The Beauty of Commitment

Our daughter, son-in-law, Rilyn and Gavin...number three
will be here soon!

     I am feeling very blessed tonight as I reflect on some things I have seen lately.  It is not often that you meet two people very much in love after sixty-six years of marriage, but they came into our office the other day.  She came in for an eye problem, and he came for moral support.  Since my husband is very thorough in his profession, it took some time.  Her husband began to worry about her saying, "I hope she is all right.  You know we haven't been apart for sixty-six years."  I assured him that she was fine and would return soon.  He went on to describe how they met and married very young and raised three fine daughters.  They came from the Midwest and every winter, they came to Florida to meet up with the many friends they had made here  He told me that if he had it to do all over again, he would marry her in a minute.
     As soon as she came out, he smiled from ear to ear delighted to see his bride.  Anyone could see the love between them.  When he took her hand as they were ready to leave, I thanked God for the blessing and covenant of marriage.  This is what it is meant to look like.  Growing old together and facing the good and the bad hand in hand.
     Then, today, I received a text message with a picture of the sweet face of our granddaughter yet to be born.  Our daughter, son-in-law and grandson went to have a special sonogram so they could see this little lamb.  In just nine weeks, she will make her appearance on the grand stage of life.  This, too, is what commitment and love in Christ bring into a family.  God's gracious gift of children is a priceless reminder of His love.
     Gavin our four year old grandson was in awe of his new, waiting to be born sister who will join him and little Rilyn at the beginning of March.  I can see many tea parties in their future along with other creative fun.
     What a juxtaposition of people!  One older couple demonstrating a life long commitment to one another and still very much in love.  Then at the opposite end of the spectrum is our daughter and son-in-law ready to greet another child.  This is the picture that God wanted to paint from the beginning of time that man would love Him and then love one another.
     Indeed, my husband and I have had the blessing and privilege of having four gifts from God's gracious hands.  Three of them are married to wonderful Christian spouses, and we now have seven going on eight grandchildren. A friend of mine told me today that we are rich.  I have to agree.  We are not rich as the world counts wealth, but we are rich in what God deems important.
     As I read my Bible today, I came across this passage in Genesis 2.  After God saw that Adam needed a helper that was fit for him, he took a rib from his side and created woman.  Verse 23-24 read:  "Then the man said, 'This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man.'  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."  When the writer uses the term "Hold fast", he is referring to a covenant commitment.  We are never more like our covenant keeping God than when a man and a woman pledge themselves in covenant to one another.  In marriage, we see God's relationship to His people.
     This is what I saw in the past few days.  The commitment and love of the older couple and the joy of our daughter and her husband as they prepare for a new baby.  Love is like that.  This is why God sent His only Son as the greatest gift to us that we might have relationship with Him.  Jesus came to die and to give His life as a ransom for many.  He has made it possible for us to have abundant, full, and loving relationship to the Father and to one another.  Without Him at the center of our lives, we will never experience the freedom from sin and the love for others that we can have...that I personally saw demonstrated in that older couple.
     God calls us to commitment.  First and most importantly to His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.  Then, He calls us to commitment in our relationships, to our family and to our work in this life.  There is beauty and satisfaction in this.  We can only see it when God opens our eyes.  Look at your commitments today.  Cherish them and work on them for His glory.  You never know whose heart you will touch by living for Christ.  Selah!
   

"It's Free".....Can You Imagine That?

 

     Have you ever received an invitation to a free dinner if you will listen to a pitch for a time share or an investment opportunity?  We have received dozens but have never taken advantage of this offer.  However, I do know some people who go and enjoy the dinner but never sign up for the opportunity.  They are really only interested in the food.  The bottom line is that there are probably more dinners given away than any sign-ups for a time share.  Such is human nature that we prefer something free without any commitment.
     Jesus experienced this response when He fed the five thousand (John 6:10-11).  The next day many were searching for Him not because He spoke the Words of life but because He fed them.  John 6:26 reads:  "You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled."  Obviously, they were more interested in the food than in everlasting life offered by our Lord. What is even more sad is that Jesus plainly told them in vs 33 that He was "the Bread of God....who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Some believed in Him, but others only came for what they could get.  They did not believe His teaching and "walked with Him no more" (vs. 66).
     Sad isn't it?  People came to see the signs and wonders or have a bite of free food, but they missed the greatest gift of all - eternal life.  Food is only a momentary enjoyment.  It meets an immediate need for energy.  However, what everyone needs is life that will last forever in the presence of God, who alone, can satisfy us.  He is the Bread of Life, and when we feed on Him, our souls will hunger no more.
     Even today, people look for free hand-outs without any commitment on their part.  They are happy to come to an event, but we should not be surprised if they do not stick around when the food or fun stops.  Jesus knew the heart of man and never trusted Himself to them.  He knew that some came for what they could get.  We can have a great praise team, nice building, relaxed dress code in order to stimulate people to come to church.  Initially, this may bring people, but unless God opens their heart and eyes to the Gospel, they will be gone in the same way some of those seeking Jesus for food and signs left His side.  Seeker friendly churches can attract a crowd, but they will not remain unless and until God opens their eyes to see and their hearts to respond.
     Unfortunately, those who leave are missing the greatest free gift of all...salvation through Jesus Christ.  There is nothing we can do, pay, or offer in order to receive the gift of salvation.  God has done all the work.  When we hear His call, we must respond with sincere repentance for our sins and believe in the work of Christ upon the cross.  It is that simple.  I guarantee that no amount of food, toys, games, entertainment or other freebies hold the joy and satisfaction of a life changed by Christ.
I cannot imagine living without Him for even a moment.
     What many fail to recognize is that the Lord is not our personal butler or servant.  We don't call upon Him just when we need something or want something.  Rather, we call upon Him because He gives to us the bread of heaven which will feed us eternally.  The gift of eternal life is free to all who call upon His name to do for them what they cannot do for themselves.  Likewise, as believers, remember that our joy is found in serving Him in obedience.  As we lift Him up, He lifts us up as well.  While we still call it today, lets examine our motives for seeking the Lord.  Do we just want freebies or do we really want to feed on Him?  Feeding on Christ brings eternal satisfaction.  Selah!

Our Hope in Him

 

 Living in this small Central Florida community we have a large number of retirees that have come to enjoy their sunset years here with us.  Some live to be in their eighties and nineties and remain very active in our town as well as in church.  As I reflected on this today, I was reminded of a story I read concerning John Adams, the second president of the United States.  He lived to be 90 years old and one morning as he took a morning stroll, another walker greeted him by asking, "And how is Mr. Adams today?"  John Adams replied, "This old tenement I live in may be falling down, but John Adams, sir, is quite well indeed."
     When we look at John Adams' words, we note that he had a keen sense that life was much more than the condition of our physical bodies.  Certainly the Apostle Paul would agree with this for he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16:  "Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."  Aging brings inevitable changes to us all because our bodies are imperfect and will die one day, but Paul points out that even though our bodies decay, we are renewed in our spirit daily by the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ.
     We must remember that Jesus came to offer us life that does not depend on our age or physical bodies.  He told us that He had come to "bring life, and that...more abundantly" (John 10:10).  Our Lord did not come to just refurbish our old bodies and spruce us up.  Rather He offered us life that comes from an eternal source established in our repentance and turning to Him in complete commitment.  This life will never die but will live in His presence forever.    It is a divine life which defies physical death, and one day we will have a new body that will never decay, be sick or die.
     This is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.  He came and took upon Himself our sins to set us free from spiritual death; so no matter how our physical body is today, our spirit is being renewed daily.
     When life seems gone, Christ offers us life.  When our hope is drained from us, Jesus reminds us of the abundant life He has come to give us.  This is not a hope that we can work up or do for ourselves.  Instead, it is hope based on the irrepressible and undying life of Jesus Christ being lived in us.
     There will be days when we feel overwhelmed by grief, depression, weariness or sadness, but we must remember that the cross of Christ is our promise that suffering and death do not have the final word.  The Psalmist named our source of hope in Psalm 71:5 which reads:  "You O Lord, are my hope."  This is a hope we can also pass on to others around us who feel overwhelmed by life.  We have the greatest story to offer not based on how we feel but based upon the truth of God's Word.
     John Adams knew that while his old body was not in great repair he had hope in the Lord who made him.  We, too, can have the same outcome when we look not at circumstances but look, instead, into the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ who offers us eternal life through His shed blood.  All we must do is repent and call upon Him, and He will renew our hearts daily.  Be renewed in the Lord this day and let Him encourage you no matter what you are facing for He has over come the world!  Selah!


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