The Race

The Bible talks about our journey here on earth as a race, a challenging effort to succeed and accomplish and to finish.  We will look at a few of the references in this week's blog entry.

Hebrews 12:1 starts:  "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...."

1Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that in a race all of the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

But Ecclesiastes 9:11 shows us that this is not about a physical race:  "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift..."  Solomon goes on to stress the importance of wisdom over speed. 

And finally, we read in Philippians 4:13:  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

We know that success in this life is not about physical prowess or winning races.  But the Bible gives us guidance in winning the race of life.  And we must continually remind ourselves that this life is about bringing glory to God....so that we can have the life eternal.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Strangers..........

We are to be as strangers in this world.....That is to say, we are not to be conformed to this world, to our society, to the mores of our society, but rather to be strangers to it.  There are a lot of passages that relate to this subject in the Bible, but we will look at a couple.

I Peter chapter 1 gives us some detail on the matter.  Note the wording:

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, be holy for I am holy."

Then it says: "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."  We are to be strangers to this unholy world.

We see a similar thought pattern in Hebrews 11 where the teaching is about Abraham.  It says of him: "By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents.....for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose object and builder is God."

This is the lesson that we must learn.  There are no real foundations in this life.  Sometimes we live good lives, in good homes with real foundations...and substance; but there is no substance here.  Life is like a vapor we learn in James.  It may seem stable today, but will be gone tomorrow.  We must live like strangers, like sojourners, like tent-dwellers, realizing that this life is temporary and brief.  This is how the great Abraham lived, like Jesus lived.....how we must live.  And, of course, I am not speaking literally, but figuratively.  It is a state of mind, a desire to move from this life to the greatest city, the greatest place of all....with God...and our Lord Jesus.

Thanks for reading again.  May God bless you!

The Secret of Life

I have said a number of times to people who were not Christians that I know the secret of life.  I know where we came from, I know why we exist and I know where we are going.  This may sound boastful; but if so, it is only boasting in the Lord.  Every follower of God, every person who has studied the teachings in the Bible, has available to him the secret of life.  The New Testament sometimes calls it the mystery.  Knowing this great mystery is a wonderful thing and should be shared........so here it is:

Over and over again in the Old Testament, the Lord said, ".....I AM the Lord!"  He would say, "I am doing this so you will know that I AM the Lord!" or something similar.  The importance of this statement to us cannot be overstated.  Some 88 times in the OT alone this is said. (e.g., Exodus 6:7, 7:5, 7:17, 8:22, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18, 16:12, 29:46, Deuteronomy 29:6, 1Kings 20:13, etc).

In the NT, Jesus said many times, "I AM........."  For example, "I AM the bread of life;"  I AM the good shepherd:"  I AM the way, the truth, the life..."  The point here is that God always is.  It is not "was" or "will be," but "is."  And the main point is that it is about Him, not us, but HIM.

Solomon summed it up well in the book of Ecclesiastes.  All through the book he talked of the vanity, the uselessness of the things that we typically consider important, like work, money, comforts, recreation.  Then he says in the final verses: "Let us hear the conclusion of the matter.  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." 

Again, the main point of all this is that our lives must be about serving Him.  It is about God.....not us.  It is not about this life, the comforts, the happiness, or the length of life.  It is about the eternal life he offers.  Regardless of what our life here is, there is real life to each of us if we "fear God and keep His commandments."  That is the whole duty of man. 

This is the secret of life....the answer to the mystery of life.  Let us take heed.......

Thanks for reading!  Have a great week........and feel the love.  

"Acting Like Mere men"

It is interesting to look at 1 Corinthians to see all of the problems that the Christians were facing there.  It is true that the environment at Corinth at this time was quite vile.  People were doing whatever they felt like doing...and worshiping idols as well.  This was an attitude that was creeping into the church, affecting the spirituality of the Christians there.  While there were many problems cited in the letter, we will focus on the brief statement recorded in Chapter 3:

"Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready.  You are still worldly.  For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?  Are you not acting like mere men?  For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men?  What, after all, is Apollos?  and what is Paul?  Only servants..."

There are several lessons that we can derive from this passage:

1. Obviously, we need to not be following after men.  The New Testament, and certainly the teaching of 1Corinthians,  is clear on this point.  The Lord never intended that we Christians should splinter....and disagree.....and denominate (perhaps a new word but not a new concept).

2.We need to mature.  There is a danger in being immature...to the point of having to feed on "milk" instead of meat.  Paul wanted Christians to grow up, to be mature, strong.

3. We must avoid thinking like the world.  We must think in spiritual ways.  We must put God first, realizing the brevity of this life and the importance of eternity.

These thoughts seem obvious, but they are much harder to put into practice.  Let us all learn to do all to God's glory....not our own.

Have a great week...a blessed week!