Living in light of eternity

Over the years I've attended quite a few conferences, not to mention more sermons than I care to count. Somewhere along the way I heard a quote that has stuck with me. Stuck with me like a piece of roast beef between your bicuspid and molar. I honestly have no idea who said it, and I can't find it quoted anywhere on the Internet (which usually means it's old). I've never forgotten it because it never has set well with me. I never wrote it down but never forgot it. For many years I didn't know if I really liked it or not. I wasn't sure what it meant and didn't know if I agreed with what I thought it might mean. In the last couple of months I has come roaring back like an old case of shingles. It's come to mind on a daily basis as I've been studying scenes from the life of Christ: "Everything Jesus ever did He never did" Do you see why I didn't like it? It's hard to explain, but you might feel the same way. At first ...

"I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him."--Napoleon In Christ we see a divine nature and divine attributes that set Him apart from all other human beings. In comparing Him to others we see only contrasts, few, if any, similarities to people we know. When we compare ourselves to Him, we find ourselves coming up far short. Our weakness and sin is exposed in the light of His perfection. His gracious nature forces us to consider our own judgmental and cruel attitude towards others. Jn 15:22-25 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my F...

This week I watched the "Wedding Episode" of The Office . Of course, for those of you who don't watch The Office , it's the comedy about the local outlet for a fictious Dunder Mifflin Paper Co., and especially Michael Scott, the manager. It has a whole host of interesting characters who work at the company. When the series first started, I could hardly watch. It was like voyeurism, like watching a train wreck. Each week Michael would embarrass himself and as many of the other characters as humanly possible. It was absolutely painful to watch, in my opinion. But, like many things, the show grows on you. Michael Scott: Mema, I think you just need to chill out about this whole Pam getting pregnant thing. It's not 1890 anymore. In this latest episode, "The Office Wedding", Pam and Jim finally get married. She's pregnant and doesn't want anyone to know, especially her crotchety old grandmother, Mema. By most standards it was extrem...

There is a saying that goes, "You can't see the forest for the trees." It reminds us of a problem we often have in our Christian life. We lose sight of the big picture. We fail to remember when the drama began, how it began, and how the Lord was faithful through it. Especially in dramas that last longer than a television series. Even shows like "24" and "Lost" are forced into "recap" summaries that remind us of what exactly what is happening, how we got there, and what still needs resolving. Jesus pointed out this problem with the Pharisees by saying, Matt 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (NIV) It is human nature to focus on the small, less important things, and miss the large priorities of life. It's also easy to lose sight of how your life is playing out, especially when it takes a while for the issues to be resolved. A problem hits; we get upset; we pray; God answers by dinner time; all is resol...

When I take some time to reflect I often think of my good friends Charles and Ann Towery as examples of one thing or another. When considering "oneness" in marriage I immediately think of a rather strange experience I had with Ann about a year after Charles passed away. We were visiting and having coffee together in her new little house next to the big one out at the "6T Ranch". As we were catching up, laughing, and making observations on various things, I had this strange experience. It was as if Charles were in the room with Ann as we talked. His presence and personality were vivid, like the smell of dinner on the stove or new fire in the fireplace. Now I'm not making a case for ghosts or seances or anything like that- I don't believe in such nonsense. I'm making a case for "oneness". I honestly believe that over their 50+ years of marriage, Charles and Ann had found a profound type of oneness together. Their personalities had been wo...

There is the story of the Indian tribe stuck in a prolonged blizzard in the dead of winter. The chief sends out some scouts to forage for food. After three days they return with the report, "Well, there's good news and there's bad news. Which do you want first?" They want the bad news. "There's absolutely nothing to eat except buffalo chips." "Well, what's the good news?" the chief asks. "There's lots of it." I think worry is a lot like buffalo chips , there's lots of it. There will always be something to worry about. For the person prone toward anxiety, there seems to be an almost limitless supply. Whether it's the economy, politics, world events, or more personal things like school, job, family, children, grandchildren, or health, it's always something. When I was younger I didn't seem to have as much trouble with worrying. Maybe I had youthful optimism. It seems that after you have a few more lumps and...

I have recently noticed a tendency among many Christians. I would call it "moralizing". The Collins Essential English Dictionary defines this as "to discuss or consider something in the light of one's own moral beliefs, esp. with disapproval." Certainly we, as followers of Christ, are called to be moral. But I wonder if we are called to "moralize". I think we fall into "moralizing" when we interpret almost everything in light of its moral meaning. Many things in life should be interpreted through a moral grid, but not everything. There is white, there is black, and there is gray. Not everything in life is either black or white. And just because I deem something as black, doesn't mean I necessarily need to speak out about it or criticize others for not seeing it my way. Job's counselors could be described as moralizers. They could perceive all Job's faults, but could offer no real help. They could speak for human cond...