BAKING A CAKE

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NRSV)

The story is told of a very ill little boy who was telling his Grandma how "everything" was going wrong -- school was too hard, family problems, his severe pain, just all the hardships he was going through. Meanwhile, Grandma was baking a cake. She asked the child if he would like a snack, which of course he did.

"Here. Have some cooking oil."

"Yuck," said the boy.

"How about a couple of raw eggs?"

"Gross, Grandma."

"Would you like some flour then?  Or, maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all yucky!"

Grandma replied: "Yes, Sweetheart, those things seem bad all by themselves. But, when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He could let us go through such bad and difficult times, but God knows that, when He takes those things and puts them all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually the yucky stuff will be used to make something wonderful in our lives!"

God will work all things for our good if we but love and trust Him!

– Author Unknown

#6362

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

I do not believe we can always properly label the moments that come to us.

Last spring one of my closest friends had a very serious heart attack. For a while it really didn’t look like he would make it. But he grew better and was finally strong enough for the surgery which is supposed to give him a new lease on life. I was with him in the fall and he was still talking about the experience.

“How did you like your heart attack?” I asked. “It scared me to death, almost,” he replied.

“Would you like to do it again?”  “No!”

“Would you recommend it?”  “Definitely not.”

“Does your life mean more to you than it did before?”  “Well, yes.”

“You and your wife have always had a beautiful marriage, but are you closer than ever?”  “Yes.”

“How about that new granddaughter?”  “Yes. Did I show you her picture?”

“Do you have a new compassion for people -- a deeper understanding and sympathy?”  “Yes.”

“Do you know the Lord in a richer, deeper fellowship than you had ever realized could be possible?”  “Yes.”

“How’d you like your heart attack?”  Silence was his answer. 

-- Adapted from “Something’s Going on Here” by Bob Benson

#6212

NEW LIFE, NEW PERSPECTIVE

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”  (Colossians 3:1-3 NLT)

Paul explains true Christian behavior – putting on the new self by accepting Christ and regarding the earthly nature as dead. We change our moral and ethical behavior by letting Christ live within us, so that He can shape us into what we should be.

Setting our sights on heaven means striving to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice. Letting heaven fill our thoughts means concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal.

“For you died” means that we should have as little desire for this world as a dead person would have. The Christian’s real home is where Christ lives. This truth gives us a different perspective on our life here on earth, looking at life from God’s perspective and seeking what He desires. This is the antidote to materialism; we gain the proper perspective on material goods when we take God’s view of them. The more we regard the world around us as God does, the more we live in harmony with Him. We must not become too attached to what is only temporary. 

– From the “Life Application Study Bible” (NLT)

#5880

DEVELOPING A NEW PERSPECTIVE - Part 2 of 2

“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”  (Proverbs 19:11 NIV) 

Notice the word wisdom. What is wisdom? Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view, getting God’s perspective on a situation. From that perspective I gain three important insights. 1) I am only human; I am not God. Of course, God knows that, but He wants me to acknowledge it also. I am not perfect, and I am not in control. In fact, most of the things I face in life I cannot control. 2) No one else is perfect either, so I should not be surprised or overly upset when people make mistakes or let me down. 3) God is in control, and He can use the situations, the irritations, and the problems that come into my life to accomplish His purposes for me.

-- Rick Warren in “God’s Power to Change Your Life”

#5839

THE TOMB IS NOT THE END

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT)

For half a century I have been writing my thoughts in prose and in verse -- history, philosophy, drama, romance, tradition, satire, ode, and song. I have tried it all. But I feel I have not said the thousandth part of what is in me. When I go down to the grave I can say, like many others, "I have finished my day's work!" But I cannot say, "I have finished my life." My day's work will begin again the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes on the twilight, it opens on the dawn. 
 
-- Victor Hugo

#5765

HOW TO FINISH WELL – Part 6 of 6

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”  (Hebrews 12:1-3)

How do we finish well?... Those who finish well have a Christ-centered life,… a focused life,… a disciplined life,… a teachable spirit,… a well-networked life, and…

Sixth, along with all the other traits, those who finish well have what I call a lifelong perspective. They try to take the long view of life – to look at things with the end in mind. This is not to say they don’t at times become disoriented or tempted to launch out on detours. All of us do. But when tempted, certain life disciplines help them stay on course… There are multiple ways to think about life with your end in view. The point is, do something to get this perspective. It will keep you from being sidetracked and give you an enlarged perspective.

Each of these characteristics play a part in helping us finish well – by God’s grace, a Christ-centered life, a focused life, a disciplined life, a teachable life, a networked life, and a lifelong perspective. All play a part in our staying on track so we can finish our race. So that in the end we hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23a)

-- Adapted from Donald W. Sweeting and George Sweeting in “How to Finish the Christian Life: Following Jesus in the Second Half”

#5623

A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE

“My child, be attentive to My words;
incline your ear to My sayings.
Do not let them escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Keep straight the path of your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.”  (Proverbs 4:20–27)

Perspective is everything. The higher you are, the better you see. That's not just true with flying, but with life, as well. Some of us travel through life at ground level, seeing with only a limited, earthly perspective. Such people see only the bottom half of the mountain. But, to the contrary, others see life from a much different vantage point. They see from an elevated, heavenly perspective. They see the top half of the mountain protruding above the clouds. In reality, they see as God sees. Where you stand [and which way you are facing] determines what you see.

-- Steven J. Lawson in “Heaven Help Us!” 

#5597

THE LAST WORD

“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.’”  (Hebrews 1:8 NKJV)

Christians sing, especially at Christmas and Easter, “And He” – that is, Christ – “shall reign forever and ever.” We stand for the singing of it, and for those moments when the Hallelujahs ring, we feel that someday, somehow, He will reign. But then we go back to reading the paper and listening to the evening news as if the end will be a whimper rather than a hallelujah.

At this point, it’s time to immerse ourselves in the good word of God. We need to know that though our political and social and economic structure seems so often to have some kind of fatal, deteriorative illness, so that every good scheme we develop turns only to embarrassment, these are not the last word. Even our best words are not the last word. I’m very sure that monarchy is not the last word, nor is dictatorship. I’m equally sure that socialism is not the last word, nor is communism. And although I happen to be a passionate believer in democracy and in those forms of economic freedom which foster democracy, I don’t think democracy is the last word, nor responsible capitalism. None of these! The last word is GOD. And then there’s an exclamation point. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas, from a sermon entitled “In the End, the Exclamation Point”, February 28, 1990

#5399

A SEARCH FOR MEANING

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”  (John 17:3 NIV)

It is not only those who are growing old, finding the shadows of life lengthening, who are in search of meaning; there is a desire in every human being to find some kind of unity and coherence, some meaning in the diverse experiences of life. All of us instinctively want to find some kind of key that will unlock the secret and meaning of good days and bad, joy and sorrow, youth and old age, sickness and health, life and death. We want some kind of framework of understanding within which we can find perspective, and be freed from the delusion of confusing that which is truly important with the monumental trivia of life. It is, I think, only the overview of faith that can provide for us this insight into life, this meaning of life. As Dag Hammarskjold recalled in his book, “Markings”, “On the day I first really believed in God, for the first time life made sense to me and the world had meaning.” 

-- John Powell in “A Reason to Live! A Reason to Die!”

#5375

LONGING FOR HEAVEN

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)

Deep within our inner being, the human spirit groans to rid itself of this mortal flesh and enter into the very presence of God to enjoy Him forever. That one holy passion -- placed within us by God Himself -- cries out from the depths of our being for eternity. 

Unfortunately, despite this God-given longing for Heaven, we have become too attached to this world. Instead of laying up treasure in Heaven, we treasure the riches of this earth. Resisting the inner voice of conscience, we tell ourselves, “Heaven can wait.”

But Heaven can’t wait! No way!

We must live for eternity today! 

-- Steven J. Lawson in “Heaven Help Us: Truths About Eternity That Will Help You Live Today”

#5340

LOVE - THE GREATEST INVESTMENT

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13 NIV)

We never know how far our life will extend.  Do you believe this remarkable truth?

Heaven will hold breathtaking surprises for many who think what they do is unimportant.  Amid the hallelujahs and hugs many will be honored for simple, yet life-changing acts of redemption.  And the greatest thrill will be when our Lord Jesus looks into seemingly insignificant individuals' eyes and says, "Well done.  I appreciate the redeeming love you've shown to __________ and __________ and __________."

...The greatest investments ever made are investments in people, because people go to heaven. And our experience has been that we cannot begin to grasp the way our loving redemptive actions will affect people for eternity. 

-- Dr. Norm Wakefield & Jody Brolsma in “Men Are from Israel, Women Are from Moab”

#5112

GROWING OLDER

I love growing older. But I don’t want to grow old. Growing older is a process. Growing old is a conclusion. Growing older means that you’re going somewhere, and that in God’s kindness and in your cooperating with God you are taking more of life’s conquests every day. Growing old means that you’ve reached somewhere and that’s it. Older is a journey. Old is a destination. Mind you, I believe in a destination, but my idea of a destination for life is heaven. I want everything prior to heaven to be part of my preparation for that destination. If I settle for old as my destination, I will rob myself of some of the best years of preparation for the big exit, the grand eternal journey. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “I Love Growing Older, But I'll Never Grow Old”

#5026

A TASTE OF HOME

“We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.”  (2 Corinthians 5:4-5 MSG)

Think of the best meal you’ve ever eaten. Recall its appearance, its flavor, its aroma. Chances are you can’t remember exactly how it tastes. All you know is that you loved it. Although you can’t totally recapture the experience of this gastronomic delight, simply thinking about it certainly gets salivary glands going. Just the thought can make you long for more.

That is what God’s Spirit makes you feel about heaven. You’ve been given a taste of paradise through brief descriptions in the Bible. Furthermore, God’s Spirit has awakened a hunger in your heart that your mind can’t full comprehend. Your heart longs for the home you were created to inhabit, a place where death, pain, and sorrow have no hold, where your body is healthy and whole, where peace and praise replace struggle and strife, where you meet God face to face and never have to say good-bye.

Heaven is as real as those God-given longings. But God didn’t’ give you a taste of what’s ahead to leave you discontent with where you are now. He uses longings as a homing device to keep you headed in the right direction. They remind you to view present problems from an eternal perspective. By keeping heaven in your heart and on your mind, you’ll gain strength to handle life here and now, as you rest in the fact that God’s best is yet to come. 

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#4905

THE FABRIC OF LIFE

Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  (Revelation 22:13 NIV)

History is like a giant piece of fabric with very intricate and complex patterns. During the limited span of our lifetimes we see only a tiny fraction of the pattern. Furthermore, as has been observed by others, we see the pattern from the underside. The underside of a weaving usually makes no sense. Even the upper side makes little sense if we view just a tiny piece. Only God sees the upper side, and only He sees the entire fabric with its complete pattern. Therefore, we must trust Him to work out all the details of history to His glory, knowing that His glory and our good are bound together. 

--  Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”

#4887

THE KING BECAME A SERVANT

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”  (John 13:3-5 NKJV)

We must learn to worship as an everyday lifestyle. Even if we took part in wonderful, powerful worship once a week… it wouldn’t be enough. The Spirit of God accompanies us everywhere we go, and we can worship Him in the very midst of daily life…

It’s a question of whether you have eternal perspective. Wherever you go, whatever you do, the Lord Jesus longs to be your constant companion. You have the opportunity to praise and worship Him all through the day. He once washed the dirty feet of His disciples, so the details of your [dirt] make no difference.

If you will only practice His presence, you will find an eternal perspective taking root in your soul. You will begin to see this world through heavenly eyes. The trials will seem [less burdensome], and the blessings will be more obvious to you. You’ll see every person as Christ sees him or her, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself washing a foot or two, in time.

Wherever you go will be a fine place to be. And whatever you do will be filled with an irrepressible joy, because you’re in the company of the King.

-- David Jeremiah, as quoted in “His Passion: Christ’s Journey to the Resurrection”


#4802