Good morning on another gorgeous Spring morning!
Becki is eating her breakfast without my joining her as she needs to get out the door toward her Bible Study at Country Meadows in Woodburn—an assisted living home. I, on the other hand, am all spaced out with this composition, along with a determination to get out there for my old man jog before tanking up on breakfast—even though it’s so late.
Wish I could look in on you. You’re probably rushing around in more than one direction too. In the process, may you rush around with the right balance that wins God’s blessing and peace—rather than a bunch of frantic pressure.
Blessings on your day. Ray.
I can fully understand the marveling of that ancient disciple. It can’t be wrong to marvel and appreciate man’s creative genius. Just look at all we have to marvel at today! So a modern disciple might exclaim something like this: “Wow!— consider all the advances man has made in science and technology within our own lifetimes! Our ancestors from just 100 years ago would be blown away by what is so commonplace for us today—airplanes, trains, mega ships, cars, computers, micro chips, medical instruments, cyber communications!” This marvelous list could go on and on. It is truly a mind boggling display of human brilliance and achievement. But this same Jesus who replied to those ancient marvels back then (with a likely reference to the impending destruction of Jerusalem and its temple which occurred in 70 a.d.) could respond similarly to all the modern marvels we have around us in abundance today. Jesus might say, “Take a good look at all this stuff—all these technological achievements, and assign to them their proper values in regards to time and eternity. Insofar as time is concerned, not one piece of tangible material will survive! Absolutely everything will be burned up and disappear!—except that which is intangible!”
I’m reminded that the Apostle Peter supports this spin with a strong challenge to his readers: “The day of the Lord will come and take everyone by surprise—as unexpected as a home invasion. The atmosphere will be set on fire and vanish with a horrific roar, and the heavenly bodies will melt away as in a tremendous blaze. The earth and every activity of man will be laid bare. Since all these things are on the verge of being dismantled, don’t you see how vital it is to live a holy life? We must be consumed with godliness while we anticipate and help to speed up the coming of the day of God, when the atmosphere will be set on fire and the heavenly bodies consumed in a blaze” (2 Peter 3:10-12, The Passion Translation). Wow!
Who in their right mind, having been exposed to Biblical truth, can legitimately judge that a passionate HEART AFTER GOD is optional?!?! This is one of my most difficult marvels—that is, many appear to judge just that way!