Tag: eternal life

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John Devotionals

First loved

God's love

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

I reallly like this translation.

Most translations read, “For God so loved the world…” and it can be translated that way. But usually, the Greek word for “so” would be read not as “so much,” but as “in this way.”

John uses different words in his letter, but expresses the same idea.

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.

Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice, for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

Paul says something similar in Romans 5:8.

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The amazing thing is that God didn’t wait for us to turn to him before he showed us his love. Rather, he first turned to us. Not in judgment, but in mercy.

I wonder. How shocked was Nicodemus that Jesus said God demonstrated his love for the world by sending his Son.

It’s possible that his only concept of God sending his Son was to judge the world for its rebellion (Psalm 2).

Had Nicodemus ever considered that the blessed people in Psalm 2:12 could apply to those nations who had once been rebellious but had repented because of God’s love for them shown through his Son? Had the psalmist?

I don’t know. But let’s always remember the most amazing thing about John 3:16. God first loved an unrepentant, rebellious world, and sent his Son to save it.

And that includes us.

Take time to ponder that today. Ponder John 3:16. Ponder 1 John 4:9-10. Ponder Romans 5:8.

Ponder this truth and bathe in it: “God first loved me.”

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Titus Devotionals

The unlying God

…in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. (Titus 1:2)

The unlying God.

I suppose “the God who cannot lie,” is a good translation. But somehow, the more “literal” translation rang more in my heart this morning.

It’s the reason I have hope. Because he is the unlying God, what he has promised, he always does.

And that includes the promise of eternal life that he gave before time began.

The promise that found fulfillment in his Son.

I can’t help but think of Simeon’s words in Luke 2.

Now, Master,
you can dismiss your servant in peace,
as you promised.


For my eyes have seen your salvation.
You have prepared it
in the presence of all peoples—
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)

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Acts Devotionals

Because we have hope

I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am…(Acts 26:29)

Like Paul, we have a hope.

We have the hope of eternal life.

We have the hope that all things will be made new.

We have the hope that all evil will be judged.

We have hope that by his grace, God will receive us as his children into his kingdom.

We have the hope of Paul. But do we have his heart?

Do we desire that those around us would become like we are: people of hope?

That they too would turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God?

That they would repent and receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ.

Is that your heart?

Lord, thank you for the hope you have given me as a child of God. Now send me out to those around me that they may have the same hope I have.

Give me the heart of Paul. Give me your heart. In your name I pray, amen.

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1 John

The testimony of God

1 John

It is very interesting to me that God in trinity testifies to the way of salvation. I’d never really thought about that before. John tell us,

This is the one who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.

And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (1 John 5:6-8)

I think for most people reading this, John’s words can be confusing because they don’t know the background.

But there were people in John’s day that said that Jesus wasn’t always the Christ. Instead, they had this weird teaching that “the Christ” descended as a spirit on Jesus at his baptism, but departed at his death.

So according to them, Jesus wasn’t the “Christ” when he died and thus he didn’t truly pay for our sins.

But the truth is Jesus proved himself to be the Christ at his baptism and death. At his baptism, the Father expressed his approval of him and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Then at the cross, he paid the price for our sins, just as the scriptures predicted that he would.

So we have Father, Son, and Spirit all testifying to the way of salvation, and that is through Jesus the Messiah.

Why is this important? Because if God says something, there’s no room for argument. And that’s what John tells us in verses 9-10.

We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.

Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. (9-10)

In short, we often believe people’s testimony. How can we not believe God when he speaks?

And now because God has spoken, we cannot reject God’s testimony and still claim to be following God.

What is God’s testimony? John tells us in verses 11-12.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (11-12)

Many people, however, don’t like this testimony. They want to believe there are many ways to God besides Jesus. But John tells us that for us to say that is to call God a liar.

But if we will only believe it, we can have peace and confidence concerning our salvation.

Why? Because our salvation is not based on anything that we do. It’s based solely on the grace of God and the work Jesus did on the cross for us. All we have to do is to accept it.

In John’s words,

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (13)

Note that John wrote not that you might think you have eternal life, but that you would know it in your heart.

How about you? Have you accepted the testimony of God? Do you know that you have eternal life?

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1 John

Proclaiming the One who is life

John

And so we come to the last “long” letter of the New Testament. Or at least the last letter with multiple chapters, anyway.

And from the very beginning, you can almost hear the emotion coming from the apostle John who wrote this book. From this man who was called the beloved disciple.

He says,

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1 John 1:1-2)

It never really struck me until very recently that everything in here is pointing to Jesus himself. He is the Word of life. He is the very expression of life itself. All that life is supposed to be is found in him: whole and complete in every way, with no defects.

And he is the expression of Life himself. The Author of Life expresses himself to us in Jesus. And Jesus himself is Life.

So when John says in verse 2, that the “life” appeared,” he’s referring to Jesus in his incarnation. He came to earth as a man, and John and the other apostles were able to hear his voice, see him with their own eyes, and touch his nail-scarred hands after the resurrection.

And John calls Jesus, the “eternal life.”

He was with the Father before time began, having no beginning or end. And now he gives life to those who are dead. He gives life to those who are spiritually dead, living apart from God.

And the day will come when he will give life to those who are physically dead, giving them new bodies that are like his own.

With that in mind, John says,

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We write this to make our joy complete. (3-4)

In short, John and the other apostles weren’t content to revel in the joy they had because of their fellowship with God.

Rather, they didn’t consider their joy complete until others could join them in that fellowship. And so they were bold to proclaim all that they had seen and heard.

In that, as well as many other things, we are to follow in their footsteps.

Too many Christians are just happy to be saved. To revel in the love that God has for them and the forgiveness he has imparted to them. To rejoice in the healing God has brought in their lives.

But we can’t simply be satisfied with that. To be satisfied with that and that alone is pure selfishness when many other people are dying apart from Christ.

They don’t know his love. They don’t know his forgiveness. They don’t know his healing in their lives. How can we not weep for them?

And so like John and the other apostles, we need to go out and proclaim this Life that has been given to us that they may share in that fellowship with Him too.

How about you? Are you so focused on rejoicing at your own salvation that you can’t see those around you that need that salvation just as badly?

Let us go out. Let us proclaim the gospel to our loved ones. To those in our neighborhood, workplace, and schools. And when we do and see people come into God’s kingdom, that’s when our joy will be made complete.

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2 Corinthians

How not to lose hope

2 Corinthians

Paul closes this chapter the same way he opens it: with hope.

Here was a man that had experienced so much that it would have been easy for him to lose hope.

He had been hard pressed on every side, with conflicts from without and fears from within (2 Corinthians 7:5).

We often face the same problem. Not only do we have to fight our circumstances, but we have to fight our own feelings. We have to fight our fears, our frustrations, our sorrows, our hurt.

Paul had gone through times where he felt perplexed. Literally, the word perplexed in Greek means “no way,” meaning that he was at a loss, seeing no way out of his situation.

He had been persecuted for his faith and even stoned and left for dead. On top of that, we saw all the problems he had with the Corinthian church, leaving him wondering if all he had done had been in vain.

And yet he had hope. Though he was hard pressed, he was not crushed, neither by his circumstances nor his feelings.

Though he was at a loss, he was not “utterly at a loss.” He knew that if he sought God, eventually he would find a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Though he was persecuted, he knew Jesus had not abandoned him. And though he was struck down, he was not destroyed.

Why? How could he hold on to this hope in spite of his circumstances?

Because he knew God had a plan.

He says in verse 1,

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)

Paul knew God had given him the ministry that he had. And God didn’t give him that ministry for nothing. But God had given him that ministry to accomplish His purposes.

More, Paul knew that he didn’t even deserve to be given that ministry. He had hated Jesus and had even persecuted the church.

But by God’s mercy, God showed him the truth. God had even told him beforehand, “You will suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:16).

So Paul knew that this suffering he was going through was not a surprise to God.

God didn’t say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming. Sorry about that Paul.”

Rather, everything that Paul went through, God knew about in advance.

And Paul knew that the same mercy that pulled him out of the darkness of his sin into the light of life, would pull him out of the darkness of his trials into the light of glory as well.

So at the end of this chapter he says again,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

In other words, though we may suffer in this life, even though we may feel like we are falling apart physically and emotionally, day by day God is doing a work in us.

He is using our trials to transform us into the likeness of his Son that we may reflect his glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

So how do we maintain hope in the midst of trial? By fixing our eyes not on our troubles that we can see. But by focusing on Him who is unseen.

Though we may not be able to see his plan, we need to trust that he has one.

We need to trust that these trials will not last forever. That he will bring us through. And that if we hang in there, we will see his glory, not just in himself, but in our situation and in ourselves.

I like the New King James version of verse 17.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

So let us remember that. God is not surprised by anything that you’re going through. He has a plan.

So whatever you’re going through, put your trust in him that he will work out his plans, and if you do, you will find hope.

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John John 17

What eternal life truly is

John

A lot of times, we think of eternal life as simply living forever in heavenly bliss. Certainly we will experience that, but to many people, strangely enough, it’s a life devoid of God.

Oh, they have some concept that God will be there and that we’ll know his love, but the idea of really knowing him and being known by him is the last thing on their minds. And that’s the way they live their lives.

And I’m not just talking about non-Christians. Even Christians have a tendency to live that way.

They go to church, they sing songs, they hear the message. Maybe during the week, they even crack open their Bible and pray from time to time.

But the rest of the time, their relationship with God takes a back seat to everything else that goes on in their lives.

Work, family, recreation. All these things are good in themselves, but too often, they leave too little time for us to truly develop our relationship with God.

And ultimately, that’s what life is all about. That’s what eternal life is about: our relationship with him.

In his “Great Priestly Prayer,” Jesus prayed,

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

Note that Jesus doesn’t say eternal life is living forever (though it is).

Note also that Jesus doesn’t say eternal life means being forever happy (though that’s true too).

Rather, he says eternal life is knowing God. It’s knowing Jesus. Not just knowing about them. But truly knowing them in a deep intimate way.

Jesus prayed,

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me…
I in them and you in me…

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world…

I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:21, 23, 24, 26)

Life is all about knowing God. To draw near to him. To know him intimately. And to be known by him.

That’s why eternal life is not just future, it’s right here, right now. Jesus is saying here that even now, he has revealed the Father to us and is continuing to do so.

And when we go to where Jesus is after our time is done, it’s not the start of something new, it’s a continuation of what we started here on earth.

Wouldn’t it be sad though, to go to heaven with only a passing acquaintance with God? To have a relationship where you “passed a few emails between you,” but no real relationship?

How much more joyful would it be if all along, you’d been in close relationship with him?

Talking to him, and hearing from him daily? Seeing him work in you and through you every day? And having had that relationship all along, then seeing him face to face?

I don’t know about you, but I prefer the latter. Having said that, am I really living that way? Probably not. But I want to. How about you?

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John John 12 Luke Luke 19 Mark Mark 11 Matthew Matthew 21

What would bring us peace

The gospels

Lots going on in these passages, and as you look at all four gospels, you really get an idea of the frenzy going on due to Jesus’ entrance in Jerusalem. People are shouting,

Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven! (Matthew 21:9)

And,

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! (Mark 11:10)

And again,

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:38)

And ultimately,

Blessed is the king of Israel! (John 12:13)

Because of the frenzy some people were asking, “What’s going on? Who is this guy?” And others replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)

We see from John that one of the reasons for all this frenzy was that people were still talking about Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead. (John 12:17-18)

At first, the Pharisees tried to stop all of this, even trying to get Jesus to stop his disciples from crying out all these words of praise. But when Jesus refused, they muttered to themselves,

This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him! (John 12:19)

But for all the frenzy surrounding Jesus’ coming the most poignant moment comes just before Jesus enters the city. In the midst of all the cries of joy from the people, Jesus wept when he saw Jerusalem, saying,

If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.

They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.

They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you. (Luke 19:42-44)

And that’s exactly what happened in AD 70 when Titus came and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple.

Why did this happen? Because they “did not recognize the time of God’s coming” to them.

And because of that, they missed the peace that could have been theirs. Peace within themselves. But more importantly, peace with God.

The same is true with us. God comes to each of us at some time in our lives.

According to Romans chapter 1, even the one who has never heard of God knows about him.

And when they gaze into the sky or see all the nature around them, I believe the Spirit speaks to them saying, “This cannot be an accident. This was designed. You were designed. Seek the Designer.”

For others, the call is much more direct. It comes at church or through a friend telling them about Christ.

And at that point people reach a crossroad. What will they do with this call? Will they listen and follow? Or will they reject it? To follow is to find peace with God and eternal life. To reject it means judgment and eternal death.

How about you? If you are reading this, God is calling you now. Now is the day of salvation. Won’t you receive him today?

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John John 6

The One who gives offense

John

I wonder what it is exactly that gave the Jews offense as they listened to Jesus.

It’s very possible that they simply didn’t understand what Jesus was saying and were taking his words literally, instead of figuratively as he meant them.

Namely, when Jesus said,

I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56)

Taken literally, it would be abhorrent to anyone, but especially to the Jew who had been taught from childhood that to eat anything with blood in it was strictly prohibited.

But of course, Jesus wasn’t speaking literally, he was speaking figuratively as I pointed out in the last blog.

To “eat his flesh” is to come to him, and to “drink his blood” is to believe in him. And if you come to Jesus and believe in him, you will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again (John 6:35).

At any rate it is possible that the Jews were offended by what he said because they took it literally.

But it’s just possible that they took it as Jesus meant it and were offended by it. It’s possible they understood that Jesus was saying that he was the only way to eternal life.

Even today, people say, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60)

When Christians say that Jesus is the only way to God, people often get offended.

And so I hear some Christians, and worse, even some Christian leaders waffling on the issue at times.

“Well, I’m sure that Jesus didn’t really mean he was the ONLY way. I’m sure there’s an out somewhere.”

But Jesus meant what he said. Apart from coming to him and believing in him, no one will ever see eternal life. There will only be judgment and eternal punishment waiting for those who reject him.

Jesus told the Jews,

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. (John 6:63)

There are different ways to interpret this verse. (We looked at one yesterday).

It’s possible, though, that Jesus was telling these Jews who were trying to work their way into heaven through the Law:

“All your efforts are meaningless. You can’t do enough to earn your way to heaven.

“In fact, apart from me, all your efforts are like filthy rags before God. Only the Holy Spirit can give you life.

“And he will only give you life if you come to me and believe in me.”

He then said, “All that I have been saying are spiritual words, and if you’ll just accept them, they’ll give you life.”

But as many people do today, many of the Jews rejected them and walked away from Jesus.

And so Jesus asks us what he asks the disciples,

You do not want to leave too, do you? (John 6:67)

May our answer be as Peter’s,

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:68-69)

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Matthew Matthew 7

Sermon on the Mount: When being broadminded is not such a good thing

Matthew

A common criticism the world has of the Christian is, “Why do you have to be so narrow minded? Why can you be more broadminded? Why does Jesus have to be the only way to heaven?”

But there are some things we simply can’t be broadminded about. We certainly can’t be broadminded when it comes to mathematics.

If a student takes a test, and says that 2+2=10, and the teacher marks it wrong, can the student argue with the teacher saying, “Come on, let’s be broadminded about this. 10, 4, it’s not so different.”

We also can’t be broadminded about medical procedures.

Imagine you have a bad kidney and it has to be removed. The doctor knocks you out and when you wake up, not only is your kidney still there, but one of your teeth is missing.

You ask the doctor, “What happened to my tooth? You were supposed to remove my kidney.”

The doctor says, “Oh, tooth, kidney, it’s all the same. You’ve got to be broadminded about these things.”

Well, if we can’t be broadminded about these things, how much less can we be broadminded when it comes to eternal life. Especially when Jesus says,

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Jesus makes it clear that you cannot come to God on your own terms. You must come to him on his.

A person once put it this way: “You can either go to heaven God’s way or to hell your own.”

What is God’s way? Jesus tells us,

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Let’s put it another way.

If there were another way to heaven besides Jesus, would God have forced him to go to the cross? How can we spit on the cross of Christ by seeking another way to God? How can we spit on the gift of God this way?

Being broadminded can be a good thing. But not when it comes to eternal life.

How about you? Are you seeking eternal life on God’s terms? Or your own?

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John John 5

The one who judges…and gives life

John

Here we catch a glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.

One thing we cannot say, as some cults do, is that the Father is the Son. They are clearly distinct from each other, though they are the one God (along with the Holy Spirit).

We see that while Jesus was on earth, there was a dependency that Jesus had on the Father. He was constantly watching for what his Father was doing and joining in on his work. (John 5:19)

More than that, he was always looking to please his Father, not himself, and all he said and did was based on the Father’s strength and counsel. (John 5:30)

But on the other hand, we see the tremendous power and authority that the Father gave Jesus.

Why was this given? So that all would honor the Son as they honor the Father. To dishonor the Son is to dishonor the Father. (John 5:23)

So in this sense, we also see the equality that Jesus had with his Father. (John 5:18)

What power and authority does Jesus have?

First, he has the power of life. He has the power to raise all who are dead to life. Jesus said,

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. (John 5:21)

We see this throughout his ministry, most notably in Lazarus (John 11). But not only that, Jesus said,

I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself…

Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. (John 5:25-26, 28-29)

One thing to remember is that Jesus will ultimately raise all people back from the grave, not just the believers. Why? For judgment. And that’s the second point.

Jesus has the authority to judge all people. Jesus said,

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son. (John 5:22)

What kind of judgment will Jesus pass?

Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:29)

In other words, Jesus’ judgment will have eternal consequences and will determine who will go to heaven and hell.

And he has the right to judge and condemn, because he himself became the Son of Man, and yet never sinned. (John 5:27)

How will Jesus judge who goes to heaven or hell? Jesus tells us.

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)

In other words, we need to hear the words of Jesus, believe them, and put our faith in the Father who sent him.

Those who do, will have eternal life. But those who reject Jesus will be condemned for all eternity.

How about you? Have you put your faith in the person who has the authority to judge and the power to give life?

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John John 1

Light in a darkened world

John

I once read about a young teenage girl in the United States.

She had perfect grades in high school. She had a perfect score for the SAT. She had a perfect score for the University of California acceptance exam. She was a brilliant young woman.

But in an interview, a reporter asked her, “What is the meaning of life?”

Her answer?

“I have no idea. I would like to know myself.”

That’s the kind of world that we’re living in. A world where people are separated from God, and because they are, they are walking around in darkness.

They’re stumbling around looking for meaning in life. Even worse, they are blinded by their sin and where that sin is leading them.

And it was into this world that Jesus stepped into 2000 years ago as a little baby. It says in verse 4 of this passage,

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

When Jesus came into this world, he became light in a darkened world. How did he become light?

He showed us who God is.

As we saw in my last post, he explained who God is to us. God is invisible, but when Jesus appeared, God became visible. All that God is, we see in Jesus.

We no longer have to guess what God is like. We can look at Jesus and know.

He showed us the meaning of life.

What is the meaning of life? Ultimately, it is to have a relationship with God.

It says in verse 3 that he created all things, including us. But when Jesus came, the very people that he created didn’t recognize him. More than that, they rejected him. (John 1:10-11)

But it says in verse 12-13,

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

In other words, when we receive Jesus as our Savior and as our Lord, we become adopted into his family.

Nobody is physically born into God’s family. Just because your parents are Christians does not make you one. You need to be born of God.

In other words, you need to respond to God’s work in your heart and say “Yes” to Jesus.

“Yes Jesus. I want you to be my King. I want you to be my Lord.”

When you do that, you become part of God’s family. And in doing so, you find the main purpose for which you were created. A relationship with your heavenly Father.

He showed us the way to life.

Just as he gave life and breath to all that live, he gives eternal life to all who believe in him.

It says in verse 5,

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood (or overcome) it.

When Jesus came into the world, the sinful people around him could not understand him, even the religious ones. And because of that they tried to kill him.

But even in killing him, they could not overcome him. Rather, through his death, he took the punishment for our sin.

More than that, he conquered death and the grave by rising again three days later, and now he gives life to all who come to him.

And so John writes,

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16-17)

Moses gave us the law that showed us what God required of us. But the law couldn’t save us. All it could do was show us our shortcomings. That we’re all sinners deserving death.

But through Jesus, we find grace and truth. We see the truth of our sinfulness. But we also see the truth of God’s love for us shown on the cross.

And when we receive him, we receive “grace upon grace.” A grace that never runs out and covers all our sin. A grace that gives us life.

May the light of Christ shine in your hearts this Christmas.

Categories
Psalms

What money can’t buy: Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalms

As the old saying goes, “Money makes the world go round.”  But the psalmist here reminds us of another more important truth.  “There are some things that money can’t buy.”

He writes,

No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him —
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough —
that he should live on forever and not see decay. (Psalm 49:7-9)

In short, no one can buy eternal life.  All of us, rich or poor, wise or foolish, powerful or weak, whoever we may be, will someday die.  And much as we’d like to, we can’t take our money with us.

What’s more, it will not buy us a place in heaven.  All the money in the world cannot pay the penalty for our sin.

Only one person can.  God.  And so he came down to this earth, and he paid the penalty for our sin, not with money, but with his blood shed on the cross.

It’s amazing to me the insight the psalmist had into this, even before Christ came.  He wrote,

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.  (Psalm 49:15)

Though the psalmist had no knowledge of Christ, nevertheless he says with confidence that we will live on to be with God through the ransom he himself pays.

And so he writes,

Do not be overawed when a man grows rich,
when the splendor of his house increases;
for he will take nothing with him when he dies,
his splendor will not descend with him.

Though while he lived he counted himself blessed —
and men praise you when you prosper —
he will join the generation of his fathers,
who will never see the light of life.  (Psalm 49:16-19)

How about you?  Do you envy those with wealth?  Are you seeking it yourself?  Or do you have it, and are making it your life purpose to just make more and more?

Remember the words of the psalmist.

A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.  (Psalm 49:20)

Having money and wealth is by no means bad.  It can be used to do a lot of good in this world and for God’s kingdom.

But let us understand that money is definitely not everything.  There are more important things in life.  And there are definitely things that money cannot buy.