The Long Run

I heard of a girl, a friend of a friend; at 19 years old, she had a brain aneurysm and died suddenly.  I don't know the specifics of her situation; I never even met her, but I know that her death was unexpected.

“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.  Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again.  The eye that now sees me will see me no longer; you will look for me, but I will be no more.  As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so one who goes down to the grave does not return.  He will never come to his house again; his place will know him no more.”
Job 7:6-10

Job seems a bit more hopeless than even I am, but I am just as certain of how short life is and how suddenly it can end.  A sudden illness, a car accident, a random crime or any of a thousand other things could end your life in a heartbeat.  Without belaboring the point, even if you live to a good, old age; even if you live over 900 years, as the Bible says Methuselah did, death is coming.  Even if you live to see the return of Christ, and you don't truly experience death, your existence will be dramatically changed in a way every bit as transformational as death.

With this in mind, how can we respond?  Death is certain; if we choose to fix our eyes on this fact, our lives will begin to reflect our focus.  Every action we take will be tinged by this awareness.  We will likely do one of two things: we will live for the short-lived joys this life can offer or work as hard as we can to delay the inevitable as long as possible.  Living a life focused on the joys of this life doesn't necessarily mean we will become hedonists, living simply for our own pleasure, we aren't animals after all; we might choose to live lives focused on helping others and derive pleasure that way.  In the end, though, both paths lead to an ultimately unfulfilling result.

There is however an alternative.

If we choose to accept that this life is a temporary situation and look forward to what comes beyond this life, we can truly make our life on this earth meaningful.  While death may be coming for you and every other human on earth, if you are a Christian, you have hope; you believe that there is a place prepared for you when this life ends.  Your mission on this earth should be to spread the good news of the hope we have in Christ.  If you truly want to live a life of worth, with a result that is as fulfilling as possible, this is the path you must choose.

“If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15

These Dreams

I just finished reading the book of Daniel.  A recurring theme throughout the book is dreams, visions, and their interpretation.  My head is practically spinning from all the imagery, metaphor and symbolism.  Between all the kings and kingdoms represented by beasts, stars and horns and the visions of the short term mixed with visions of the end times, it's difficult to absorb it, let alone correctly interpret it.  Like most Biblical prophecy, I believe Daniel has multiple layers of meaning.  Some prophecies that were understood and recognized as being fulfilled by the contemporary readers may yet have meaning for readers of today.  When I read passages like this, I remember these words from Isaiah:

“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.  Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:9-10

This is what the Lord decreed for His faithless people when the vast majority of them had abandoned Him to pursue other deities.  The words of warning spoken by Isaiah were apparently intended for the few remaining faithful, who would become the stump of God's chosen people, but I'm confident that they have meaning still for us today.  Why?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17

No Problem, Mon

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

This is a very simple idea; so simple in fact that it is easy to forget all about it.  I wonder how many people take the time to do an inventory of the past day and confess to and ask forgiveness for their sins?  If God already knows everything, He surely knows what our sins are, far more clearly than we do; why does He want us to confess our sins to Him?

Confessing our sins does not benefit God; it benefits us.  It does not change God, it changes us.  All sin is evil; from simple lies of convenience to murder.  This is the bad news.  The good news is, there is no sin that God cannot and will not forgive when we sincerely seek forgiveness from Him.  God is infinite; His ability to forgive is infinitely greater than our ability to sin.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18

No matter how badly you think you have failed; no matter how far you think you have strayed from the path that God has set for you, He is willing and ready to take you back if you will just return to Him.  Think of the story of the so-called “Prodigal Son”.  After he had lost all his money, this young man returned home in shame, intending to beg his father to take him back as a hired servant.  As he was nearing home, his father saw him from a distance.  This father, who had every right to be angry and berate the son for his foolish behavior, forgot his pain, forgot his pride, even forgot his dignity, and ran to his son.  God is just like the father in the story.  Just as the father in the story bore the cost of his son's failure, God has paid the cost for us.

This is what God says; “If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just and will forgive all of your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.”  This is the most incredible invitation that anyone could ever receive.  Take the simple step and that this invitation today.