Eternal Life

Something To Think About Eternal Life:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."   (John 3:16, New Living Translation) ETERNAL LIFE! Nuff Sed.  It's Something to Think About..

Whosoever!

Something To Think About The Great Opportunity:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that  [whosoever]  believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) I put the old King James word, "whosoever," in the Bible quotation above.  The word has a bit of a lawyer-ly sound to it, doesn't it?  The word is found 183 times in the King James Translation.  The more recent translations often take the "so" out and simply translate the word "whoever."  I can hear someone looking disinterested, about now, and saying, "Whatever." Whosoever or whoever is not deserving of a verbal shrug.  The word expresses a marvelous and precious truth.  Actually the Greek word in John 3:16 is a different one than the one translated whoever in some other verses.  The particular word used here is translated every, oreveryone in other places.  I saw a couple of translations that attempted to capture that nuance.  The New Revised Standard Version is one:  "so that everyone who believes in him. . . ." In the the realm of Theology there are those who tend to emphasize God's control, Calvinists, and those who place greater emphasis on man's responsibility to do the right thing, Arminians.  Churches and families have split over the differences between the two.  My intention is to give you something to think about, not reason to fight, so let me see if I can put this in terms that both sides can agree on.  To be extra safe, I'll quote from the ultimate authority, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  ". . . the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out"  (John 6:47)  We'll leave the question as to why some believe and others do not for another time.  (Just reading the verse in its entiretywill help answer that.)  What is clear is that anyone who is inclined to believe--who feels the draw of the Holy Spirit in their heart toward faith in Jesus, the Savior of the world, can believe and the person who believes "will not perish but have eternal life." At the end of most every STTA you find a link to a page that has a whole bunch of material to let you know more about the application of the Good News to your heart and life.  Today is no exception.  Whosoever is interested will something worthwhile there.    It's Something to Think About. Merry Christmas. Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.  It's available to whosoever.

God's Son

Something To Think About God's Son:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) For the first several years of church history theologians wrestled with the truth they saw in scripture, about Jesus Christ.  One of His names. Emmanuel, means God with us.   When the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary, predicting Jesus' birth, he said, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High," and, "the holy Child shall be called the Son of God"  (Luke 1).  Jesus, Himself, did such a good job of claiming Divinity that the religious leaders of His day were prepared to stone Him.  He said, "if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”  When He said, "I am He." literally, "I am."  He was equating Himself with God, using Judaism's most revered name for Diety (Exodus 3:13-15).  Here are Jesus concluding words, and His opponents reaction, from John 8,  a Theologically rich chapter.    “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:58–59, NASB95).  As these early church leaders wrestled with these, and other Scriptural statements about Jesus, and laid them down side-by-side with the clearly presented truth that Jesus was fully human, they scratched their heads in holy wonder. The bottom line is that God did not send someone to save us.  God came Himself.  It's Something to Think About.. (The theme of today's STTA was also part of yesterday's article.) Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.

God's Gift:

Something To Think About God's Gift:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) Gifting:  For some it is a seasonal sport.  Others view it from a profit and loss perspective.  An interesting set of TV ads this season challenges the more competitive among us--complete with Rocky music--to win the Holidays.  The idea is that the process of planning, shopping and giving is a contest to won, or, by implication, lost.  Don't be a loser! The absolute standard of giving is the true gift of Christmas--God's Son.  The son who was given is not only the Son of God, He is God the Son.  Philippians chapter 2 tells us clearly about the transition.   God became man, and died in our place. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.   Though he was God,       he did not think of equality with God       as something to cling to.      Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;       he took the humble position of a slave*       and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  (Philppians 2:5–10, NLT).  It's Something to Think About.. Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.

God so loved . . .

Something To Think About God's Love:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave* his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16, New Living Translation) You probably memorized the verse from the King James or another translation that begins something like, "For God so loved the world."  That's a good translation, but I'm afraid it is open to our going the wrong way with it.  If we aren't careful we import emotions into the verse that are more appropriately associated with a young man in love, than with the God of the universe.  "I just couldn't help myself."  or, "I know I really shouldn't, but I love her so much that I bought her the necklace/bracelet/ring/new car anyhow.  We look at those words "so loved," and we are apt to think of God looking at a group of beings that He finds so adorable that He just can't help Himself.  He just has to find a way to make their salvation possible, even if it costs Him the life of His Son.   Yes, God does love the world.  John 3:16 speaks of the people who make up the world.  Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, people of every ethnicity, language, nationality, and condition are loved by our great God, but it is not because of any loveliness on our part.  In fact the Bible makes clear that we are really quite unlovely in God's sight.  The Apostle Paul gives a devastating summary of what we look like to God in Romans 3.  It's not pretty.   Nor does God ever argue with Himself.  I can't speak with authority about you--though I have my suspicions--but I debate myself all the time.  I guess that guarantees that I always lose.  Am I going to get up or punch snooze?  Take a shower or just put on more deodorant?  Be quite or give that person a piece of my mind?  Can I get by without shaving?  Another piece of cake?  Ride the exercise bike?  Often the better (I hope) part of me argues the lesser contingent in my head into submission; I do the right thing, but I'm whining, or worse, the whole time.  God has no such internal conflicts.  What He does He does with His entire being.  There never was a time that what He wills to do was not His plan and there never will be a time when He will regret what He does.  God loves not because He finds the one on whom He bestows His love to be worthy of His love; He loves because He islove.  Our worthiness or unworthiness is not the issue.  The truth is we are unworthy.  It was "while we were yet sinners," and, while we were still weak" that God, "show[ed] His love for us," and "Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:6-8) That word "so" in John 3 16 answers a question:  What was the extent of God's love?" or, "What is the demonstration of His love?"  Here is the answer, "that He gave His only begotten Son." Rejoice with me in this greatest of all Christmas gifts, and stay tuned.  There is more to come.  It's Something to Think About.. Find out more about this greatest of all gifts, here.

First your are old, and then you die.

Something To Think About When you get done being old you die :

My late father used to jokingly call cemeteries, "scull orchards," though he would, also, often slow down, out of respect, when he drove by one.  I think he was utterly sincere when he claimed to have no concern for how his body would be dealt with after his death.     His line was something like, "I don't care if you bury me head-down in a post hole and mark my name on my shoe heel"  In actuality he wasn't that nonchalant.  He purchased grave plots for himself and my mom.  My dad never really got old. He was only sixty-two when he died.  I've spent my life being a small town pastor.  I've hung around death a good bit.  I've seen folk die and leave the heirs with a real mess, and I've seen others proactively bless their families by the preparations they had made.  I'm not proposing irresponsibilty. My wife and I are entering into a time when we'll be traveling a lot.  We are no longer--as the saying goes--Spring Chickens (though you can't tell it when you look at Kathy).  We figure it is responsible to make some preparations.  We are getting our wills in order.  We're passing on some key information to our sons.  Our house may not be in order, but we are trying to cut down on the chaos.  We, however, refuse to focus on dying.  In fact we don't have to refuse; focusing on death isn't really a temptation; life is just too interesting. Growing old involves some accommodation.  A friend of mine is a good athlete.  He can't jump any more, but he is having a great time coaching those who can.  The deterioration and slow-down that comes with growing older is inevitable, but we don't have to cooperate with the trend.  Let's do what we can to preserve life's vigor for as long as possible. Part of living responsibly, especially at this end of life, includes preparing to die--indeed, I've said on other occasions that one is not really ready to live until he is ready to die.  That doesn't mean, however, that we need to focus on death.  The fact is we will die whether we plan to or not.  We will only really live if we go about it purposefully.  I'm a realist.  Fifty year Guarantees don't impress me much any more, but at this point it would appear that I have some space between here and my appointment with the grave.  I choose to focus on life. Bottom line: Be ready to die (see the link below) and then get on with living(likewise check out the link below), how old you are is irrelevant.   It's Something to Think About. Young or old we all need the Lord. Find out more here.

AGING, #3

Something To Think About Aging, yes, even more:

On a journey, especially one by air or across water, you reach what is called the "point of no return."  Except in science fiction movies, it's not quite as ominous as it sounds.  The point of no return is simply the half-way point of the trip.  Once you pass that point you might as well go on to your destination; it's closer than going back to the beginning.  I don't expect to live to one hundred and thirty, so it is clear that I passed that point some time ago.  The reality is we can't go back in time, but the picture helps me to put some things in perspective. Maybe it will help some of you, on whichever side of that imaginary point you find yourself. For those who can reasonably conclude that they are still on the outbound phase of life's journey, I hope these thoughts from one on the other side will cause you treasure the time the Lord gives you.  I've lived long enough, and observed enough people to see folk who wasted their prime opportunity only to spend the backside of their journey regretting it.  Both phases are wasted. I see a lot of oldsters, like me, who waste the life they have left, mourning the youth they no longer have.  We can't go back.  If we allow the past to rob us of the future we will have lost all that remains. Caleb was eighty-five when he asked Joshua to allot him one of the most difficult territories to claim (here).  The Apostle Paul determined to  "forget . . . what lies behind and reach . . . forward to what lies ahead, [he] press[ed] on toward the goal"  (Philippians 3:13–14).  Both modeled behavior that we folk on the far side of that no turn back point need to emulate.  I'm trying to remember it myself.  I have less life in front of me than I've lived behind me.  That makes what is left all the more precious.  With Moses I pray,    “. . . teach [me] to number [my] days, That [I] may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)    It's Something to Think About.   Young or old we all need the Lord. Find out more here.

Aging, again--Old folk tend to repeat themselves:

Something To Think About Aging, again--Old folk tend to repeat themselves:

I can give hearty affirmation to King David's observation,    “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25, NASB95)    I have been well provided for, all of my life.  The warm memory of a great meal from last night still lingers.  I was refreshed by good night's sleep in a warm, comfortable bed, sheltered by a house that meets my needs.  For most of my days, my situation has never been very far from hand to mouth.  But that has been OK.  By God's grace I was gainfully employed, and through that means the needs of my family and myself, were met.  I am now moving into a realm where there is more room between payday and due-day.  My late uncle put it this way.  He told me a few years ago, "I don't work anymore; I just draw."  Here in the West, many of us who worked through our adult years, are able to draw a Social Security check, and maybe on a pension fund.  Even for those of us who need to supplement that income, the "have to" element is not nearly as great as back when the "baby needs new shoes, and transmission just went out on the Ford."  More and more I find myself thinking, in answer to the question, "What do you have to do today?" "Nothing.  I don't have to do anything."  But, I need to keep in mind there is a great deal I need to get done. I've learned a lot from watching my wife, over the years.  Kathy has been self-employed for most of our time together.  She is a very capable piano teacher.  For a time she also taught music to preschoolers.  Her business, however, has never been more than a part-time job.  Because of her Proverbs 31 management of our household, we have been able to live well, mostly on my income.  Kathy chose to be good for nothing.  She has led the music ministry in our church for decades, and has invested herself deeply in the lives of women and girls, through ministries like Coffee Break.  I'm trying to learn from her, and from the work the Holy Spirit is doing in my heart, that . . . though there may be nothing I have to do today, there is a great deal I need to get done. This is a challenge that John Piper has eloquently made in his book,Don't Waste Your Life.  Look at page 46--the link accesses a pdf of the whole book--for a tragic story of some folk who concluded that because they didn't have to do anything that they had nothing to do. Seniors, let's finish well. Lord, I'm thankful to be at a place where more and more there is nothing I have to do.  Help me see that there is much that I need to get done.  It's Something to Think About.   Young or old we all need the Lord. Find out more here.

Growing Old, and Learning from Those Who Are

Something To Think About Aging:

A while back a friend of mine, talking to me and another aging preacher, with suitable wit and sarcasm said, "I'm completely willing to admit that you are done."  It is a reality that's easier to see and declare in others than it is in one's self.  I'm a guy, have been all my life, so I speak with an element of bias.  We guys who gain a great deal of our self-worth from what we do struggle with turning loose of our careers.  Think about Big Jake and his irritation with the observation of folk who had only heard of him, "I thought you were dead."  A great deal of the appeal of the character was watching him prove his crusty reply, "Not hardly." A few years ago a wise counselor helped me understand someone.  A friend of ours was behaving in a difficult, obnoxious manner.  "Think about it," my friend counseled.  "This man has been in a position of influence all his life; he's just trying to hold on to that.  I'm working to conduct myself so my friend doesn't have to offer that explanation on my behalf.  I'm trying to maintain a modified Jacob McCandles stance.  I'm not dead, but I don't want to go around beating up people to prove it. You may be like Jake and me--you find yourself in a world populated by a bunch of youngsters who are taking over.  Or, you might be one of those kids trying to deal with one of those seasoned citizens.  A couple of thoughts: We oldsters may not be dead yet, but it is clear that we will be sooner than all these kids around us.  Clearly, we come to a point where good stewardship requires that we stop trying to hold onto power and focus on helping those who will still be here when we are dead to do their job better. When I'm gone I don't want those around me to say, "Now that he is gone we don't know what to do."  Rather I hope they will say, "Because he was here we know how to carry on." If you are one of those irritating, smarter, quicker, more capable kids, look around.  He may be a janitor, she is likely a secretary, maybe the person I speak of is your boss or grandparent.  There is likely someone in your circle who is marked with the hard-won scars of life.  Buy them a cup of coffee.  Sit down and listen.  You'll have to put up with some "When I was a kid . . ." stories.  You need to look at pictures of their grandkids, and don't make fun of them if the photos are actual prints. Maybe you thought this person was dead.  Give them a chance to prove the truth--"Not hardly!"  It's Something to Think About.   Young or old we all need the Lord. Find out more here.

Shining a Light

Something To Think About Shining a Light:

On the evening of December 6, Benjamin Netanyahu led the Nation of Israel in beginning the annual celebration of Hanukkah.   “2,200 years ago, a handful of Jewish fighters arose and defeated what was then a global empire. . . .The Maccabees fought, [and restored both religious freedom and political independence to Israel].  This effort, which undoubtedly ensured the future of our people, also serves as a symbol and an example to peoples in general and to the strength of a people – to strength of spirit. They dispelled the darkness."  (Benjamin Netanyahu) John 10:22 speaks of Jesus being in Jerusalem at Hanukkah, or as it is referred to there "the Feast of Dedication."  Jesus was, and still is, the light of the world (John 8:12 & 9:5). It is clear from the confrontation that Jesus had in the temple during Hanukkah that He, unlike the Maccabees, was not going to use military force to shine the light, nor was He, like so many today, merely depending on His words.  He cast out darkness by the works that He did.  That's precisely what Jesus has in mind for those of us who follow Him.        ““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.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB95)  As we see our Jewish neighbors celebrating a great victory of more than two millennia ago, let's be reminded to shine our light, not by fighting, or merely talking, but by doing good deeds.  It's Something to Think About.

Jesus came into the real world:

Something To Think About Jesus Arrival in the Real (as in really busy) World:

Christmas season really sneaked up on me this year.  I left for two weeks of travel around the middle of November.  This past Monday night I was riding down the main street in Koror, Palau.  There were two reason that I found the Christmas decorations out of place.  For one thing seeing snowmen and sleighs in a place where the temperature seldom if ever dips below 80 degrees is pretty odd.  Secondly, I just hadn't had a chance to get in the Christmas mode, and there it was.  A day and half later as I looked out a hotel window at the much more elaborate displays in Chicago, I was still out of sync.  Ready or not, here it is. I arrived home in the midst of preparation for our church's Live Nativity.  Kathy put doesn't know what I'm writing.  She just put some Christmas music on the stereo. Ready or not, it is here. I'm struck that though it was the fullness of time, when Jesus was born, most of the world paid no attention.  I hope you won't ignore the Life-changing fact, that "Unto us a Savior is born.  If you are nearby I encourage you to join us at the Live Nativity.  Click on the picture for more information. Near or far, take time to consider what the Savior's coming means for you.  It's Something to Think About.   Find out about how God in Jesus Christ gave us what the Apostle Paul Called the unspeakable gift.  It is a gift that merits the most profound thanks. Find out about it here.