Life is too short! Do it while you can! Seize the Day! You only live once!
When we say this, what do we mean? Live now. Don’t waste time. Enjoy life while you can. ‘Cause before long, poof! We’re out of here.
It’s like taking a timed exam. Okay class, you may begin. The content of the exam is not difficult; the answers seem clear cut. But it’s that timing thing! “Quick, the answer to the first question is …. I can’t think clearly under time pressure! Oh, look at the clock; I’m wasting time. Good! I got that done; now onto the next question. Can I answer them all before …?” Bing! Okay class, time is up, set your pencils down and pass your exams to the front of the class.
Yes, it would seem that our lives hang at the edge of time; any second, any minute, or hour, or day, the alarm will go off, and boom! The bell rings and Life is no more. Talk about time pressure …!
But wait. Why do we live as if this life is the life, the only LIFE we have? Jesus makes it very clear that this earthly life is a mere preface, an introduction to a life to be lived in—Eternity! Jesus speaks of Life in the face of death. We are to live, and we are to live on … Forever!
Finish this sentence: We have all the time in the …! Did you say, “World”? How about Eternity or the Heavens! In that sense time is on our side. Eternity is in our favor. Time is NOT the enemy.
What about now? Considering that the end of the road here is eternity there, Peter says, “… while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by Him at peace, without spot or blemish …” (2 Peter 3:14)
Apparently we should be getting prepared for the big trip. Why then do we remain so focused on building a future only for THIS life? Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, says Paul (Col. 3:2).
He is so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good, says the critic. Ouch! But NO, real heavenly mindedness—God Focused—actually grounds us toward real, practical, earthly needs: truth, justice, peace, patience, mercy, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control, generosity, love. Because we have a future beyond earth, we can live by doing the right thing on earth—even if it costs our earthly lives.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
What Church has to Offer ...
Wellspring Church of Skippack! That's our church's name ...
What would it look like to live up to our name? Let me think. We would probably be …
Reviving—quenching dry, thirsty souls.
Healing—soothing people’s wounds.
Refreshing—cooling hot tempers & sorry attitudes.
Invigorating—restoring drained & sapped spirits.
Delighting—rejuvenating a spirit of joyful playfulness.
But, you know what? Thank God WE do NOT have to live up to such a name! No, really we don’t!
But God does! He is the one that must accomplish these things among us, if we but let Him. (I suppose that’s a big if, letting Him, that is.)
That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To let Him do HIS work IN us? And boy, don’t we need the work!
And so, we, the people of Wellspring, have nothing to offer, for we are not dong the offering. God is. That certainly takes a load off our shoulders. Doesn’t it?
Okay, on the other hand, we are offering God. Yes, that’s it! That’s what we have to offer. It’s HIM. His love for us, His grace, peace, truth, care, Spirit upon us, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, HIM!
He is doing something to us, in us, among us, and through us. Isn’t that something? What a wonderful God!
We offer nothing and should never pretend to offer anything but God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Really, God is doing all the offering. We are only here to receive it and invite others to join us in the receiving of it.
But that means we must be open ourselves to what God is offering. Yes, we want it ourselves, certainly not just for ourselves, but we ourselves do want and need it ourselves. We cannot share what we ourselves do not have to share.
What then are we sharing—giving, providing, promoting here? HIM, that’s all. His love, our gratefulness, His grace, our gratitude, His mercy, our appreciation, His call, our heedfulness, His will, our obedience, His purpose, our submission, His Glory, our gain!
Wandering Thoughts ...
Three boys were bragging about their dads.
“My dad writes a few lines, calls it a poem and gets fifty bucks for it,” said the first.
“My dad puts some dots, lines, and squiggles on paper, calls it a song and gets seventy-five for it,” said the second.
“That’s nothing,” said the third boy, “Saturday nights my dad writes a few words on a sheet of paper, gets up Sunday morning, reads it in church, and it takes four ushers to bring in the money.”
[Taken from one of those email list of jokes that go round and round the cyber world.]
What would it look like to live up to our name? Let me think. We would probably be …
Reviving—quenching dry, thirsty souls.
Healing—soothing people’s wounds.
Refreshing—cooling hot tempers & sorry attitudes.
Invigorating—restoring drained & sapped spirits.
Delighting—rejuvenating a spirit of joyful playfulness.
But, you know what? Thank God WE do NOT have to live up to such a name! No, really we don’t!
But God does! He is the one that must accomplish these things among us, if we but let Him. (I suppose that’s a big if, letting Him, that is.)
That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To let Him do HIS work IN us? And boy, don’t we need the work!
And so, we, the people of Wellspring, have nothing to offer, for we are not dong the offering. God is. That certainly takes a load off our shoulders. Doesn’t it?
Okay, on the other hand, we are offering God. Yes, that’s it! That’s what we have to offer. It’s HIM. His love for us, His grace, peace, truth, care, Spirit upon us, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, HIM!
He is doing something to us, in us, among us, and through us. Isn’t that something? What a wonderful God!
We offer nothing and should never pretend to offer anything but God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Really, God is doing all the offering. We are only here to receive it and invite others to join us in the receiving of it.
But that means we must be open ourselves to what God is offering. Yes, we want it ourselves, certainly not just for ourselves, but we ourselves do want and need it ourselves. We cannot share what we ourselves do not have to share.
What then are we sharing—giving, providing, promoting here? HIM, that’s all. His love, our gratefulness, His grace, our gratitude, His mercy, our appreciation, His call, our heedfulness, His will, our obedience, His purpose, our submission, His Glory, our gain!
Wandering Thoughts ...
Three boys were bragging about their dads.
“My dad writes a few lines, calls it a poem and gets fifty bucks for it,” said the first.
“My dad puts some dots, lines, and squiggles on paper, calls it a song and gets seventy-five for it,” said the second.
“That’s nothing,” said the third boy, “Saturday nights my dad writes a few words on a sheet of paper, gets up Sunday morning, reads it in church, and it takes four ushers to bring in the money.”
[Taken from one of those email list of jokes that go round and round the cyber world.]
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