You were made for this

Came across this tweet today:

A gospel of "If you died right now would you go to heaven or hell?" makes Jesus simply a means to an end, rather than the sum of all love.
— Micah J. Murray (@micahjmurray) January 11, 2014

It reminded me of something important, something I also discussed in another post titled Eternity…why? It was simply this: Jesus wants us to follow him and be part of his kingdom for the sake of God's glory.

It's not so my life can be better.

It's not so I can have comfort in my troubles.

It's not so I have a sense of meaning.

And no, it's not so I can go to heaven.

All those are true.* But they are not the reason.

It's simply so my life can be lived for the glory of the One who created me. He made me, he redeemed me, and he has a specific purpose for me in his master plan for the universe. He has given me a choice, and the only choice that makes sense is to do what I was created for.

So I want to be part of calling you, my friends, and the world to something greater than themselves. I don't want to call you to make a decision out of fear or self interest. I invite you - if you haven't already - to get to know the Messiah and be part of his kingdom.

Because it is what you were made for.

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* - With the clarification that really God's ultimate plan is to bring heaven to earth and for us to reign with him here - but I digress.

Hope

Last Saturday I was in Tallahassee. I thought I was here for one thing, but I was wrong. I was here presumably to see the big football game between Florida State and Miami. I often come to see an FSU game when Alabama is off. But God really had me here to be with my friend Steve and his family as his mother Karen went to be with the Lord.

I won't even try to describe how wonderful she was as a mother to my friend and his sister. I'll leave it to her family who wrote the extended obituary in the link:

Karen Elyea

Yes, she will be missed terribly. But as I reflect on her life tonight, I know that she lives on in two important ways:

First, her character lives in everyone that took time to let her into their lives. God has put each of us on earth to make a difference, and each of us will change the lives of those around us, for better or worse. For Karen Elyea, it was so much for the better. Her husband, son, daughter, grandchildren, and yes, friends (like me) are different and better people because we knew her.

Second, she literally will live forever. This is the hope that was brought to fruition by Jesus when he died and rose from the dead. Death is the enemy; don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. It is not just a peaceful means to pass into eternity. But it is a defeated enemy. When Jesus was resurrected, death lost its power and we no longer need to fear it. 

So when we say goodbye to Karen at her service tomorrow, we can and will be sad. But we will also be flooded with hope, the hope that comes because Jesus lives. Not only is she in God's presence now, but one day she will rise like him and participate in the coming together of heaven and earth for eternity. And so will we, if we put our faith in Jesus.

And that makes all the difference. 

A nugget from C.S. Lewis

A two hour flight is a great time to do some reading. Today, for the first time, I read C.S. Lewis' famous sermon/essay The Weight of Glory. I love C.S. Lewis; he is one of the great writers of the past 200 years, and probably in history. But I had never read this relatively short work. I encourage you to read it - if you want to, a copy is in the link above.

The whole essay is awesome. But there was one thing he said toward the end that I wanted to share. The context is this: he is talking about the eternal nature of God's highest creation on earth, human beings. Beings created in his image for his glory, and who are destined to one of two destinies: to be exalted to reign with God forever, or to be excluded from his notice forever. He is making the point that everyone we meet - prince or pauper, rich or poor, funny or dull, and so on - is that important. And so we should take that responsibility seriously, recognize the incredible worth of every person we meet, and remember what's a stake in our relationships.

This is, as he calls it, the "weight" of glory. How imposing is that?! Talk about pressure. And if he had stopped there, what a solemn message it would have been.

But he doesn't. And in that context, here is the quote I wanted to share:

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal...(I)t is immortals we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner - no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.

This is a profound, concentrated statement of so much Biblical truth. So much so that I had to read it a few times for it to sink in. (You may want to do the same.) Of course, I expect nothing less from Lewis.   These words, spoken first in June of 1941, ring down through the decades and challenge me as a Christ follower. If I am to be part of spreading God's kingdom, I must do so with a daily knowledge of how important people are. They were created for eternity. And my love must be costly, not self-serving. And real, not a parody.

And that is God's model for his people. May I never forget it.

Only a moment

So I sat in the chair, waiting for the doctor to come in. This medical procedure was not going to be pleasant. No, you don't know want to know any more, trust me. And it's not important.

What does matter is that I knew it was going to be full of, as doctors like to say, "discomfort". A lot of discomfort.

As the time passed, I got philosophical, trying to psyche myself up for it. I reminded myself of some great truths.

• Compared to all of eternity, it was only going to be a moment. I could take that.
• It was going to be nothing compared to the pain endured by the great saints as they were tortured for their faith.
• It is only physical pain. Physical pain is a warning system for a house that is temporary anyway. Physical pain is minor compared to spiritual or emotional wounds.

And so on.

The time came, and it was not fun. But it's over now, the results were good, and life goes on.

And so now I am reflecting on the waiting time. You know, the perspectives I reflected on are just as true about the sufferings of this life. If our hope is in the Messiah Jesus, anything the world throws at us is only temporary. There is a surpassing joy not only in the future, but now, that overshadows the difficulties of life. Stress at work. Grief. Arguments at home. All of those things are only a moment.

And so I can not only survive, but thrive. Because my joy is from another Kingdom, not this one.

Bring it on.

Eternity...why?

 This morning at church something hit me. Something I already knew. But something that is different from the way I usually think. And it took my breath away.

Remember the last verse of the beloved hymn Amazing Grace? The one where we sing about how 10,000 years is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity?

When we've been there 10,000 years

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we first begun.

How awesome, right? I get to spend eternity in the presence of God, and I will be unbelievably happy. No more sorrow. No more tears. Eternity with my loved ones who have gone before me. How fantastic! For me.

And that's what hit me. Like a ton of bricks.

It hit me as we were singing this verse of the hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns:

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

Yes, even when it comes to heaven, even when it comes to eternity, I want to make it all about me and my happiness. But it isn't. It's about the One who came to glorify the Father and whose Kingdom knows no end. It's all about Jesus. He came to die so that he could receive "endless praise", and so that he can be "adored and magnified" forever. I just have the amazing privilege of being a small part of making that happen. not for me. For his glory.
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This thought did not really come to me all at once; this morning just brought it crashing down on my head. It has been growing since I read a blog post a couple of weeks ago. A young person from our church made the point first in her blog about her current mission. She is in Africa for a month, and because I am going back at the end of this month I am following her blog with extreme interest. Well, in her post Mzunga Down, she said this:

 Last night one thing we talked about was the answer we give when answering the question Why did Jesus come to earth?  When answering this we tend to make the answer all about us.  We say "Jesus came to die on the cross to save us from our sin" which is true but Jesus actually came to glorify his Father.  He came to do the will of his father. It is not really about us.  Absolutely EVERYTHING is about glorifying God and making his name known, that is it.

And there you go. From a young lady less than half my age but full of wisdom. I don't think I have to add anything to that!
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And so I look forward to my trip to Ethiopia. Not so that I can get something out of serving, but so that God can be glorified throughout the earth. And so I look forward to eternity. The day when I will have the tremendous privilege of joining with saints from all over the world in proclaiming:

You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased men for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation. 
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, 
    and they will reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:9-10)

Forever. Amen!

April 27: Life, Death, and Eternity

Just time for a few words before I head to the service. I am in South Carolina to remember and honor a wonderful woman, my aunt Gladys Owensby, whom we called Aunt Odell for my entire life. She lived to be 86 years old, and all those years were filled with love. She will be missed by so many people, but she is now in such joy that we cannot even imagine it.

I think it's fitting to honor and remember her on April 27. Because this is a date that will always represent the fine line between life and death, joy and tragedy, building and destruction. For one year ago today, an unprecedented number of tornados ripped through the South - and one hit very close to home. Thankfully, it basely missed the house and dorm where my nieces lived while attending the University of Alabama. But for hundreds of others, it didn't miss. and that community will never be the same. Yes, out of our scars come growth, so I think that it will be a better place than it was before. But the healing continues.

Part of that healing is a huge memorial service today in Coleman Coliseum. So on the same day, I will be in SC remembering my aunt. And I also remember the victims of April 27, 2011. In both cases, we can see the awesome hand of God as he moves to heal, restore, and love those who are hurting.

Oops

And in just a moment, it was gone...shattered into a million pieces.

The BCS Trophy, commonly referred to as the crystal football, is not an easy thing to win. But it is, obviously, easy to break. And this past weekend the 2011 trophy belonging to the Alabama Crimson Tide was accidentally knocked over by the father of a player. He placed it back after holding it, walked away, and the rest is history. And so is the trophy.

The mishap has spawned all sorts of observations, humorous and otherwise. The best was summed up on this banner:

With 14 championships, the most in college football history, there are definitely a lot of trophies. But this is an exaggeration. I know because in January I did trip in Tuscaloosa. I broke an ankle, but not a trophy!

As I reflect on the broken trophy, a couple of thoughts run through my head. Might as well let you in on them, right?

• The trophy may be gone, but the championship isn't. Nothing can take that away, and I plan to enjoy every minute of the Tide's reign. And I an hopeful that they'll extend it another year. The trophy is just a material thing; the thing it represents endures.

• More importantly, the trophy is just a thing and it will pass away. In fact, the championship will too. As the song goes, "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there's something about that name."

The name of Jesus gives us hope of something that will last a lot longer than trophies. Or houses. Or land. Or money. You see, it doesn't matter if our trophy breaks, or my house burns, or the stock market crashes. Or even if they take my life. Those things won't last anyway. But because of Jesus, life with God dwarfs those things. And will never pass away.

So shatter the trophy. Have your fun. Take everything I own. But I have the last laugh, because the Creator of the universe has me in his hands.

And nobody is going to trip and shatter that.