The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 1:15,
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..."
Here is the mission statement for the Son of God's visit here to planet Earth two millenia ago: he came to save sinners! I will never fail to appreciate the love of God for his expression in sending his Son that I might participate in eternal life, that I might have a way into his family, that I might have a place at his table! To think of it is simply breath-taking!
The mission statement for God's Son is our mission statement as well. A lot of folks have never figured out what this temporal life is all about. In the list of classic philosophic questions is the really big one: why are we here? What is the meaning of this "life under the sun"?
Our answer lies in the mission of Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners. Our mission is to get saved. We are all sinners and we all need God's love, mercy and forgiveness. This he offers us in Jesus Christ and was paid for by his death on that miserable cross!
This is why we are here: to be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3. The wise will recognize that our lives here, our lives "under the sun" are merely precursory to what is to come. A little later in this letter Paul speaks of living our lives here as a "foundation for the coming age". In doing this we "may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:19. This life is merely the obstetrics ward in God's great cosmic scheme of things. We are here to be saved, to be reborn, to be regenerated. As an obstetrics ward, life here is only temporary, it is only for a short time. As babies cannot remain forever in the obstetrics ward, we do not remain here forever. We pass from this life into eternity - however, what happens here determines our future in eternity. If we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we join his family. If we reject Jesus Christ we will participate in that fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8. No exceptions.
Some think we are here to amass wealth: "He who wins is the one who dies with the most toys." Some think we are here to fulfill the "American Dream". Some think we are here to advance ourselves, to improve ourselves, to learn things or to work through our karma, etc. I suspect most of us think we are here simply to coddle ourselves.
The truth is that college, a career, a marriage, raising a family, the accumulation of stuff, the enjoyment of all kinds of activities all find their only value in one thing, and one thing alone: being reborn, being saved, joining God's family. Everything and anything in life is subordinate and contingent upon this one thing.
This life is fleeting. Today I turn 65 years old and I am here to tell you time flies by fast. Make sure you stop everything in your life (if you have not done so yet) and reorder it around this one thing: being spiritually reborn! As Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..."
Here is the mission statement for the Son of God's visit here to planet Earth two millenia ago: he came to save sinners! I will never fail to appreciate the love of God for his expression in sending his Son that I might participate in eternal life, that I might have a way into his family, that I might have a place at his table! To think of it is simply breath-taking!
The mission statement for God's Son is our mission statement as well. A lot of folks have never figured out what this temporal life is all about. In the list of classic philosophic questions is the really big one: why are we here? What is the meaning of this "life under the sun"?
Our answer lies in the mission of Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners. Our mission is to get saved. We are all sinners and we all need God's love, mercy and forgiveness. This he offers us in Jesus Christ and was paid for by his death on that miserable cross!
This is why we are here: to be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3. The wise will recognize that our lives here, our lives "under the sun" are merely precursory to what is to come. A little later in this letter Paul speaks of living our lives here as a "foundation for the coming age". In doing this we "may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:19. This life is merely the obstetrics ward in God's great cosmic scheme of things. We are here to be saved, to be reborn, to be regenerated. As an obstetrics ward, life here is only temporary, it is only for a short time. As babies cannot remain forever in the obstetrics ward, we do not remain here forever. We pass from this life into eternity - however, what happens here determines our future in eternity. If we embrace Jesus Christ in faith, we join his family. If we reject Jesus Christ we will participate in that fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8. No exceptions.
Some think we are here to amass wealth: "He who wins is the one who dies with the most toys." Some think we are here to fulfill the "American Dream". Some think we are here to advance ourselves, to improve ourselves, to learn things or to work through our karma, etc. I suspect most of us think we are here simply to coddle ourselves.
The truth is that college, a career, a marriage, raising a family, the accumulation of stuff, the enjoyment of all kinds of activities all find their only value in one thing, and one thing alone: being reborn, being saved, joining God's family. Everything and anything in life is subordinate and contingent upon this one thing.
This life is fleeting. Today I turn 65 years old and I am here to tell you time flies by fast. Make sure you stop everything in your life (if you have not done so yet) and reorder it around this one thing: being spiritually reborn! As Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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