What a Savior!
Just a Meadow Minute
Philip Bliss was one of the most prominent hymnwriters in the heyday of gospel hymn writing. Bliss grew up working on a farm and spent several years in lumber camps before eventually becoming a music teacher. At age twenty-six, Bliss sold his first song, and that led to his later working for a hymn publisher. D.L. Moody urged Bliss to become a singing pastor, which he did beginning in 1874. This favorite of mine by Bliss was published in 1875. The very next year, while traveling through Ohio, Bliss and his family were involved in a train wreck. The reports of the tragedy said that Bliss got out, but went back into the fiery train to save his wife. They both perished.
What other life-changing hymns might have come from the mind and heart of Philip Bliss, and yet God called him home at that moment. None of us knows the exact date, time, or circumstances when we will face eternity. How very true it is that in many ways, our lives are but a vapor and then they’re gone.
Perhaps none who will read this Meadow Minute would even aspire to the wonderful gift of hymn-writing, but if we claim Jesus as our Redeemer, we, too can find ways to praise Him and share Him and magnify the gift of His sacrificial death for our sin. What a Savior!
“Man of Sorrows!” what a name for the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood—
Sealed my pardon with His blood; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement! can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in heav’n exalted high; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew this song we’ll sing; Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Though Philip Bliss’ life and gift of hymn writing were cut short, his music continues to bless so many. May each of us while on this earth seek in some way to inspire and encourage similar encounters with the “Man of Sorrows.”
“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately for or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” Isaiah 53:1-3
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
Hasn’t the rain the last days been wonderful? Everything smells so fresh. The green is coming back. For a day or two, there was water standing in the fields. Our God is so good!
But even something generally considered a blessing like plenteous rain can create different perspectives. Do you see high water covering the road only as an obstacle in getting where you’re going. Or is that water-covered highway a giant, God-given, double-sided boat ramp for going fishing? Perspective…
How do you see the ever-changing circumstances and impactful events in your life on this big, blue marble? Do you live each day as a victim? A survivor? A flourisher? Are you just tripping through life as things happen to you, or do you live your days believing “all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose?” Perspective…
The Bible tells us in several places of God’s perspective on things. I guess my favorite is Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
For those who know me, this will come as no surprise, but I can get riled up much too easily. The smallest change to my schedule has the potential to change my attitude in an instant, maybe for the rest of the day. It is perhaps my besetting sin. It is not natural for me to “consider it all joy” when I “encounter various trials.” I am not always quick to recognize that “the testing of faith produces endurance.” Yet God loves me and forgives me and is so patient with me. And God never plays the victim. His thoughts are not scatter-brained like mine are on occasion. God doesn’t get flustered or frustrated by the repeated failings of His people. His ways are above my ways. But that’s not an excuse for me to live as a scatter-brained, half-cocked victim. By the power of His Spirit, I can do better than that, live better than that. His Word tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that on the earth.” With the temptations we face to lose our cool, or only see the bad that happens, “He provides the way of escape, that (we) may be able to endure it.” Perspective…
Being a positive, forward-looking person in all circumstances is easy to claim or contemplate, and yet difficult to accomplish. Like in the movie, “Groundhog Day,” we face the same issues, the same struggles, the same temptations again and again. And we oftentimes respond to these issues, struggles and temptations much as we have previously. The “Patience of Job” seems unattainable. Even with the longest lifetime, the “Wisdom of Solomon” is not going to happen, is it? But God’s grace is sufficient, and it is in our weakness that He is strong because His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. That’s God’s perspective.
“I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14-15)
Grace,
Tom
In today’s fast moving world, there is a more and more pressing phenomenon in the church. Let’s call it Snapchat Christianity? Young people especially understand Snapchat and disappearing messages. With Snapchat, some photos or videos vanish within seconds. With Snapchat Christianity, some opportunities to share the Gospel vanish just as quickly. Many speak of “lifestyle Christianity,” and I agree we should be building strong and lasting and trusting relationships with others in order to know them and to sense their needs. But sadly, we often spend our lives getting to know others without ever taking the next step, and the moment passes without ever sharing Christ. There are conversations you will never get back. There are moments you cannot replay. In our mobile society, there are people who will not be here – next week, next month, next year. How vigilant are we in making the most of God-given holy opportunities to share our Lord with others.
At this time of year, we are often reminded of how fast life happens to us. That little boy or girl that we just knew would always be around is growing into or has already grown into a very independent young adult. Influence over his or her priorities and schedules has begun to wane. Control over where they go and with whom, what they read and watch, gets more and more limited. Opportunities to introduce Jesus into their thoughts and decision making skills for the life-changing moments you know they will face seems to be slipping away. But God has a word for us. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Snapchat Christianity.
How about that spouse or friend or co-worker you spend so much time with, yet you know has never surrendered his or her heart and life to Christ. It seems you can talk with them about almost anything, yet your faith in Christ has become a taboo subject. Is he or she someone you say you would do anything for? Do you take the command of God seriously to “…be ready in season and out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2)
Snapchat Christianity.
And what of those who are only acquaintances, those you would not count necessarily as close friends? Do you see your daily Christian Walk as a calling to stand between the wiles of the enemy and the lost around you? Are you looking for what might be only a fleeting moment to make an eternal difference. “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)
Snapchat Christianity.
We are to make the most of opportunities our Lord gives us to share His Name. He is so loving, so compassionate, and so faithful, that if we surrender to His will for our lives, He will give us opportunities to introduce Him. Perhaps you’re thinking you surely have missed so many of such chances. Don’t look back. Don’t live in regret of missed chances. Be motivated by God’s great forgiveness. Move forward in the light of His Spirit and leadership.
Grace,
Tom
Disclaimer: This is not a politically correct Meadow Minute, and I make no judgements on varying parental skills.
It may come as a big surprise to those who don’t know me well, but I was in trouble quite a bit as a kid. (Shocking, I know.) It would feel very natural here to blame my early troubles on my two older brothers. I did that often enough back then! While they instigated their share of inappropriate adventures, it would be unfair to blame Barry and Eddie for all my indiscretions. I must also add that there was no such thing as the concept of “time out” in our house. My brothers and I would have loved “time out.” I can hear Dad now: “You boys stop fighting. That’s not nice. Now pick up your toys and get the dog and go to your room. Time out!” Punishment? Yeah, right.
On top of the refrigerator in our home was a ping-pong paddle, sanded smooth on both sides. I am sure it was an act of love that my parents personalized that instrument of instruction by branding the names of all three of us on it. The paddle made a particularly ominous sound as it was being taken down from the fridge, and we three could interpret that sound from anywhere within earshot. Looking back now, my first introduction to and understanding of God’s grace, though incomplete, was wrought through my parents and that ping-pong paddle.
I guess you could say in the beginning, my earthly father represented my misguided image of my Heavenly Father. With Dad, we got one chance, and if we broke the rules in his presence or he found out about it (and he always did), punishment was swift and severe. There were no second chances. If the paddle came off the fridge in Dad’s hand, someone was getting a spanking. He softened a bit after learning Mom was telling us, “Just wait until your father gets home!” Dad didn’t like being the bad guy whose only job it was to mete out punishment. My parents eventually decided it wasn’t effective parenting to employ transcendental discipline. If our actions weren’t bad enough to be corrected at the time, we might not even know why we were getting spanked hours later.
Mom helped me understand who God really is. She would take the paddle down four or five times as a warning before issuing any retribution, reminding we three boys each time of the rules and the coming judgement. If she did spank, we knew it wasn’t with full strength. And she was quick to forgive if we saw the error of our ways and ‘fessed up. More than once, Mom became our advocate with Dad, explaining us to him, and we loved her for it. Actual spankings were rare now that I think about it, and neither Dad nor Mom were ever irrational, cruel, or abusive. But there was right and there was wrong. We needed to learn the difference. And we did. Acknowledging the leadership of our parents and accepting who was in charge brought peace to our family while we were still very young. I am aware that some reading this may have suffered greatly in the past or may still be suffering at the hands of the those who should love them the most. I am certainly not discounting the epidemic level of child abuse occurring in our country. And I would also not discount the pendulum having recently swung too far the opposite direction, avoiding discipline altogether. I can only testify that receiving much-deserved corporal punishment as a kid by two loving parents did not turn me into some kind of fiend looking to hit others. I am not inclined to violence. Both of my parents expressed pain for their respective parts in my discipline, and I was overwhelmed by their affection and forgiveness when I said, “I’m sorry.” Mom and Dad disciplined my brothers and me with consistency and purpose, and I will be forever grateful for their attention, their instruction, and their love.
As an adult I have faced multiple times of painful discipline from my Heavenly Father, much worse than some innocuous “time out.” I confess I have been driven to humble myself in repentance under the mighty hand of God. And I have felt His wondrous forgiveness. Through it all, I have learned to cast all my anxiety on Him, because He makes it so obvious that He cares for me. If you are in a time of spiritual discipline, take heart from Scripture.
“Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines…It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” Hebrews 12:6-7
Grace,
Tom
We never know how deeply our actions affect the lives of others. This hymn, one of my favorites written by Isaac Watts, has certainly touched the hearts of millions. (The familiar chorus you will hear in your head was added years later.) After drawing the stark contrast between the sacrificial death of Christ and the unworthiness of sinful man, Watts concludes with, “Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘Tis all that I can do.”
A thirty-year-old blind woman heard a revival choir sing this simple hymn. Stanza after stanza stirred her heart, but when the choir came to the final line, “Here, Lord, I give myself away,” she gave herself away, surrendering to the Lord as well. That blind woman was Fanny Crosby, who went on to become the greatest writer of gospel songs in the past century.
Alas! And did my Savior Bleed and did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?
Was it for sins that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! and love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut His glories in,
When Christ, the great Redeemer, died for man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘tis all that I can do.
At FBC Meadow, our current sermon series is Exploring the 40 Days Between the Resurrection and the Ascension. Last Sunday we encountered Christ in the upper room as He dispelled the fear and disbelief of His closest followers by offering His hands and feet as evidence. His words, “Peace be with you,” were meant to calm their fears, squash their doubts, and encourage them to share the message of the crucified, buried, and resurrected Jesus. The peace He gives covers our past in forgiveness. His peace covers our present to live boldly for Him. And His peace covers our future in assurance of eternity. After Christ ascended in the clouds, these same timid, reluctant followers would never look back. They would never hide again. They would never deny their Lord. What changed was the peace found in their encounter with the Risen Christ. Our testimony is not about us. It’s about what Jesus has done for us.
“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6.
We never know how deeply our lives and our personal testimonies will touch the lives of others. “Here, Lord, I give myself away—‘tis all that I can do.” Be found faithful.
Grace,
Tom
I can remember how unsettling it was as a child when I watched my dad disappear into the clouds, headed across the world while serving in the USAF. I found courage by telling all my friends that Dad was a hero, and I knew he was coming back. I was always so proud of him for what he did for this country even though most people never knew about his sacrifice.
Each time Dad left, Mom would cry for days. Weeks. She was an amazingly strong woman, but each time Dad was called away, her job became raising three boys alone while keeping the “home fires burning.” Dad’s deployments overseas were always hard on those of us left behind. But once he landed in the States again, the joy was indescribable.
Dad’s longest deployment was fifteen months in Peshawar, Pakistan. Peshawar was one of the launch-sites of the U-2 aircraft used by the CIA during the cold war. I believe it was from where Gary Powers took off before being shot down over the USSR. Some fifty years later, the villain Osama bin Laden would eventually be tracked down and killed not far from where Dad had been stationed while I was a kid.
When Dad was away on that tour of duty, we received regular reel-to-reel audio tapes of him talking to us. He would whistle for our dog Ginger, and she would sit and cry under the table just hearing Dad’s voice.
Dad was deployed multiple times in his 30+ years of military service. Sometimes half-way around the world, and sometimes to locations in the US. In total, we had years of practice waiting for Dad’s return. Assured he was coming back, I worked hard in school. I learned to play the guitar while he was in Thailand during the Viet Nam Conflict. And I stayed involved at church, but not to earn his love. Because of it. When he returned, I wanted Dad to always find me faithful to the family as his child. I wanted him to be proud of me.
The Bible says that our Lord ascended into the clouds with His closest followers watching. So far, believers have had about 2000 years of practice waiting His return. If we want to hear from Jesus, there’s not an audio recording of His voice, but there is a wonderful record of His words found in Scripture, and we can talk to Him in prayer. When my Master comes for me, I want to be found faithful and doing my best as part of the family of God. I want to be found sharing the story of Jesus with friends and everyone else who will listen, even though most don’t ever think of the sacrifice He paid on the cross of Calvary. Not to earn my Heavenly Father’s love, but because of it. And I long to hear, “Well done…”
In the first chapter of the Book of Acts, the Bible says, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; so that where I am, there you may be also.”
Talk about indescribable joy…
Grace,
Tom
What a wonderful day was had by everyone who took part in the final Bronco Sunday of the 2025-26 school year here at FBC Meadow. Thank you all who participated in worship, and also so many who stayed for the catered lunch afterward. God was honored, and I believe our community was strengthened.
Blake Jackson, the Head Coach and Athletic Director at MISD brought us a word that resonated with everyone in attendance. While we look at Blake and the fine man, husband, dad, and coach that he has become, it was so appropriate for him to tell of his struggles in attaining many of his life’s goals as adversity struck again and again. His honesty and connection with parents and students alike was exactly what we all needed to hear. Blake’s story is one of perseverance and faith and service. As I reminded those in attendance after his testimony, Blake might not consider himself to be a super hero, but I’ve never seen him and Batman in the same room together! I so loved the quote from Billy Graham that our audio team put up before Blake came to speak.
“A coach or teacher will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime.”
We need to be reminded of that and be grateful there are many people of faith in leadership positions at MISD. To all the teachers, administrative staff, coaches, and others impacting the daily lives of so many in the community of Meadow, know how much you are appreciated and encouraged in what you do. Like Blake recalled those who blessed him with counsel, you have that same opportunity to make a lasting impact.
To the parents of students in our school, this pastor and so many others are praying for you that you might find true wisdom in guiding your charges to also be led by faith and guided by the truths of Scripture as we heard Blake’s parents guided him. We’ve all heard it before…parenting is not of sissies! May the peace of God cover your homes and your efforts to glorify Him in your parenting.
Finally, to the students of Meadow – the star athletes and the overachievers, the average students and those just hanging on to finish up the year – may God protect you as you complete your studies. Be strong and upbeat. And may the Lord watch over you this summer. Whether you are returning to MISD in the fall, or this is your last year here as you look forward to new and exciting things in life, “Remember the Lord.” Take the name of Jesus with you. Live a life that honors and reveres your Creator. Open your hearts to all the possibilities that He will provide to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
While Blake gave his testimony, 1 Peter 3:15 was displayed at the front of the church. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”
Our Head Coach WAS ready, and he DID answer the call. Cling to the Scripture Blake quoted during his testimony, Colossians 3:23. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Blake honored his Jesus with a testimony that we all can take with us. To God be all the glory, amen!
Grace,
Tom
Among the many volumes in the Pastor’s Study, there is a leather-bound Revised Standard Bible that once belonged to my father’s father, Leslie A. Heath. Dad and my Uncle Murray had originally given it to my grandparents as a Valentine’s Day gift on February 14, 1953, making it just over seventy-three years old today. Dad had done the leatherwork for the cover himself while still at Mars Hill Junior College in North Carolina, and he inscribed the words, “Keep Looking Up” on the inside of the front flap. That copy of God’s Word was included among items in several boxes containing the final effects that were gathered up and shipped to Dad settling my grandad’s affairs. Dad gave it to me while I was attending college at Angelo State. As unsentimental and proper and formal as Grandad had always appeared, bowtie and all, he had cut off and saved the P.S. from the bottom of Dad’s letter that accompanied the gift. Years ago, I found that small, stained snippet of paper tucked away in the back flap of the Bible’s leather cover.
“P.S. Keep Looking Up is the name of a song I heard during the Religious Focus Week here at school which is going on now. I hope you like it. Jimmy.”
I write this with tears in my eyes, recalling the last letter I wrote to Dad just weeks before he went to Glory on Armed Forces Day, 18 May, 1996. I included lyrics in the letter from the great old hymn, “Does Jesus Care?” Dad had been such an active person, always going somewhere, leading the charge, or building something. In that last letter, I added Dad’s very own PostScript, “Keep Looking Up.” During his final days, struggling for every breath, all Dad could do was lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. He did just that until his eyes closed here on earth and opened at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus commanded His followers saying, “Follow Me.” His command is first to any who would surrender by faith to the grace He provides. His command, “Follow Me,” is also a loving call to come back to Him when the cares of life cause His followers to drift away. And “Follow Me” is also our marching orders to stay faithful in testifying of Him by our life and witness to the very end in anticipation of our eternity to come in His glorious presence. Jesus assured all believers that there would be no doubts or confusions or questions or hesitations when the Lion of Judah returned for His own.
Our Lord comforted us with the same thought in Luke 21:28, as He spoke of the end-times and the urgency of our living a life of courage and conviction, undistracted by the “signs” and situations we would experience in the world around us. The King James version says, “…look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.” The New American Standard says, “…straighten up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” The implication of Jesus’ words is a warning to His followers not to become defeated and downtrodden or distracted or distant. The return of our Lord is certain and one day closer. His words still ring true today, calling us to stand at attention, not looking down in defeat or worry or distraction, but looking up in readiness.
A few verses later in Luke 21:33, Jesus assured us of His promise when He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Keep looking up!
Grace,
Tom
It is said that during Napoleon’s Austrian campaign his army advanced to within six miles of the town of Feldkirch. It looked as though his men would take it without resistance. But as Napoleon’s army advanced toward their objective in the night, the Christians of Feldkirch gathered in their little church to pray. It was Easter eve.
The next morning at sunrise, the bells of the village pealed out across the countryside. Napoleon’s army, not realizing it was Easter Sunday, thought that in the night the Austrian army had moved into Feldkirch, and the bells were ringing in jubilation. Napolean ordered a retreat, and the Battle of Feldkirch never took place. The Easter bells caused the enemy to flee, and peace reigned in the Austrian countryside.
As Easter is celebrated each year, churches and cathedrals around the world ring their bells—not to sound Christ’s death knell but to declare Christ’s victory over death. He is the risen Lord, and because of Him our final enemy—death—has been defeated, and peace reigns in our hearts. –Copied.
Are you continuing to carry the joy and peace and victory of Easter with you now that the annual holiday is over? It’s possible some people find more joy getting off work or out of school for “Good Friday” than celebrating what Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. For such people, now that Easter is over, is it time to put all the spring decorations away and simply go back to the routine of living in the real world? Well, the Bible makes it abundantly clear after that first Resurrection Morning, nothing should be, would be, or could be routine for His disciples ever again. Their lives were turned upside down by the events that weekend culminating in an empty tomb. From cowards hiding in the upper room afraid of what was coming next, Jesus’ followers would be transformed into bold, Spirit-filled witnesses who would impact their entire world. They would not be distracted or discouraged by anything or anyone, even to the point of martyrdom. One of the greatest pieces of evidence found in Scripture and revealed even today in supporting the truth of the resurrection is the changed lives of those claiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
Warren Wiersbe writes, “The world’s joy is temporary and artificial, and when the joy is gone, people are left with even greater weakness and emptiness. The joy that comes from the Lord is real and lasting and enriches our lives. God doesn’t give us joy instead of sorrow, or joy in spite of sorrow, but joy in the midst of sorrow. It is not substitution but transformation.”
This Easter Sunday, I asked those in attendance, “What Difference Does the Resurrection Make?” Has your world been turned upside down by the empty tomb? There are no steeple bells found at FBC Meadow, but your life and my life are to be lived loudly for Christ, bold and Spirit-filled. Not just on Resurrection Sunday, but in every circumstance, every situation. We must celebrate every Sunday as Resurrection Sunday! We should be, would be, and could be further evidence of Christ’s resurrection by allowing the joy of the Lord to be our strength. We can be a part of the difference the resurrection makes.
“Had Jesus come to earth but not died, His life here would have been pointless. Had He died but not resurrected, His death would have been powerless. Praise the Lord, Jesus accomplished everything He set out to do, and we are free.” –Billy Graham.
We Proclaim Him!
Grace,
Tom
Carpe diem. Seize the day!
That’s great advice if applied to seizing the most of every opportunity one has been given to live a life as God intended. It’s great advice for sharing His message of grace and forgiveness every time we’re given the chance to someone who has not heard. Every time we wake, realizing God’s mercies are new every morning, we should seize the day in an attitude of gratefulness and thankfulness and opportunity in our hearts for His provision and mercy and grace.
But sadly, a pervasive form of carpe diem in today’s culture has grown into the prominent philosophy of our “gotta have it now” generation. Instant gratification and living only for the here and now, makes many multitudes of people assume this futile life is all there is. Then after a life of self-indulgence and self-gratification, in their minds, we all just take a “dirt nap.” That kind of thinking leads each of us to seize (what we can of) the day, say and do what we feel like, and everyone else including our Maker can pound sand. Well-meaning folks might preach “it takes a village,” but then succumb to the mindset of focusing on their concept of happiness, pushing their own agenda for the here and now while caring little for others around them or sharing the Good News of an eternity with Jesus.
“Hey, if what I do isn’t hurting anyone else, whose business is it of anyone else? I sure don’t need God trying to ruin my fun or butting into the decisions I make. That Bible stuff is nothing but a long list of ‘Thou Shalt Nots!’ I want to seize the day!”
I have heard this kind of carpe diem described as trading away a Rembrandt for a drawing in the sand. It’s shortsighted and ridiculous, and it’s forgotten in an instant.
As Christians, we know that life is eternal and seizing the day for immediate gain is folly.
In the second half of 1 Corinthians 15:32, the Apostle Paul wrote, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’”
But believer, knowing the truth, are you living in the urgent reality of the resurrection in teaching your children the truths of Scripture? Is your life grounded in eternal considerations and not just in temporal pleasures? Do you spend your money and use your time, your energy, and your talents only on things that are here today and tomorrow that get thrown in the garbage? Sure, we live in a throw-away society. Disposable razors and disposable diapers (thank goodness). But apparently, even some of us who claim an eternity with Christ still live with disposable principles, and disposable morals, disposable commitments, and disposable expectations.
Seize the day, yes. But as Jesus would have you seize the day…in gratitude and purpose and faithfulness.
2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Grace,
Tom
Ever been told you have physical features of your grandparents or your mom or dad? Thanks to genetics and other factors, we often exhibit similarities to other members of our family. Maybe it’s hair or eye color. Maybe it’s our complexion or our smile or gait. Maybe we’re athletic or musically gifted. Maybe we’re tall or short, thin or heavy, and we get compared to a relative with similar attributes. It might be an accent or word phrases we use that can sound familiar. My family used to say I had Grandpa’s hands. Some say I resemble my mom.
Christian, do you look like Jesus? Do you sound like Him, love like Him? Do you relate to others with the same mercy and grace that He has shown you. Does the Spirit of Christ so fill your life that you are easily recognized as belonging to the Family of God? You might not resemble a middle eastern male, but shouldn’t you “let others see Jesus in you?”
The night before our Lord went to the cross, He spent time teaching and praying with His disciples. He prayed to His Father saying, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
During His brief earthly ministry, Jesus had taught His disciples that while they were in this world, they were to make a difference, to be salt and light. He wanted His disciples to impact others positively. They were to illuminate The Way, The Truth, and The Life. He told those closest to Him that to make a difference in the world, they had to be different from the world just as He was. He expects no less from you and me. With help from and trust in the Holy Spirit’s transformation, you and I will take on the divine genetics of Jesus as living sacrifices.
In Matthew 5:16 the Lord says, “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.” It was not a suggestion. People should see the Father in our faces and in our actions.
Our good works are not to be for our glory. They are for His. Our good works aren’t intended to somehow remind God of our righteousness and that we deserve an eternity with Him in heaven. Our good works done in His name are evidence to a lost and dying world that we are already a part of His family, and that reality is a thing to be desired. Would others want to be a part of God’s family because of the Jesus they see in you? We are called to act in a way that reflects positively on Christ.
Maybe your auburn hair or deep green eyes make you feel a part of your earthly family. Maybe you’ve started sounding like your mom in conversation, or you seem to have your dad’s sense of humor. Looking like your mom and dad and sounding like your mom or dad is strong evidence that you’re a member of your family. Looking like Jesus, sounding like Jesus, loving like Jesus is the strongest evidence that you’re a member of His.
That salt and light thing…He meant that!
Grace,
Tom