Even though it may seem like it isn’t right, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t.   –David Burrier

Sometimes I try so hard to figure everything out and nothing makes any sense. I believe that there are things in the spiritual dimension we just can not grasp. I must cling to what I know to be true and trust the Giver of life even if I do not understand the life He gives. If I do not trust Him, I know that the Destroyer of life will waste no time, in his pursuit to ruin all that I hold dear. So on the days when I wake up in the morning and wish that it could all just end, I must abandon these feelings of depression. This is the day God has made. Even if the last thing I feel is joy and I certainly am not jumping out of my bed in gratefulness for another day of what seems like endless hardship, I have a promise that their is hope for today because of a tomorrow when all evil things will pass away.

God will defend his people; he will not leave them helpless. There is always hope in the mids of the greatest persecution that God is on our side and at any minute he will step in and completely eliminate even the gravest of dangers we must face. We are not helpless; we are waiting for the help to come. We are not without hope because our greatest hopes have yet to be fulfilled.

That’s what David said when we went to visit the homeless shelter. It is a thought provoking statement and one that I wish I could genuinely adhere to more often. I don’t know how many times, someone has said something or I have thought something and in the moment, it seems perfectly logical. Yet looking back I can see how wrong either they or I was.

“Then the devil who had led them astray was hurled into the fiery lake of  burning brimstone…”

Deception has consequences. The great deciever will be severely punished for all the lives he has ruined. Yet what about me? How many times have I listened to his lies and probably helped to  lead others astray? It is a scary thought. This deciever and his lies are dangerous!

In the moment, a doubt seems very innocent. But it is a fiery dart full of poison. If healing is not administered soon, it can paralyze me and ruin my life. Oftentimes I do not feel the pain of it, but I must remember that I can not see or know all things. I can not grasp the evil that is secretly injected in so many places. I don’t know what has happened until it is too late. I must hold my shield of faith high! I must trust even when I don’t understand, even when I don’t feel the need to because that is probably when it matters most!

Yet all these problems go away if we just assume God doesn’t exist. There is no divine gaze to see everything we do. There is no presence to run from and there is no ultimate being to judge what we do. The game has changed to “make believe.” Unfortunately, this game doesn’t work either…Once again there are just a few minor problems–namely that God does exist and that pretending He doesn’t is living in a fake reality.

In this fake reality, we can do whatever we want and there is nothing to stop us or hold us accountable. There is no ultimate, and so we can make up our own. Ultimate truth? Well, what do you personally believe? Ultimate love? Well, what does that mean for you? Ultimate religion? Absolutely! It’s just another part of the game–we believe what we want to! Ultimate success? Getting what I want in the game! In make believe, I can be whoever I want to be and I can be happy!

It’s all imagined. Just because you think something is true does not make it so–you can not know everything and thus can not hope to have a completely credible, unbiased belief all the time. Everyday you settle for living with a lie or two so that you don’t have to worry about an uncomfortable truth or two.

Not everyone has the same definition of love, because of this every relationship will be tainted. No one holds to a standard of conduct and so broken hearts and hurt lives become the themes in romantic love songs. Every day you settle for a little hate in order to gain some more love.

Is there a deeper meaning, a higher purpose? Some of us would like to think so. We find it in our belief system. Here the sky is the limit–anything said goes! You can conform to ancient tradition or make up your own–whatever makes you happy. Is this why we are here? To make ourselves happy by conforming to a set of practices that make us feel good about ourselves? Are we just here to exist–coexist in peace? We can imagine this harmony and even see it in our lives but does it explain why things are as bad as they are and how to get out? We trade real solutions that will permanently fix problems, for hyped up escapes–pain killers to help us forget them.

Have we succeeded? We all scurry around on this planet, each of us in our own little world trying to accomplish the things that will make us happy and bring us fulfillment. We get lots done. We go places and meet people. Yet at the end of the day what can we show for it? I got this accomplished so I could feel accomplished. I met this nice person and I myself was a nice person so we all got along and feel good about ourselves. I went to this awesome place and did this great thing. What does it mean? Yes, we have forgotten you. We have forgotten reality. We are stuck in our own imaginations and dreams. We are stuck in meaningless reality because it has no bearing on what really matters.

What really matters? Life. And You are the Lifegiver. You said that You came so I could have life and have it more abundantly. You created me. I am–made in Your image to glorify You. This is reality! This is what matters!

You are the answer to every problem. Ultimate truth is in Your words. Ultimate love is expressed in your actions. Ultimate sacrifice is defined by your life, a sacrifice to bring healing to the nations. You showed ultimate success–absolute trust humbled before the Lifegiver, embracing the presence of the Just Judge whose gaze pierced your soul because it could not stand to look on the sin for which you took the blame. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He found life in death.

He cries, “My child, my child, why have you forsaken me?” I find death in life. Quit playing the game, the stakes are too high.

There is little hope for me here. I know that the bad things I have done far outweigh the good. I have hurt people by putting them down, by ignoring them, by speaking mean words, and by being disrespectful. I have dishonored God countless times. I have been angry at Him; I have belittled Him and refused to obey His commands. I have overlooked the things that are most important–love and sacrifice and truth. I have fallen for countless lies and gotten distracted from what really matters. I have been so prideful–often thinking I am right and I am the authority on a subject and catering to my own wishes and needs. This is my life story and the end can only result in one thing–death.

And yet, I do have a little hope, because on that day there will be another book–the Book of Life. My name is in it. I didn’t put it there. I didn’t write the book. I certainly don’t deserve to be part of the story. Why am I in it?

God loved the world so much, He sent His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not see eternal death but rather everlasting life.

Jesus worked a miracle. When there was no hope and we were all lost in sin, He paid the ultimate price so that there could be a way out. To reject this way is to reject the wonderful gift he has offered–life. By His grace, I have discovered this gift. In His mercy, I have begun to grasp it. On that day of judgement I will not have to be afraid of death because through His infinite love I know that I will live.

Thank You Jesus!

I forget about this side of God’s nature–He is the Just Judge. And while I often reflect on his other attributes of love and mercy and grace, in my pursuit of him, I must come to realize ALL of his attributes.

This one character quality is the cause of much dissension and mistrust among certain people who question the existence of God. While it is most definitely his most threatening attribute, I believe it will prove to be his most defining one. Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” How can I fear someone who does not enforce the rules He has set into place?

And yet this horrible atrocity is only a taste of things far worse that are still to come.

“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire…”

By God’s grace, we who believe in Jesus will not have to experience this second death. But there are countless others who are facing the curse of a second grave.

As I watched coverage of the tsunami in Japan there was one awful moment when the wave was approaching a highway that still had moving cars on it. I sat stunned as I watched the wall of water sweep over the roadway, knowing that there were people in those cars, uttlerly helpless to the tragedy that now engulfed them. It is a dreadful thing to sit comfortable and perfectly safe million of miles away and to think about the panic they must have  experiencing at that moment.

There was nothing I could do for those people. Who knows how many died, how many bodies were invisibly washed away on that day, how many families are looking desperately for a loved one that is lost forever. We can only shake our heads and wish them a speedy recovery from the terrible event.

And yet I am reminded of that other terrible event that all will face who do not seek after Jesus. Will I sit back comfortably and watch these helpless people fall under the curse? Will I wish them a speedy recovery when death is imminent?

I have seen the darkness of sin engulf too many lives. Like the cars on the highway, people are busy with their everyday lives, completely unaware of the impending disaster. I can watch from a safe distance or I can do something. I can show them where the higher ground is, where the storms of life may pass but will not overcome them. And when the second death comes perhaps they will not have to face the greatest tragedy of humankind because someone warned them of the coming danger.

This is the plight of man without Jesus.

Is this what I think about when I wake up every morning? NO! Absolutely not! God wasn’t kidding when he compared us to sheep. A massive storm could be coming and all we’d care about was the dandelion in front of our nose.

I have no idea what’s coming. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with today. As a result, I could care less. But that’s just what this is–carelessness! It’s falling for a lie.

I know that there is a God out there and I know he’s up to something down here. I also know that we can’t get away with everything forever. He is coming. Will I be ready? Will my friends be ready?

Without Jesus there would be no hope. But I have embraced him. Do I realize the hope of my calling? I certainly don’t act like I have hope. I come into contact with all sorts of people who live without this hope and because I don’t live in the reality of this hope, I don’t even think to share it with them. I need to claim the promises. I need to realize a vision. I need You, Jesus, to catch me from the fall.

Why hold on to something you can not grasp? Like dust, the things of this world slip through my hands and though I can enjoy the feeling of their presence for a moment on my fingertips, the next second they are  gone.

You hold out this gift to me. Like a precious treasure, the beauty of your sacrifice grips my soul and though I can not understand this love, it will last a life time and bring me to my new home.