False comfort

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:4-10 (NLT)

On a flight recently, I heard the man a few seats over talking about his trip. He was going to visit his grandchildren in another state. He mentioned he didn’t fly much. In fact, he hadn’t flown in years. I heard him say he was 86 years old and that he’d remember something he learned that day for the next time he flew.

I had to wonder. There was a huge time gap between his trips and honestly, would he fly again? I also wondered if he ever thought about his own mortality? Was he saved?

Something about that man stayed with me after the flight. I think it was because I was in the middle of a potential health issue. With one outcome, depending on the severity, death was certainly a possibility. With the other, I would be cleared and fine. For several weeks, the answer remained a mystery as more tests were performed and diagnoses determined.

All the while, I prayed and wrestled for answers. A funny thing happened. God gave me peace. Peace with either outcome. If we were dealing with a potentially life-threatening condition, I was able to accept it and give God praise. If we weren’t, I would accept it as the blessing it is and give God praise.

In saying this, I also wonder how often we get too comfortable in thinking that death is “a long way off.” We fool ourselves into thinking that important decisions, like those impacting our eternal destiny, can be put off till another time in the future. We hear of deathbed confessions of faith and think, that’s what I’ll do. My friend, you don’t know that you will have that option. Something sudden and unexpected may pluck you from this earth and if you haven’t solidified once-and-for-all where your alliance is, you are in trouble. Because once you are gone, the Bible tell us, the decision is no longer yours or anyone else’s.

Jesus didn’t humble himself, come to Earth, suffer and die a sinner’s death because He needed to. He did it, willingly, because He chose to. He chose to bear the cost of OUR sin and die the death WE deserve in order that we might be made right in God’s eyes, eternally.

But, that said, He did it as a gift. And, as with any gift, you can’t earn it. You have to accept it and receive it, fully and completely.

Think about it and ask Him to open your eyes to your need for Him. Friends, we ALL have a limited time on this Earth. Not just the elderly or the terminally ill. All of us.

Get your future in order. The future that begins when you, too, leave this Earth.

Grandpa’s Roses

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 (ESV)
I’ve spent a lot of time praying for family members. I pray for their salvation. I pray that God will move in their hearts to the point that they respond. I pray that they will experience God like I did more than a decade ago.

That they will know His grace and feel His love. That peace will radiate in them in such a way that can only be from God.
Because before that moment in my own life, I know that I wasn’t saved. I know that had one of the many poor choices I made in my life resulted in my death, I would have been separated from Jesus and left to suffer eternal damnation.

I desperately don’t want that to be the case for my friends and loved ones. That’s one of the main reasons I beg God to soften their hearts to His true redemption – not a religious-focused, works-based lifestyle that leads to suffering.
One of the people I often wondered about was my Grandfather. He was a wonderful man. He loved his family and lived a full life. And I know he loved going to church. No one sang “Angels We Have Heard on High” at Christmas louder than my Grandpa!

He also loved to garden. He would spend hours tending to his vegetable garden, his gardenias and especially, his roses. When they were blooming, their yard smelled amazing.

I was a freshman in college in October of 1985. On that early morning, one of my dorm-mates was pounding on my door trying to wake me up. My dad was on the phone telling me Grandpa had fallen asleep and never woke up. It was a devastating loss because we were very close to him and my Grandma.

I was out in my own wanna-be garden over the weekend and noticed two beautiful roses amid the neglected lot. I clipped them and put them in a bud vase to enjoy them inside. The date didn’t dawn on me, I was just enjoying them.

Then, this morning, I remembered the date – that today was the anniversary of his passing. When I saw those roses in my kitchen window, I felt that peace. God was smiling. He was assuring me that Grandpa is, indeed, with Him. What a comfort!

That turns my prayer to others. Lord, I pray for assurance for them as well!

Do you know that you know that you know?

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Just for giggles, I was answering one of those online quizzes to determine “my purpose.” One of the questions was “what is your view of religion?” It struck a chord in me.

I grew up in “religion.” As a kid, I was taught all the right actions and prayers and “performed” on command. But nothing ever really sunk into my soul. It was like I was acting a part in a play. The performance was good, but there was no lasting impact. I went in, I delivered my lines and I left.

When I left “religion” in my 30s, I went seeking. Honestly, I was looking to fill a void that I could tell existed, I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I can now. That void was a God-shaped hole in my heart. Something that no religion – no matter which one it was – could ever fill. Because it isn’t about religion with God, it’s about relationship.

God isn’t looking for actors. He wants a fully committed, all-in child. He wants someone to say “yes, Lord” to whatever leading He chooses. It’s not always comfortable – in fact, oftentimes it’s really uncomfortable. It isn’t easy – if it were, Jesus wouldn’t have told us the path to Heaven is through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13). It isn’t for everyone – though God’s desire is for everyone to accept His gift of complete forgiveness and eternal salvation (1 Timothy 2:3-4) – but our free will means that we have a choice in the matter. Some will choose His way. Some won’t. Some think they have (perhaps those trapped in “religion?”).

For me, I needed to know that I know that I know where I am going when I die! The decision of total surrender to His will means I turn from my past, accept that His plans for my life are perhaps not what I would script, and live a life that is led and directed by Him. My job? Seek Him above all else. Love Him and serve others.

It’s a simple mission. But not one for the faint of heart. The challenges are many. The difference between facing challenges now, though, is that I don’t face them alone. I always know that He is with me, holding me up, giving me strength. I am learning more and more how to trust and tap into His strength versus my own.

It is no longer a part that I am playing. It is who I am and whose I am.

Do you know that you know that you know?