Life without end. . . .

Today is my 83rd birthday. People say I don’t look my age. Sometimes I feel it, but today am more concerned with being productive — but it is -30C outside, so hibernating is appealing!

However, there are days when the quickly passing years are reluctantly on my mind. It is good to read about the reality of eternal life and know that this life is not all there is. God does not always reveal to me that I’ve been a blessing by doing something He planned for me to do here, but since He says He saved me for His purposes, I am trusting Him and rejoicing that He keeps His promises. Many are listed here:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1–10)

Not only do I rejoice in having a blessed life, the fact that it is eternal is also precious. Eternal means forever, never ending. Both Old and New Testaments declare it. For example:

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 3:14)
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

Many of my friends, even Christian friends, look at death as a huge enemy. Young ones don’t think of it much, but the older most get, the more they want to stay healthy and keep on living here rather than stepping from this life into the next. How important to realize that that ‘next’ life is already ours. We have Christ and with Christ, we have eternal life. It is not something that we enter into when we die, but is already ours, and something to enjoy and rejoice in right now. This is because that life is the very life of Christ, in us and given to us the moment of our salvation.

PRAY: Jesus, I’m glad today that instead of marking the years, I can mark that from the day You walked into my life, You gave me Your life, Your forever life. If You died, I would die, but because You live forever, so do I live forever. It is a done deal, not a future promise. In You, I am eternally secure. Such an amazing and wonderful gift from an amazing and incredible Lord and Savior. You fill me with joy even as You reassure me that I am Yours forever!

 

Core strength for the soul

On Sunday, our pastor started a new series of sermons entitled “Core Strength.” Even though he challenged us to get with an exercise program to strengthen our physical core, the message was about keeping our spiritual lives strong. Just as physical core strength has a positive effect on our well-being, so does staying strong in our faith.

The first broad category was developing an increasing intimacy with God. This includes the obvious ‘exercises’ of prayer, Bible study, worship and so on, but it also means reflection. If I have my devotions in the morning, but never think about the Lord for the rest of the day, then my core is weak. This is why I spend time with God first thing in the day, but publish His thoughts to me later, around supper time. This encourages meditation. It also encourages me to be practical (not academic, etc.) about the things God says to me. 

This morning I am thinking about intimacy too. How is that defined? Being intimate is about a close personal relationship characterized by warmth and friendship. It often is about privacy and familiarity with shared experiences that create bonding. Intimacy with God includes being in His presence and aware of His presence, sharing our love for one another in transparency, and realizing He is exactly what He says He is. There is no bluffing or covering up who I am also. I can tell God anything and everything because I trust Him, but also because I need to express the burdens and desires of my heart. He listens — and so do I.

In these days of broken promises and the failure of human beings to stick to commitments and fulfil their own dreams never mind meet the expectation of others, my heart is encouraged by the promises of God. Others may fail, but He does what He says He will do. Two examples:

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

Considering that, I am drawn closer to Him. He feels compassion for me, and in our interaction I realize how often the emotions I feel are not mine but His. I feel for the messed up world we live in and know that those feelings come from Him. We share the same heartache for this broken world.

On those days when my heart is heavy and I feel dejected and without a sense of purpose or hope (watching the news does this to me), all I need to do is sing a few bars of “Jesus loves me” and peace of heart with joy returns. Yes, the world is in a mess, but that does not change the love of God. It remains forever because God is a forever God.

On those days when I feel alone, even as if everyone is against me (this is a lie from Satan, but the emotions are very real), I think about my standing before God. He loves me, but not only that, He protects me. He is my pitch-hitter, my hiding place, my defender. He promises to protect me:

“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17)

This is intimacy too. Only those who deeply care will go to bat for someone else. I am a sinner and even though I’ve been redeemed, I do not deserve the loyal protection Jesus gives me. Yet because He is my Savior and Friend, I can count on Him whenever I feel life has ganged up on me.

^^^^^^^

Jesus, You know how I can wallow in self-pity, or worry, or tension. I probably do it because it keeps my focus on me. That is not intimacy. On days like these, I must keep my eyes and thoughts on You. Developing my upper abs will be a good reminder that core strength is more than abs; it is realizing that You are my rock, my solid place. I can depend on You, no matter what comes along. Bless Your great Name!