Thought So!

Now and Forever

Imagine yourself in a crowd (with no claustrophobia).  Looking around, you half expect to see banners and streamers, or at least hear a band playing off to the side.  This is no common earthly celebration, however.  Here, everyone is facing only one direction--facing the One Who has kept them from falling. For you are in heaven, and Christ is presenting you to God.  There are no special thanks, honourable mentions, or participation ribbons for anyone in the crowd.  Right now, in His glorious presence, we are ascribing all glory, majesty, power, and authority to Him alone.

No capturing this unbelievable moment in pictures with a cell-phone. No crumpled paper in your pocket listing recent sins you were worried about. No customer-service counter declining entrance or approving your updated requests for forgiveness.  No urge to wave your hand and say, "Excuse me, but I shouldn't be here--you don't know what I'm really like."  You are being presented--by Christ-- as faultless...unblamable... before His throne.

Your heart is full of a new emotion, but the flimsy word joy does not explain what is there.  You hope you won't be called on to describe it, because no thesaurus on earth could help you now.  An eternity of happiness awaits you, and nothing else matters.

The tiny book of Jude, tucked away among the other 66, has a benediction packed with hope.  We cling to it, because we are not yet with the Lord.  Jude promises his readers that, although they were surrounded by false teachers snatching at their faith, the Lord could (and would) keep them from any possibility of stumbling and falling into error. There is victory over sin! This victory in Christ has been there since the beginning, we have it now as believers, and we will have it forever.  It is given to us by the only God, the only One Who has the ability to keep our salvation.

Though these verses are often prayed as the benediction to a sermon-- a time when many of us are zipping our Bible cases, grabbing a mint, and thinking of food-- they are too precious to leave there.

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.  To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.  Amen.    Jude 24,25 

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Eau de Toilette, or What?

What does the word aroma bring to mind? (As a child,I heard too many coffee commercials using that word, no doubt-- so that's my mental image).  How about fragrance (did you choose "perfume")?  Now, try odor (probably something involving cleaning...either it needs to be, or it didn't get done well enough).  Now, read this story.

After 25 years of returning with her husband to the same winter destination, this was my friend's first year without him since he had gone to be with the Lord.  While riding her usual bus into town on her first week back sans mate, two people asked, "Where is your husband?  He always rides with you.", and "Why isn't your husband with you?"  Another day, while walking back to her apartment from the bus stop, a gardener across the street called out, "Where's your husband?  I liked that old man!"  These questions surprised her, since she had never officially met these people, nor did she remember them from previous years.

Do you ever shop at the same stores, drive the same way to work, walk the dog along the same route?  As we see people, we may give only a cursory greeting, speak briefly to a clerk, or simply make eye contact as we pass, but we are often watched while driving, walking, interacting (even if we are observed from a window), and can leave an aroma without any conversation taking place.

With Christ as the Victor, Paul gladly marched as a captive in the Lord's procession.  As incense was burned by the triumphant leaders in the Roman processions, so Paul becomes the incense--or pleasing aroma-- in Christ's train.

Where does this triumphal procession lead us, as the Lord's captives?  Will we impact someone for life or for death?

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:  to the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life."              2Cor. 2:14-16

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What Day is it Again?

Have you ever looked back over an old calendar?  Some of them are like diaries.  Beneath the breathtaking picture of the lighthouse are the boxes--your life in word-sized chunks.  You see them--"Howard's birthday", "Mom & Dad's anniv.", "dentist- Dr. Chew- 11:00", "parent-teacher mtgs.- 4:15", "church picnic- hotdish", "Bible study", "Sherry's shower", "Dr. Dim- test results", "Last day of school!", a sticker to remind you to feed the dog her flea meds, a long squiggly line showing vacation plans, or, a visit from... the in-laws.

Each box is the same size, holding the same number of hours.  Some boxes--could you have written it all down--would not have held the garbage-sized bag of duties that were yours that day.  A word in one box makes you smile at the worry you collected weeks before.  One box has a word you want to forget, but can't.  Some of the blank days are, well...a blank (what did I do on that day?).

What will be penciled in on next year's calendar?  How many boxes do you have left?  Thankfully, that is not our worry.  But in each box--whether full or empty--should be the unwritten words,

                              Sing unto the Lord,

                                   bless His name;

                                        show forth His salvation

                                             from day to day."      Psalm 96:2

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