The Problem with Phone Calls

I don't like phone calls. 

Since 1986, when I graduated from medical school, very few of the phone calls I've received have delivered good news. The vast majority of my phone calls have been about patients. Night call can do that. None of those calls were to celebrate a miraculous recovery. Most were because of a problem, and most required some sort of action on my part.

It's no wonder, then, that I avoid the phone like the plague. It has seldom brought good news. 

Today marks four weeks since that pivotal call from Sam. "Jamie's on the floor and I can't get her up." It was an ordinary day like every other ordinary day, but it changed everything. 

I had no idea what that call would mean to our future, nor did Sam. 

I don't guess Jamie knew, either. Sam's call led to a 911 call requesting an ambulance. A call to the referral center requesting transfer. A call to family requesting their presence after a downturn in condition. A call to hospice with another referral. A call to the funeral home.

One call after another, one request after another, all marching in a steady spiral toward an eternal destination. 

There were a few calls, however, that made a difference we won't soon forget. Jamie called out to God, and grace, mercy, and redemption were given. Calls to friends and family for prayer were answered with an outpouring of grace. Sam and I called out to God for strength and peace, and we received it. 

Decades of phone calls have taught me that life can change in an instant. When we least expect it, disaster can strike. A downward spiral from which there is no escape can begin. The doors of eternity can open and someone we love can walk through. 

There's no escaping the inescapable. No avoiding the inevitable.

Trouble will come. Sorrow will overwhelm us. Life will end. Eternity will begin.

Life is precious and fragile. 

Knowing life's brevity should make a difference in how we live, both today and tomorrow. 

Leave nothing undone. No kind word unsaid. No forgiveness withheld. Love without reservation. Give without limit. Obey without hesitation. 

One day, our call will come. We will step into eternity and everything will change. Until then, let us live and love with abandon, as if this day, every day, might be our last.

Behold, I tell you a mystery, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable and we will all be changed." 1 Corinthians 15: 51-52 kjv

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In case you missed any of this week's posts, here are the links: Still a Sinner, How to Have a Flood of God-Love, The Wonder Girls Close the Park, Soft drinks, snacks, and airplane takeoff, and Yeast in the Flour. 

The most-read post of the past week: Death is Not the End. 

#lifeisshort #JesusChrist #eternity #death #eternallife #phone

photo courtesy freeimages.com

Perishing: The Peril of Procrastination

image from thesmartpreppers.com

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."”       Luke 13:1-5 NASB

We have studied these verses for the last several days. (Links to previous posts in this series are here: Remembering 9 11, Unless You Repent, The Difference Between the Crowd and Disciples, and What Does it Mean to Repent? Click on the link to read)

Our series winds down with a look at apollymi, the word translated as "perish". apollymi comes from two root words meaning separation and destruction. Vine's clarifies this word as "not extinction, but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being."

"Perish," then, means our existence as a spiritual being does not end. Instead, we are separated from the God who loves us and our well-being is completely destroyed. We spend eternity in torment. It is an ongoing perishing; not a one-time death.

I don't know about you, but neither separation from God nor eternal torment are appealing to me. Either option alone is enough to make me want to change my ways. 

Our refusal of godly repentance (the kind of repentance that results in changed mind and changed behavior) can only result from one of three things. Either we want eternal torment (which seems unlikely) or we do not believe God is serious about hell or we believe a loving God will give us another chance later.

After three decades as a physician, I can say with absolute certainty that life is fragile and length of days is not promised to us. Our lives can end in an instant, when we least expect it, and any hope of another chance will be gone.  

If there is something I hope to do, a goal I want to accomplish, a relationship I hope to restore, now is the time, for I may not have tomorrow.

If we want to have eternal life,    than eternal perishing, now is the time to repent and turn to God, for we have no assurance of tomorrow's ease. Just as the Galileans in the passage above were unexpectedly killed as they stood in the temple, we, too, can meet death when we least expect it. 

I need to live ready, prepared to meet God at any moment.

The "prepper" movement is very popular right now. In anticipation of a coming collapse of life as we know it, people are preparing with alternate energy sources, stored food and water, and survival gear. Prudent preparation is certainly wise, as the American lifestyle may not be sustainable in the long run, but storage of temporal supplies is not the only preparation we need to make.

How tragic it would be to prepare for earthly survival, but fail to prepare for that which matters most of all - eternal survival.

Stop and consider your spiritual condition. If your life ended today, would you be prepared to step into eternity with our Lord? Are you a part of the crowd or one of His disciples? Is our Lord a word in a book or a friend in a precious relationship?

Today is the day. Stop procrastinating about that which matters most. Make sure you're prepared for eternity. 

Live ready.

~~~~~~~

Our Father, forgive us for our procrastination. Help us to repent, changing both our minds and our behavior. Turn us to You and prepare us for eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #JesusChrist #Bible #procrastination #repent #prepper #eternallife

What does it mean to repent?

What does it mean to repent?

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."”       Luke 13:1-5 NASB

We have studied these verses for the last several days. (Links to previous posts in this series are here: Remembering 9 11, Unless You Repent, and The Difference Between the Crowd and Disciples. Click to read)

Before we move on, we will look at Jesus' repeated admonition, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." 

Repentance is a critical element for our eternal destination, so it's important to understand what it is, and what repentance is not.

The word translated as "repent" is metanoeō and literally means "to perceive afterward" with the implication of change. It indicates a change of mind from a previously held view to one for the better, and brings with it the idea that the repentance, or mind change, will be accompanied by a change in behavior.

The problem we often see is that we agree with God about a certain action, ask forgiveness for the action, then do the same thing again and again. All we do is repeat the cycle, not disrupt it. 

Inherent in the idea of metanoeō is CHANGE. 

I'm as guilty as anyone of what I call "Scarlett O'Hara repentance". In the novel Gone With the Wind, Rhett Butler says of Scarlett, "You're like the thief who's very, very sorry he got caught, but not at all sorry he stole." Scarlett O'Hara repentance makes for an interesting storyline and keeps the action moving. It's good fiction writing. It is not, however, godly repentance.

When Jesus calls us to repentance, to metanoeō, He calls us to change both our minds and our behavior. This is not an emotional response to conviction, but an active response of mind and body.

For example, if I repent of adultery, I agree with God that adultery is sin and my actions have been sinful. I ask for forgiveness based on my repentance. In my repentance, my mind's opinion changes. I no longer view adultery as an acceptable behavior. 

In addition, my actions change and I no longer commit adultery. I completely remove myself from the relationship. That's repentance. Asking God for forgiveness on my way to or from my adulterous lover's house is not repentance.

Adultery is an extreme example, but it holds true for every sin, from pride to unforgiveness to a critical, judgmental spirit. "Thought" sins are harder to change, but by the grace of God, true repentance is possible.
"I can't help what I think" is a commonly held opinion in our culture, but that's not what Scripture says. "Take every thought captive," Paul wrote (2 Cor. 10:5). If we take our thoughts captive, when a sinful thought enters our mind, we immediately reject it and turn our thoughts toward those things that are good and pleasing to God.  

For example, when you encounter someone about whom you have ungodly thoughts, train yourself to speak (aloud or silently) only that which would be pleasing to God. Don't dwell on the negative. If you can't think anything positive, pray for the same grace toward them that you want toward yourself.

Repentance is not optional. 

We have two choices concerning eternity. Stay the same and perish. Repent and not perish (i.e. have eternal life). We can't have it both ways, so we must choose wisely. Repentance is the only sensible option. 

We will all decide. Repent or not. Which will you choose?

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Our Father, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Help us to do more than say words, help us to truly repent and change our actions. In Jesus' name, Amen.

~~~~~~~

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#JesusChrist #disciple #repentandbesaved #repent # Biblestudy #ScarlettOHararepentance

Unless you repent...

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."”       Luke 13:1-5 NASB

We began our study in Luke 13  with a look at the brevity of life. Yesterday, we paused to remember 9 11. (Follow the links to get caught up.)  

Today, we return to Luke 13. Jesus was speaking to the "crowd", people who had come to hear Him, but weren't necessarily disciples. They "reported to Him about the Galileans". I can hear them talking with Jesus. Maybe it went something like this...

"Hey, Jesus, did you hear about those men from Galilee that got killed in the temple?"

"Tell me about it." (Because He already knew, but he wanted to hear them admit what they had on their minds.)

"You're from Galilee. You might've known them. Anyway, they were in the temple to offer their sacrifice, and Pilate's soldiers came in, swords a'blazing, and killed them. It was terrible. Blood was everywhere. Sacrifice blood. Galilean blood."  What sin must they have committed to deserve something like that? (They didn't say this part, but they probably thought it.)

Jesus, as usual, went straight to the heart of things. "It was terrible. Did you think they were killed in this way because they were worse sinners than you are? Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

I would think a hush fell over the crowd. Really, what could you say to that?

"Do you think the men who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them were worse than the people who live in Jerusalem? Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

When Jesus had an important point He wanted to be sure His listeners understood, He repeated it. This is an example of the confirmation of importance by repetition. 

Twice in one conversation, Jesus said, "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (I've repeated it to confirm it's importance, too.)

This short passage was not about the perils of traumatic death, nor about a murder committed in the temple. 

Jesus was speaking about the deadly consequences of sin.

Unless we make a conscious decision to address the sin in our lives, we, too, will be in grave peril, because the wages of sin is death. That death is an eternal separation from God, spent in hell.

We can have eternal separation if we choose, but it would be so much better to repent, turn to our loving Heavenly Father, and spend eternity in heaven.

With one short sentence, Jesus brings us to a decision point. Unless you repent... 

Why wait? Repentance must be done. 

Let's pause to take a close look at our lives. Are we living the way Christ intended us to live? Are we obeying Him? Are we living in such a way that others can see Christ in us? If not, let's simply repent and choose His ways, His paths.

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Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Help us to not only ask for forgiveness, but also turn away from our sin and choose your way. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #theBible #JesusChrist #repent #eternallife   photo courtesy of freeimages.com

Waiting well: Living like we believe

"But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You, too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." (Luke 12:39-40 NASB)

Our Waiting Well series began a with a post on serving faithfully, followed by keeping our lamps lit, waiting for the bridegroom to return from the marriage feast, our response to His knock, and the response of Christ to us when we open the door to His knock. Yesterday, we considered the importance of being ready to serve in the night watches.  (Click on the link to read the earlier posts.)

In the six verses considered in the Waiting Well series, Jesus repeatedly said, "Be ready, Be ready." He had't gone back to heaven yet, but already He was preparing His disciples for His return. Be ready. I'm coming when you don't expect it. Be ready.

I'm ready to hear something else. My heart says, "Enough!" And then I remembered something important. When Jesus repeated Himself, it was for a reason. 

In this instance, He understood that our tendency is to become so wrapped up in our own little worlds, our own little lives, that we forget about our big eternal lives and our enormously powerful King who will return for us one day. 

We forget that this life we are living is not all the living we will do.

Last night, as I prepared for bed, I checked all the doors and locked them. I don't expect a thief or a home invasion, but I locked my doors to prevent that possibility. Every single night, I lock my doors against that possibility. The doors aren't always locked in the daytime, especially if I'm moving in and out from house to barn. You can be sure they'd be locked though, if I knew a thief was headed my way.

With that same preventive expectation, we need to be ready for Jesus. Consistently prepared. 

I'm ready to move on to different Scripture. These "being ready" verses seem so... same.

Today, I realized something new. Jesus hammered this point because He wants us to live with eternity in mind. To be intentional.

I locked my doors with a thief in mind.  

What if we lived our lives, made our choices, our routines, with eternity in mind? How would it change our actions? Our words? 

Would we say the same things, do the same things, if we thought Jesus would arrive on the scene for us before the words were out, the action completed?

This emphasis on being ready was for a reason. We are to live ready. The promise of eternity should change everything we do, mold every word we speak.  

Our King is coming, and we should be living like we believe it. 

When the world sees us, they should see people who expect their Sovereign King to split the sky and step into view at any moment. Let's be sure they do.

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Our Father, who lives and reigns in Heaven, help us to live as if you were returning today. Let us show the world how the hope of eternal life in Christ changes everything. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Confessing Jesus Before Men: I AM the Door

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

In an attempt to understand what it means to "confess Jesus before men" (or say the same things about Jesus that He says about Himself), we are reviewing the "I AM's".  So far, we've covered I AM the Bread of Life, and I AM the light of the world. 

Another of the I AM's is from John 10, where Jesus describes Himself as the Door: 

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 NASB

A door, of course, allows us to move from one place to another. The implication is that the place beyond the door would be closed to us unless we entered through the door. This "Jesus door" leads us to salvation and to good pasture, and is the only way through which we access eternal salvation. (We will discuss pasture in tomorrow's post.) 

The imagery of opening and going through a door is used more than once in Scripture. The first use of this imagery is used in Genesis. Cain and Abel had presented their offerings to God. Abel brought the first fruits and God accepted his gift, but Cain's gift was not accepted. Cain was angry and seethed in his anger. God came to him and warned him against his attitude. Sin crouched at the door of Cain's heart, longing to overcome him and bring destruction. Cain had a choice. Master the sin and do right, or let sin conquer him. 

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7 
NASB)

In Revelation, Jesus tells us that He is at the door of our hearts, as well. We have the choice to open the door and allow Him entrance. He will come into our lives and dwell there.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me. (Rev. 3:20 NASB)

Metaphorically, there is a door in our heart. Sin and Righteousness battle at the door. Sin crouches, but Jesus knocks. We have a choice. Will we allow sin to master us, or will we make Jesus our Master and our Friend? The choice we make has eternal consequences, so we must choose well.

In the simplicity of inviting Christ into our hearts, there is incredible complexity, for in opening the door of our hearts to Him, we find that He is the door that leads us to eternal life, to salvation. Is He the only door to salvation? Yes. He tells us that He is the way. The only way.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6 NASB)

Jesus is the only door that leads to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, spoke of this very thing.

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NASB)

There is no other name. There is no other door. Only Jesus is the door that leads us to communion with Him and eternal life. 

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Lord Jesus, I open my heart to you. Come in and be my Master and my Friend. Lead me, through You, to eternal life. Help me to master sin and live to please You. In your name, Amen.