseh’s attention.  He pleaded with God and humbled himself in prayer. God heard his cry and brought him again to his kingdom. Verse 13c says:  “Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.”

     Following his encounter with the Living God, Manasseh became a changed man.  He built walls around Jerusalem to protect it.  He fortified the cities of Judah and took away all the foreign gods and idols from the Temple. Not only did he restore the altar of the LORD but he also offered peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings to God.  Furthermore, Manasseh commanded the people to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.  What a turn around for a man who began his reign as a faithless King! The change came when God got his attention and gave him a new heart.  Here is an important picture for all of us.

     We are all like Manasseh going our sinful way in life until God touches us and gives us a new heart.  When He opens our eyes, we can see what we have done.  Then, like Manasseh, we humble ourselves before the LORD and repent of our sins. This great exchange....Christ’s righteousness for our sinfulness is what salvation is all about.  Look at the fruit that came from this transformation!  This is precisely why we cannot “judge a book by its cover”.  God sees the possibilities that we cannot, and He has tasked us to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ so they can be set free like Manasseh.  Rather than writing someone off because the “cover” of their life is tattered and torn, we should look inside with the Holy Spirit’s help and share the Gospel instead.  This will bring glory to God!  Selah! 

A Much Loved Hymn - “Blessed Assurance"

     Among my favorite hymns is one penned by Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915) entitled “Blessed Assurance”.  She wrote over 8,000 hymn texts during her lifetime despite the fact that she had lost her sight at the age of six weeks. She actually began writing hymns at the age of six years old and continued through her long life. Despite what some would call a handicap or disability, Fanny Crosby’s life was filled with not only academic success at the New York Academy for the Blind where she was a student and later a teacher of rhetoric and history, but she also found joy in her faith which she so readily expressed in her hymns.

      In the first verse the words are:  “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

                                  O what a foretaste of glory divine!

                                  Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

                                  Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

                                  This is my story, this is my song,

                                  Praising my Savior, all the day long.”

There is comfort when we have the assurance of our salvation, for, indeed we have been bought with the price of Christ’s blood.  We are heirs with Christ, and in this hymn we see a glimpse of heaven. There is an anticipation of that day when we will be with Him in “perfect submission” and “perfect delight”, and though she was physically blind, she described “visions of rapture now burst on my sight” as she thinks about the beauty of heaven.  This is encouragement for all Christians as we await the return of our Lord.

     There are times when we allow the burdens of this fallen world system overwhelm us. Responsibilities at work and home at times seem insurmountable and we tend to forget that we are citizens of God’s Kingdom that will never end. Revelations 21:4 reminds us that when we come into His Kingdom we shall live in perfect relationship with our King:  “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Who is not looking forward to that day?

     Certainly, there must have been times when Fanny Crosby felt the weight of her disability, but she didn’t let it stop her from living a full productive life.  Instead she turned to the Lord and expressed her continual praise through the hymns she wrote as we are commanded to do in Philippians 4:4:  “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I will say rejoice.” Peace of heart and mind come to those who put their faith and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are hidden in Him, and as His bride, He will one day present us without spot wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). This is our future, our Blessed Hope and should dispel all the anxiety that comes with an ever changing culture that denies God’s rule and reign.

     Like Fanny Crosby, let us affirm the words in stanza three when life brings us discouragement or despair:

     “Perfect submission - all is at rest,

      I in my Savior am happy and blest;

      Watching and waiting, looking above,

      Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”

When we focus on our Lord and seek to tell others about Him, we can be at rest even in this turbulent world.  We have “blessed assurance” that He is coming again and that we belong to Him.  Selah!