No turning back . . .

Genesis 34; Job 1; Mark 5; Romans 5

Obviously, my mind has been preoccupied these days with thoughts of death and with the glorious truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This morning, nothing jumps out of the above readings except the reality that Paul describes in Romans 5. I have peace with God because of faith in Christ. My sister is enjoying the fullness of that peace because of her faith in Christ. One day we will dance around the throne of God and celebrate what Jesus has done. Right now she stands before that throne — complete!

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:1–11)

This is easily personalized and gives me an anchor when I think about this during the waves of grief. My sister and I enjoy the peace of God and stand in grace. Endurance in suffering teaches me that and most certainly she learned it too. Our hope in Him increased and for me is still increasing because His grace is there, even in the worst of times, to give the ability to not only trust Him but show love to others, His love, when we have nothing in ourselves left to give.

It is in this weakness that we are saved, not because we have any strength or ability of our own. In that, we fall short and must willingly face that reality. No excuses, no pride at all or any claim to deserving even the least of His mercies. Yet it is in that humility we begin to understand the marvel of grace.

Being reconciled to God is not something we could ever do. We have no credentials, no valid abilities or reasons. Our sin would condemn us to hell. Yet Jesus took the penalty we deserved and because of Him, we are saved, a total gift from God.

I will see her again. She is not gone in the sense of vanished forever. Instead, she walked through a door, a portal, crossing from here to there. I can imagine her waving over her shoulder but not turning her head. Her eyes are on the great view ahead of her, the glories of heaven and the face of Jesus. No looking back. For this, I can credit the grace of God and the fact of what Jesus has done for us, for the world. May He be honored and blessed for giving us such great hope.

God’s love is stronger than my enemies’ threats

This week I’ve been challenged concerning the intentions of a major religious group. Their creed tells them they are the only true religion and anyone that does not worship as they do deserves to die.

The challenge says --- as we stood up against the Japanese and the Germans, we also need to stand up against this religious group. Otherwise, we will experience more events like Pearl Harbor and the holocaust. The argument is strong because unlike those two groups, the beliefs of this group are shared by all its members, whether they seem peacefully minded or not. 

Something in the challenge bothers me, not so much the content but the attitude of a few of the people who believe we must shut down these people. The Bible talks about defending our faith, which Christians must do, but it also talks about doing good to our enemies, not hating them and spreading warnings about them that seem filled with disgust and hatred. 

Yet there is another problem with the idea of ‘loving our enemies’ and that is knowing the nature of the love that God is commanding. Many Christians seem to think that love means toleration, giving in, letting those we love do whatever they want to do, including sin against us.

The Bible is filled with verses that tell us to love God and love one another. It offers a description of what love is and is not in 1 Corinthians 13, yet I believe the best description is in God himself.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)

John knew something about the love of God that the average person does not know. God’s love is not wishy-washy or permissive. When humanity fell into sin, His love set about His plan to redeem us and set us free from the dominion of sin. His ultimate goal is to transform us back into image-bearers, the purpose for which we were created. 

When God tells me of His love for me, I know that love is sacrificial and concerned for my eternal well-fare. He is not going to pat me on the head and tell me that I’m fine the way I am. If He were a God like that, I could not worship Him.

Yet the other extreme is also true; God’s love does not attack me for my disobedience and for ignoring Him and going my own way. Instead, He came to earth, put on human flesh, and died for me. He bore the punishment I deserve so that I might know Him. Because of Jesus, I know the love of God. If that love does not show up in the way I live, then I really don’t know what God is like.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

When God tells me to love my enemies, He is not thinking about the human version of love. While He will never ask me to die for the sins of my enemies (Jesus already did that), He could ask me to die as a result of their sin rather than deny Him or my faith in Him. (It has been said that the church flourishes on the blood of the martyrs.)

I don’t know if this religious group will overrun our part of the world, as some fear. The Bible says nothing about that, but it also does not mention the Japanese or Hitler. What it does say is that no matter what happens everyone eventually dies. And after that everyone faces the judgment of God. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, regardless of how we die, will spend eternity with Him. Those who do not, will not. 

As I think about the warnings, I sense that one group of people are thinking eternally, and because they are, they are more concerned about the souls who will perish than themselves. On the other hand, the other group who spread the same warning seem more concerned about their own comfort  and safety, even their own need to perpetuate a prideful “I’m right and they are wrong” attitude.

God says that, “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us” (1 John 3:24). Abiding in God is not about fear and hatred, but about that Holy Spirit assurance that I am secure, no matter what others do, including the enemies of Christianity. It is having confidence that because of the sovereignty of God, my destiny is safe in his hands. He calls me to always be ready to defend my faith, but never to fear or overpower those who threaten it or do not share it.

To Live is Christ — one day at a time

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her mid-seventies. The symptoms showed a few years earlier. She was a Christian, and I’m certain that her attitude toward her decline had its origins in the Holy Spirit. She was upset at the diagnosis, but after a day of wrestling with it, she said, “I suppose a lot worse could happen to me than losing my memory.”

She retained her sense of humor and her ability to accept the challenges of her life right to the end. I’ve often said that I want to be like her when I grow up, yet in saying that, I wonder if the same dementia will be my fate.

As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

When I read this verse with that in mind, and with all that I’ve been writing about the past few days concerning this verse, I understand even more why God should be in charge of what I know about the future. Otherwise, knowing what will happen could be a burden as well as a delight.

The delight is that He does reveal good things. I know I will spend eternity with Him. I know that the struggle with sin and with the challenges of life will end. Revelation 21:3-4 says, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

A little further on in Revelation, God promises a river of life, healing of the nations, and no more curse. I will see the face of Jesus, and I will be like Him. What could be more wonderful!

The burden is the time between now and then. Aging is not for sissies. Getting old brings with it physical and mental challenges. Some go into their later years with good health in general, yet aches and pains because their bodies are wearing out. Others have memory challenges. My father had TIA’s or a type of stroke that took little chunks of both physical and mental strength.

My eye cannot see, nor does my mind know what lies ahead for me. Looking back, I’m glad that I didn’t know ahead of time what difficulties I have faced already. That would have been too much to carry. Getting out of bed in the morning would have been a challenge, never mind living in worried anticipation.

Yet I wonder. Will I go the same route as my mother? Or my father? Will my aging bring loss of memory and the inability to do anything that I now enjoy? I do not want to live now in anxiety about the future. However, that anxiety creeps in now and then. I’ll do the sensible thing and have my doctor test for various things. Medical science is constantly developing new ways to lessen the impact of the ailments of aging. Yet at the same time, the rest of that verse in 1 Corinthians is my anchor. It says that although I cannot see the future, it has been prepared for me by God. It speaks of my love for Him, but I know that all His plans are rooted in His love for me.

What then shall I say to these things? If God is for me, who can be against me? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for me, how shall He not with Him also freely give me all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for me. Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39, personalized)