Learning Obedience
- Me: Son, what are you doing?
- Son (2 y/o): Climbing up the counter.
- Me: That's not safe. Climb down.
- Son: No.
- Me: What does Ephesians 6:1 say?
- Son: Climb down.
- Me: Good job!
Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
I heard about the death of Steve Jobs sometime around 7:30 p.m. on October 5, 2001. The news came to me by way of the MSNBC app on my iPhone. At first I was shocked to hear of such news, but, that was immediately followed by deep sorrow. When I got home, I read more of the news (article linked at the bottom) and found the quote above. Steve’s words ring so true. In life, we have many opportunities to focus on that which we value. As a Christian, I believe that of most importance is to focus on the things of God. Luke’s gospel contains the parable of the Rich Fool and I found the following passage of scripture very insightful:
And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21 ESV)
Now, let’s get this out of the way: I’m by no means trying to compare my worldly success with that of Steve Jobs. What I’m talking about is focus. What will I focus on in my life? What will I seek after in this world until I stand before the Lord? Will my life be categorized by a pursuit of things that will be left behind for others to enjoy? Or, will I seek after that which God values? I believe the latter to be the more important endeavor. And Steve’s right, when considering death and the finite nature of this life, all pursuits are vain except those which are truly important.
My prayers are with the Jobs family as they mourn the loss of one of our generation’s most iconic figures and, more importantly, a father, brother, and son.
Visionary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at 56 - Business - US business - msnbc.com
Source: MSNBC
Learning the Gospel
I’ve been reading through a new stack of books I purchased and the first book on in that stack is What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert. As a Christian, I have found myself asking that very question on more than one occasion. And, as I read through the text and explore scripture which lays out the gospel, I find that one of the most important points to make when explaining or proclaiming the gospel is not just the good news, but the bad also. The good news is that Christ died and rose again to atone for our sins and we can have the hope of salvation if we repent of our sins and turn to faith in Christ.
If we examine that truth logically we find Christ died to save us from something. That “something” is not our sin, rather it is the coming judgment of those sins. Our sin separates us from God the Father and puts square in his sights of judgment because of it. God is righteous and holy and demands atonement for our sins. Christ provides that. But, apart from Christ, what is the unbeliever left with? He (or she) is left with the due penalty of sin. This is the bad news. Paul says in Romans 3:23 that we are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s glory. All is a very inclusive word which means, “all.” Yep, that simple. You, me, the couple down the street, and the entire population of the world—past, present, and future. We’re all equally sinful. Salvation through Christ, which is the good news, places us on the other side of that judgment. You see, when God looks at the believer, he or she is justified by the blood of Christ. Christ paid the penalty already.
The following story is meant by no means to cheapen the truth of the gospel, but, I believe it illustrates the main idea. When I was younger, I was on a business trip with a colleague to Oklahoma. He and I stopped for breakfast one morning as we were driving to our meeting and were in for a surprise. When we attempted to pay for our meal, we were informed that no payment was required. Someone else had paid our tab. Someone we didn’t know paid for our breakfast. We were free to go, and we got to keep our money. If that had not happened, we would be held liable to pay for the meal. You see, we got food for breakfast, prepared by the restaurant staff in exchange for a fee. We had to pay for it. In our case; however, we didn’t need to pay for it because it had already been paid for. The restaurant staff looked at us and deemed us “paid up” though we didn’t have to pay.
For the believer, this principle applies. Our sins are paid for and righteousness is imputed to us by way of Christ’s atonement. God looks at us and sees a sinner. However, because of our faith and trust in Christ, and our repentance from our life of sin, He sees not our sin, but, the blood of Christ as payment. We’re in essence paid in full. Apart from that payment though, we’re left to pay for it on our own. If we think through that logic, we begin to see the bad news. And, in my mind at least, it makes the good news of the gospel that much sweeter. How thankful I am for the cross of Christ, that I’m not left to pay the penalty of my sin and that I’m seen as justified by the sacrifice and atonement of Christ on that cross.
Believers the world over would do well to cement that truth in their lives, in their minds, and on their hearts. Let us not give up preaching the gospel to ourselves as well as the world.
Some seem homophobic, and many who claim to be “pro-life” seem little concerned with human life post-uterus.
Source: The New York Times
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