Light of the
World
Just a Meadow Minute
I will admit wrapping presents is not my favorite part of Christmas. I’m pretty good at it, and through Diane’s prodding I help every year. I enjoy all the mess that happens within a few minutes on Christmas morning, but wrapping is low on my “to do” list.
It wasn’t always like that. When I was a little kid, Dad taught my two brothers and me how much fun it could be trying to trick others as to what was in a package by how it was wrapped. Let’s face it. Kids today can spot a boring new shirt or an ugly sweater from across the room without even touching the box!
Once, when I bought my brother Eddie two large tubes of Daisy BB’s, Dad had me write fragile on it. If Eddie had shaken the little box, he would have known immediately what was in it. The way Dad had me do it, Eddie could feel it was heavy for its size, but he was too afraid to even hold it very long until Christmas.
For my other brother, Barry, Dad had me include some useless gravel in the box with a pocketknife. Once Barry shook it and heard the rattle, Dad told him it sounded like Barry had broken the gift inside. That story held up all the way to Christmas morning.
Dad cut a corner out of a thick flat chunk of wood as large as a record album (vinyl albums are making a comeback, so maybe you know what I’m talking about) and taped a jewelry box in the corner before wrapping the whole thing. Mom had no idea she was getting opal earrings, but she loved them and wore them often.
Now days, Diane and I shop together, telling each other what we want and then acting surprised when we open it on Christmas morning…don’t judge us! At least we never have anything to exchange.
What a surprise the whole world got when Jesus was born. Most missed His coming all together, and still today this time of year has been made into “Happy Holidays.” That is something totally foreign to the coming of the Promised Christ-Child, the Messiah, the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
In the 1977 Christmas Cantata, Specially for Shepherds, Ralph Carmichael included a great song entitled, “Come and See the Five Little Fingers of God!” This Christmas, if you crept up to the nativity scene and peeked in the manger, would all you see be flashing colored lights, jingle bells, and a new Red-Rider BB Gun? Even worse, is the Jesus you know still a baby born in Bethlehem? Guess what. That Baby grew into a man. He taught us how to love and live in a way that honors the One who made us. And He came to die…for you and for me…on the cross of Calvary. Jesus took your sins and mine to that cross as the perfect sacrifice to redeem us. And after three days, our Savior rose from the grave, conquering death forever.
Let’s not disguise the greatest Gift ever given. We all like to say, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Make it so! Be the witness Christ called you to be.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put It under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
What do you do when the pastor stretches the message too long? Set your watch alarm to go off? Sneak out the back, hopefully unnoticed? Pinch your child or rattle papers to get some interruption going? Well, Elvina Hall wrote a hymn. Seated in the choir loft at the Monument Street Methodist Church of Baltimore, she had no paper to write on—only the flyleaf of the church hymnal. There, she wrote these stanzas.
The composer of the tune, John T. Grape, was the organist and choir director of the church. He was a successful coal merchant, but he “dabbled in music,” as he liked to say. While the church building was being remodeled, Grape took the organ home, and came up with this tune, which he called, “All to Christ I Owe.”
It was the pastor, George Schrick, who put the words and tune together (I wonder what Pastor Schrick thought about Elvina Hall writing the verses while he was preaching. Maybe she was inspired by his message.) Hall’s stanzas fit part of Grape’s tune, and she added the chorus to include his tune’s title. Three years later, in 1868, the song first appeared in a hymnal.
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain—
He washed it white as snow.
Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.
For nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim—
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’rys Lamb.
And when before Thy throne I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
My lips shall still repeat.
Dear members of FBC Meadow, don’t get any ideas while reading this Meadow Minute! I’ll do my best not to hold you too long. But should I get a bet windy with the sermon, I suppose if the Spirit of God leads you to compose one of the Great Hymns of all Christendom, I give you leave.
Like so many other hymns that many believe are outdated and stale, Jesus Paid It All preaches the gospel message clearly and without apology. Nothing in our power, in our ability, in our efforts can ever lead to the blessing of heaven. My “strength indeed is small.” I find myself again and again addressing my Savior. “Nothing good have I whereby Thy grace to claim…” What more can any of us say except, “Jesus died my soul to save.”
I may be aging myself, but I recall meeting Ken Medema and helping with the set-up during a concert he put on in San Angelo during my college days at Angelo State. So much of his music was awe-inspiring, but my favorite was when Ken put Isaiah 1:18 to music. “’Come, let us reason together, that’s what God says. Come, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Come, let us reason together, that’s what God says. Come, let us reason together, says the Lord.
“Sin had left a crimson stain—He washed it white as snow.” My Lord and Savior paid it all!
Grace,
Tom
During this season of Thanksgiving, consider the story found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John involving Mary’s costly gift to Jesus as she broke open a flask of perfume to anoint Him. It is a testament to how different people respond differently to the blessings of God.
In gratitude, Simon, apparently a healed leper, had invited Jesus to a dinner at his home. But then Simon, thinking only of himself, failed to recognize Mary’s act for what it truly was…a humble yet lavish, selfless, and extravagant display of gratitude. And even after being with Jesus for three years, the disciples failed to see Mary’s gift as anything but wasteful. Jesus saw it differently.
The Lord says in Matthew 26:13, “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Living a life of gratitude involves recognizing daily just how much attention the Father gives to us and being thankful for every good thing that comes from His hand. Are you a positive and thankful person in everything, or an old sorehead that cannot find the good in anything? Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle.
Recently, I read a story of true gratitude.
There once was an elderly woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only three hairs on her head. “Great,” she said. “I think I’ll braid my hair today.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmmm,” she said. “I’ll part my hair down the middle.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only one hair left on her head.
“Wow,” she said. “Today, I get to wear my hair in a ponytail.”
So, she did and with gratitude had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Thank You, Father!” she exclaimed. “I was running out of things to do with my hair!”
Okay, that’s a silly example, but the principle rings true. Gratitude is great for the attitude.
Let’s be grateful for the things God has given us. Let’s shower Him with lavish praise and extravagant worship. And let’s see and seek the good in and for others. And of course…have a wonderful day.
Grace,
Tom
To start her Sunday School lesson one morning, the teacher wanted to see if her students knew God’s Word enough to connect Scripture to real-life events in their lives. She decided to show some pictures of different circumstances and see what memory verse a student might relate to it.
The first picture was of a father sitting in his chair with his young children around his feet while he read the Bible to them. A girl in the front row said, “Children obey your parents in the Lord...”
“Very good,” the teacher said.
The second picture was of a small boy helping a girl in the hall at school who had dropped her books and papers and was being teased by other children. A different child answered, “Be ye kind, one to another…”
“That will do just fine,” the impressed lady answered.
Finally, to throw them a curve, the teacher showed a picture of two boys pulling with all their might on opposite ends of a very distressed stray cat – one boy holding the head, and the other holding the tail. No child said a word. Silence hung heavy over the small class room. Even the children who had previously answered could not think of a verse. Finally, a young man in back spoke out loudly, “What God has joined together, let not man put asunder!”
So much for the question and answer time. Just knowing Scripture is not KNOWING Scripture.
Do you have a storehouse of passages from God’s Word that you can draw from when faced with different circumstances in life? Are the true and applicable promises of God what you are strengthened by in times of trouble and strife?
Maybe verses like these come to mind:
* “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes…,” Psalm 101:3
* “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee,” Psalm 119:11
* “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16
It is true that Jesus answered each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture, but it is also true that Satan used Scripture in tempting our Lord. Just knowing Scripture is not KNOWING Scripture.
Reading and studying the Bible is a great place to mine the treasures of God that do speak of day-to-day circumstances in our day-to-day lives. We won’t be yanking on any stray cats, but at FBC, there is a Bible Study class just for you and every member of your family at 9:45 each Sunday morning. Small groups are a great place to develop lasting godly friendships while absorbing the truths of God’s Word. We would love to have you join us every Sunday morning.
Worship at FBC is very special, and I can’t pass up the chance to invite you to be a part of that as well at 11:00.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Grace,
Tom
Diane calls me the “singing preacher” because of those times when I can’t take it anymore and I break out in song during the morning message. I make no apology for it. Actually, I kinda like that name. When there’s a song in my heart, I have to let it out. I do love the great hymns, and they often preach better than I ever could. But I also love Christian music on the whole. So, I offer this from Paul Smith. I hope you have heard it before. If not, give it a listen. It's called “Unimportant Things.”
Feelings for the moment, they come and then they’re gone
Time shows signs of frailty in the face that once was strong
Diamonds don’t shine bright enough to satisfy your soul
Foolish are the ones who seek treasure wrapped in gold
Why do we waste one day in search of things that slip away
When all that really matters is You? All that really matters is You.
It’s so easy to live for unimportant things
To lose sight of heaven
As we chase our manmade dreams.
Lord, free us to focus on what life really means
And teach us to look past unimportant things
There’s so much love to find here if we take Your point of view
So much hope to live for when we fix our eyes on You
You give comfort beyond any reason, compassion for our pain
Mercy that is strong enough to cleanse our guilty stain
Why do we waste one day in search of things that slip away
When all that really matters is You? All that really matters is You.
It’s so easy to live for unimportant things
To lose sight of heaven
As we chase our manmade dreams
Lord, free us to focus on what life really means
And teach us to look past unimportant things
If you began listing the priorities of your life, where would you start? Certainly your spouse, your children, other family, your work, and your health and finances would all fall in line somewhere near the top. Where would Jesus fit in? Oh, I suppose everyone reading this Meadow Minute would say He’s definitely number one, but are we pursuing knowing Him better, living for Him more to the same extent as we care about our kids making the team or getting the next promotion or acquiring the next great whatever?
It is my prayer for you and for myself that Christ is and will remain the number one priority of our lives. He is to be the example for our marriage. He is to be above, our careers, our families, our “stuff.”
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you,” John 6:33.
All that really matters is Jesus.
Grace,
Tom
At sixty-eight years of age, I’ve not recently been into climbing trees anymore, but I’m thinking it would be rewarding to give it a go.
Now, just hear me out…
I spent a fair share of my younger years in trees, especially in my parents’ neck of the woods – the hills of North Carolina – picking fruit or building treehouses or hunting or whatever. Being forty or fifty feet up in a Blue Ridge pine tree is something you won’t soon forget. (I was definitely a “tree hugger” that day!) Some time ago, before Diane and I moved to Meadow, my grandson Ethan and I made a double-decker squirrel condo together and put it in my backyard shade tree in Lubbock. Trust me. I held the ladder, and Ethan did the climbing!
But I’m thinking we all might need to “branch out” and climb an occasional tree, spiritually speaking of course.
“(Zacchaeus) wanted to see who Jesus was…so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way.” His story was a part of my quiet time Bible reading this week.
Short in stature but with great curiosity, Zacchaeus risked life and limb (pun intended) for the chance to get a better look at Jesus. What extra effort, what risk would you or I take in front of a watching, judgmental world to be identified with our Savior, the One who loves us like no other ever could. What would it take to toss caution to the wind and be like the wee-little tree-climbing cheat turned champion in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel?
Is it too much for our Lord to ask that we not forsake gathering with other believers in worship? Are you thinking, “Everyone knows me around here, and it’s been so long since I was in any church that people might judge me down there and wonder where I’ve been,” or are you willing to imagine, “People there might greet me, and welcome me, and include me at a time when I am so very isolated and lonely?”
Would you ever consider braving a Bible Study class? Would it be too difficult, too embarrassing to be a part of a weekly group of people wishing to know their Savior better? Are you thinking, “I heard all that when I was a kid,” or are you willing to consider, “Maybe there is yet something in God’s love letter for me?” How about considering dusting off your copy of His Word and joining a class?
How satisfied are any of us in our relationship with Jesus? Have we seen all there is to see of Him? Have we heard everything we need to hear from Him? Have we done all that He could possibly expect…not to gain His favor…to show our trust and dependence on Him? There is more, much more, available to us all who are willing to “go out on a limb” for a new, fresher, better look at the Savior.
Job 42:5 says, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees Thee.”
“Open my eyes, Lord
I want to see Jesus!”
Grace,
Tom
There are many in our church who claim this hymn as one of their favorites. It is another of Fanny Crosby’s many composures where she added the words to a melody provided to her by another hymn writer, in this instance, William Doane. When others would bring her a melody, Crosby was known for saying, “That tune says to me…,” and then she would write a stirring text.
The subject here is nearness. And like many other of her hymns, Fanny Crosby’s focus is the cross of Christ. Without the cross, there is no salvation, no eternal life, no hope. At the time Crosby wrote this hymn, many scholars and preachers were beginning to drift off toward “explaining” the moral teachings of Jesus, the virtue and goodness that He modeled for us, as the themes of their teachings and a twisted interpretation of the Gospel. They were seriously downplaying each individual’s sin and Jesus’ sacrificial crucifixion. (Sounds a bit like the Health and Wealth Charlatans and those re-defining what sin is of our day.)
Fanny Crosby echoed the Apostle Paul as found in Galatians 6:14: “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
The sweet melody rings in my ears even as I write out the words.
Jesus, keep me near the cross—
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
‘Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star
Sheds its beams around me.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o’er me.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
‘Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.
So many people today try to use the teachings of Jesus about God’s love and mercy and forgiveness to justify their continuing to live a twisted version of morality, their version of acceptable behavior. It is not OUR definition of sin and righteousness that matters. We do not have the privilege of our own truth. It’s God’s truth. And it has not changed since before time began. What was sin, still is. And while our Lord did teach us to love each other and care for each other, He also made clear that He came that we might have life through His sacrificial death on the cross for our sin. We must never cheapen the message of the cross, and may God ever keep us within its shadow.
Grace,
Tom
Other than the small solitaire on Mom’s wedding band, I do not recall her owning another diamond.
Dad brought her Tiger’s Eye from Thailand, and she wore a birthstone ring for her three sons. She had a very limited number of gold and silver necklaces and lots of costume jewelry, including many sets of clip-on earrings (her ears were never pierced). Mom had at least one pin for every occasion that could possibly come along. Her favorite was the US flag.
Mom’s one and only extravagance was opal. Much of it was brought back by my dad from overseas. She had opal clip-on earrings and an opal pendant. I remember her beautiful bracelet of opal and of course she occasionally wore an opal ring. Now, God has shown me meaning in these memories of my mother.
There is something amazing about the finest quality opal gemstones. If left untouched for a long period of time, opal will become bland and lusterless. But if you hold the opal in your hand for a few minutes, it again becomes flawless in brilliant color. Many opal gemstones can have the splendor of the rainbow. It is known as the “sympathetic jewel” because it only needs contact with the human hand to bring out its amazing beauty. Just a touch. Just a simple touch.
In our world today, we are often afraid to touch each other or even get too close. I’ll say it out right—we need human touch today more than ever. I fear our children may be permanently scarred from all the isolation they endured during the COVID scare. It is strange to me that we called such separation social distancing. And society now calls communications social media although there’s nothing social about either as they hinder getting together and socializing!
We live in a world where so much beauty is hidden under pain, sin, and suffering. How many lives do we come into contact with on a daily basis that only need the warm touch of human sympathy, love, and compassion to make them gleam with splendor?
One of the more under-used resources at FBC Meadow is our Instant Church Directory. There are some in our congregation who have never taken the time to sign up, though it really is a great tool in keeping us all connected. If you’re not in the digital directory, I encourage you to reconsider. Some folks pray for their fellow Christians by going through the directory on a regular basis. It lists birthdays and anniversaries, and it’s a simple matter to update contact information or to change the picture. It's a wonderful way to reach out and touch someone for His glory even if only with a kind word, or a card, or a call!
Jesus was constantly touching people. He touched the sick and those with leprosy. He gathered children in His arms. He washed His disciples feet. The power of touch was proven when the multitudes found themselves crowding in to be near Him—even to just touch the hem of His garment.
John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Share the love of God. Reach out and touch someone in His name, and not only will others receive a glimmer of joy, but you just might find yourself gleaming with His radiance too!
Grace,
Tom
“It is better to receive a rose from a casual friend than a can of succotash from a hoodlum.”
That sentence is probably true, but let’s face it, it doesn’t measure up to the teaching the Father offers in the Wisdom Literature of the Bible. In His Word, all true wisdom is seen as flowing from the One True God, rather than being a mere accumulation of human observations and experience.
Throughout my life, just about every birthday card, Father’s Day card or Christmas card I got from my mom included in her own handwriting, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
In books Mom would give me, the same verse always showed up in the front where she would sign her name as having given it to me. Always. I will admit I can be a bit thick sometimes, but after a while I started thinking maybe she was trying to tell me something.
As I, as we, get older and experience more, we should be reminded again and again where true wisdom comes from. Recently, Artificial intelligence finds itself in the news every day. Many people praise its virtues, while others shout that it is the anti-Christ. I can personally see many positive aspects to the use of AI and do use it on occasion, but human nature being what it is, the entire concept is also set up for unbelievable abuse. There is no telling where artificial intelligence will eventually take us. But if you have asked Siri a question, or to find a channel, or to set a timer for when dinner will be ready, you have used AI. Be careful what you criticize. Still, true wisdom does not come from human observation and experience but from God. We might look at a young, engaged couple or even newly-weds and think to ourselves, “they don’t have a clue.” Same thing with new parents and their first baby. We think, “just you both wait…”
But it is our own self-superiority and arrogance that would make us think like that. We think that with our own life experiences and all that we’ve lived through, we have the better answers to things than someone else “less experienced.” We can give advice. We should be open to helping others where we can, but we must avoid thinking too highly of ourselves and our own wisdom.
I believe the “trust” proverbs are good advice for us all. Here’s just a couple:
* Proverbs 3:7-8 – “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones.”
* Proverbs 16:20 – “He who gives attention to the word shall find good; and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.”
* Proverbs 26:12 says, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Wherever we are in our life, whatever we have filed away in our memory as knowledge or wisdom should always line up with God’s wisdom and expectation.
Thanks, Mom…I get it.
Grace,
Tom
Where is your “prayer chair?”
Think about that for a minute. It will be different for each one of us. It may be a quiet spot on the farm, or some little country church house. Maybe it’s an actual chair in your home, or some attic corner about which no one else knows. It could be some secluded nook in our church or a particular seat in the sanctuary, some place – any place where “God comes down our souls to greet, and glory crowns the mercy seat.”
Scripture tells us Jesus had preferred places of prayer. “He went into the wilderness to pray,” or “He went upon a certain mountain to pray.”
Mark 1:35 says, “And in the early morning while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place and was praying there.”
It was a well-known discipline that our Lord had that His disciples were well-acquainted with, particularly involving the Mount of Olives. Jesus made His triumphal entry from there, and ascended to the Father from the same place. Even when betraying Jesus into the hands of His enemies, Judas knew exactly where to find Jesus because “He often went there to pray.”
So, where’s your spot? In the Old Testament, we read about the great people of the Bible setting up altars to God and returning to them again and again in recalling mountaintop experiences they had communing with the Lord.
As faithful Christians, we find ourselves praying in many places and unique situations. In fact, God’s Word directs us to “pray without ceasing.” But I’m thinking most of us have that special hiding place, our “Peniel” where we wrestle with God, that wonderful prayer closet where we know our God is waiting and ready to commune with us like nowhere else.
I hope you do. It’s my prayer that you do. And I hope you find yourself there often.
And if you already have this discipline of daily speaking with the Father, then the natural next step is to include the reading of God’s Word each day…not necessarily for in-depth study, but as a way to get centered and started with the promises of Scripture on your heart. (FBC Meadow already provides some excellent resources for personal in-depth Bible Study and you can find them in the vestibule outside the sanctuary.) Read to get your mind quiet so you may take a few minutes afterwards to sit still in the presence of God. Each week in the newsletter and on the Home Page of the church website are listed two Scripture passages for those who memorize God’s Word. These would be a great place to begin in looking to God’s Word to speak to your daily life.
Don’t miss the wonderful opportunity to read God’s love letter to you. Make it a daily regimen in your life. And then, in that special place where the two of you commune and connect, I pray God can lift your spirit each and every day, and place you on a higher plain of understanding His love and grace and mercy as you speak with Him.
Grace,
Tom
Just a Meadow Minute
Helen Lemmel was a noted Christian singer and voice teacher when, in 1918, a friend of hers, a missionary, handed her a tract called “Focused.” The tract said, “So, then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.” In her journal, Lemmel would write, “Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week…”
Later that year, the song was published in London. It quickly became a favorite of Christians in England , then in America, and around the world. It has urged generations of believers to stop, look to the Lord, and listen for His guidance. You know the melody.
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting, He passed, and we followed Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—For more than conquerors we are!
He word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
Colossians 3:1-3 says, “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
How much blessing we must miss when we fill our minds and our busy lives each day only with the things of earth. The focus of the Christian life is to be on heavenly things, where Christ is, rather than on worldly pursuits. It is counter-productive for any follower of Jesus to walk around constantly staring up with their head in the clouds. Life happens here, right here, in front of us. The abundant life is full of joy and love and relationships and accomplishments. Still, we are called to see the world for what it truly is—passing away. In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon 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 or steal.”
The ”real life” for believers is not their earthly existence, but their eternal life, which is secured and “hidden with Christ in God.” And that is not something for us to keep to ourselves. We find our Christ. We focus upon Him for our Christian Walk, our blessed life with God. But don’t stop there.
“Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!”
Grace,
Tom