THIS WEEK has been a happy one. Hgih school is winding down, I got my cap and gown, and I am getting ready for my mission trip to Peru. There was a spagetti dinner with my mission team on Friday, where we all said a few words about why we want to go, and we sang a worship song in Spanish. I've been learning some basic Spanish words with a Rosetta Stone program, and it's coming along well.
I haven't been going to school every day anymore, since seniors don't have much else left to do, but I'm glad I went on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning my friend Arun told me something that has changed and helped my thinking. He said he heard in a prayer conference of a woman who had a certain vision. She saw Jesus being seriously wounded, and it made her very sad.
Arun told me that the woman said her vision meant they should pray for the church. I immediately understood what that meant, because if there is something wrong with the church, then it is like a wound to Jesus Himself.
1 Corinthians 12: 26-27 "[26] And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. [27] Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
That thought didn't leave me. The thought of Jesus being hurt because His people didn't honor Him, because some part of the body of Christ was disobedient in some way, is saddening to me. I don't know exactly what the problem is, but it's not hard to guess. Maybe it's some people who try to predict the end of the world, or others who reject a relationship with God and try to earn heaven themselves. Maybe it's a lot of us, when we forget that Jesus is not our buddy or our employee, but we're really His servants, His friends. Jesus has come to give us life, and life to the fullest, but life is not about us. It's about glorifying Him.
The more I thought about this, I realized that it's very important. We should pray that there will be no selfishness and corruption in the church as a whole, but we should also pray for the members of the body of Christ, ourselves, our friends, individuals. Thinking about Jesus being grieved about something causes me to hope and pray that I will never cause Him any grief.
Jesus is our Savior. He personally bore all the nasty, destructive sin of humanity simply because God loves us so much! He deserves all of our devotion and love. It makes me sad to think that I, and all of us, have at times failed to give Him that devotion and have caused Him pain. But it's wonderful to know that it doesn't have to stay that way, and that we are a source of unmeasurable joy and celebration to Him every time we display righteousness in our lives. And He shows us personally how to do that.
Last week Pastor Russ referenced Psalm 27, which I came across again during my Bible Study. It's a very encouraging Psalm, all about the strength and faithfulness of the Lord toward those who trust in Him. He always gives us the ability through Him to do His will. The Pastor referenced verse 4, which I particularly like.
Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."
Life is distracting. It's very easy on a busy day to forget to make time to simply stop and "behold the beauty of the Lord." It happens to me. I might hear early in the day that I should go read the Bible and write in my journal, and instead I just sit and leave it for later. Then I find myself much busier later than I was before, and on that day I haven't had time to read God's word until 10:00 or 11:00 at night.
I think there's something wrong with that. Not that doing a Bible study at night is wrong, but putting it off. The earlier in the day it is done, I find, the better its effect on my life and the clearer I can think.
And it isn't just Bible study. Any way that we can find to just dwell on God, remember Him, and pray is a good way to spend our time. God wants us to talk to Him and listen, to sing to Him, talk about Him, sit and rest and think about Him. When we take time to devote ourselves to God, He makes all the other things in our lives much more full and worthwhile. Doing this also helps us to do all we do as an act of devotion for the glory of God.
I am praying that the one desire that overwhelms all of my desires will be to glorify God, to obey Him. I hope that we will all want that more than we want anything else. After all, nothing in our lives can matter more than God, and nobody can be better deserving of our attention and love. He wants to hear our voices calling Him. He loves to hear His childre ntell Him we love Him. Take time this week each day, the earlier the better, to just sit and "behold the beauty of the Lord."
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
It's Not the End of the World
THIS WEEK the world did not end.
As you may have noticed, we are still here. The world did not end at 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 21, as predicted by Pastor Harold Camping in California.
I heard about this man's predictions and saw my friends on facebook wondering whether he would be right, most of them not taking it very seriously. When 6:00 came, I was taking a nap. Mr. Camping had been wrong. Interested in what his reasoning might have been, I looked up interviews with him. From www.nymag.com and www.huffingtonpost.com I learned a few things about him and his idea.
Mr. Camping searched the Bible and found a few things he interpreted as clues to the date of the end of the world. He made his prediction based on the multiplication of several holy numbers - 5, 10, and 17 - and the time since Christ's crucifixion. When he had mathematically determined that his calculations lead to May 21, 2011, he spread the word widely, across continents. He thought the Rapture would occur on a time-zone by time-zone basis at 6:00 PM. But it didn't.
But why didn't it? What I read of Camping's responses to interviewers' inquiries emphatically indicates that he was very sure that his ideas came directly from the Bible, and that he (and those who believed him) were so convinced that they didn't even consider that he might actually be wrong. Maybe they shoud have, seeing that Camping made another prediction for September 6, 1994, which was also incorrect. But if his ideas were founded in Scripture, which is always true, why didn't the world end yesterday? Why aren't we all home with Jesus today?
I believe that Mr. Camping overlooked one important thing. I saw one verse in particular quoted more than any other yesterday, both before and after 6:00. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says, "But concerning that day or hour nobody knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." I think that's pretty clear. If Jesus says that we will not know when the Rapture and the world's end are going to happen, why would we think someone has calculated it mathematically? Why would Scripture contradict Scripture? God doesn't speak against His own word.
I think that Jesus is more likely to come on a day when nobody is predicting it. He said in verse 42 of the same chapter, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." I think that He doesn't want us to try to guess. That's not the point. He left the date unknown to us to encourage us to always be ready for Him to return. How weak would our devotion be if we only had to see that the date was coming up and we tried to prepare just in time?
My friend Peyton put a great quote by Martin Luther in her facebook status: "Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow." That sums it up well. He wants us to love Him enough to keep serving Him all the time, whether He may come back tomorrow or a hundred years from now.
So He didn't come back on May 21. Maybe He will come back in just a few days. Or a few years, or decades. But He will come back, and He wants us to be serving God in the meantime. Not as a way to try to get into heaven, but as a way to glorirfy the God of our salvation. A lot of the signs He predicted - treachery, war, pestilence, natural disasters, etc - are already occurring.
Honestly, I wasn't scared that the world would end. Christians don't have to worry, because He is coming to take us all home with Him. I would only wish that all my friends had been saved before the end came. Every day that happens in the world is necessarily a day when God has something important left to do. He's not done. So let's all serve Him until the day He returns.
v.45-46 "[45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing."
As you may have noticed, we are still here. The world did not end at 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 21, as predicted by Pastor Harold Camping in California.
I heard about this man's predictions and saw my friends on facebook wondering whether he would be right, most of them not taking it very seriously. When 6:00 came, I was taking a nap. Mr. Camping had been wrong. Interested in what his reasoning might have been, I looked up interviews with him. From www.nymag.com and www.huffingtonpost.com I learned a few things about him and his idea.
Mr. Camping searched the Bible and found a few things he interpreted as clues to the date of the end of the world. He made his prediction based on the multiplication of several holy numbers - 5, 10, and 17 - and the time since Christ's crucifixion. When he had mathematically determined that his calculations lead to May 21, 2011, he spread the word widely, across continents. He thought the Rapture would occur on a time-zone by time-zone basis at 6:00 PM. But it didn't.
But why didn't it? What I read of Camping's responses to interviewers' inquiries emphatically indicates that he was very sure that his ideas came directly from the Bible, and that he (and those who believed him) were so convinced that they didn't even consider that he might actually be wrong. Maybe they shoud have, seeing that Camping made another prediction for September 6, 1994, which was also incorrect. But if his ideas were founded in Scripture, which is always true, why didn't the world end yesterday? Why aren't we all home with Jesus today?
I believe that Mr. Camping overlooked one important thing. I saw one verse in particular quoted more than any other yesterday, both before and after 6:00. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says, "But concerning that day or hour nobody knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." I think that's pretty clear. If Jesus says that we will not know when the Rapture and the world's end are going to happen, why would we think someone has calculated it mathematically? Why would Scripture contradict Scripture? God doesn't speak against His own word.
I think that Jesus is more likely to come on a day when nobody is predicting it. He said in verse 42 of the same chapter, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." I think that He doesn't want us to try to guess. That's not the point. He left the date unknown to us to encourage us to always be ready for Him to return. How weak would our devotion be if we only had to see that the date was coming up and we tried to prepare just in time?
My friend Peyton put a great quote by Martin Luther in her facebook status: "Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow." That sums it up well. He wants us to love Him enough to keep serving Him all the time, whether He may come back tomorrow or a hundred years from now.
So He didn't come back on May 21. Maybe He will come back in just a few days. Or a few years, or decades. But He will come back, and He wants us to be serving God in the meantime. Not as a way to try to get into heaven, but as a way to glorirfy the God of our salvation. A lot of the signs He predicted - treachery, war, pestilence, natural disasters, etc - are already occurring.
Honestly, I wasn't scared that the world would end. Christians don't have to worry, because He is coming to take us all home with Him. I would only wish that all my friends had been saved before the end came. Every day that happens in the world is necessarily a day when God has something important left to do. He's not done. So let's all serve Him until the day He returns.
v.45-46 "[45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing."
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Trust, Strength, and Weakness
THIS WEEK I am celebrating being done with all my IB examinations, and I only have one more AP test to take. I know that this went well for me because I had a lot of wonderful people praying with me that it would. I went in and out of my tests with confidence, not in myself, but in God. I like to say that my whole strategy is to "study and pray", and it works. It helps to remember that God is bigger than any kind of test we take in life.
Trust is something God has spoken to me about this week.
At Publix a few days ago I was in the ice cream aisle with my mom, and a nice old couple came to make sure we were both saved. Of course we let them know we are, and we had a good conversation with them. They gave me a gospel tract which they had ordered from a tract-printing company called the Fellowship Tract League. You can order as many FREE tracts as you want from this company (www.fellowshiptractleague.org). These people impressed me because they do not even know me and they care enough to make sure I know about Jesus. I know that they probably meet a lot more people who don't know Him than those like me and my mom, who do. There is a good chance they will never see us again.
What I don't understand about myself, and a lot of us, is why it's so hard for us to even do that for the people we know. Are we scared? Are we ashamed? Maybe. Not all of us need to be in Publix with tracts, or in South Africa with a mission team, but all of us are called to "do the work of an evangelist." So why don't I do that?
I think I've finally figured out that my personal reason for not doing the work of an evangelist is that I'm afraid that I will do something wrong. I'm afraid I'll repeat past mistakes and just get in the way. I want great things to happen, and I don't want to be the reason something goes wrong. I don't trust myself to not mess up. But I wonder, does living evangelically necessarily entail trusting in ourselves? That doesn't exactly sound right.
I am an unusually trusting person. That's not always a good thing, but it helps me trust those who are trustworthy. I don't have a problem trusting God, because He is more trustworthy than anyone else ever could be. I definitely trust Him more than I trust myself. But I have had a problem figuring out how much we should trust in ourselves.
I've been reading a lot of the book of Acts lately. I'm particularly impressed by Paul, whose boldness and devotion result in miracle after miracle by the hand of God. I love reading about this because I know God can still do everything we read about there. In chapters 20 and 21 Paul is determined to go to Jerusalem even though the Holy Spirit is predicting heavy hardship for him there. Even his friends, who understand the Spirit's warnings, try to convince him. He will not be dissuaded from suffering anything he must for the glory of God.
Acts 20:24 "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 21:13 "Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am willing not only to be imprisoned but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.'"
That is some seriously powerful faith. That's the kind of heart Jesus loves to see. Reading these things, I confess that I'm a little jealous. I want to have that kind of devotion, even if I don't face everything Paul faced. When I confessed that to God, He helped me understand something very important.
Our human weakness is a non-issue in God. It is enough for us to trust in God, because He is powerful and He empowers those whose trust is in Him. He doesn't want us to be pitiful and unconfident, but He doesn't want us to put our trust in ourselves so that we start thinking we are powerful enough to do anything on our own. That's when we get in the way. When our trust is in Him and we obey His will, we cannot fail, because He doesn't fail. He will not tell us to do something and then fail to empower us to to do it. All He wants us to do is obey, and He will do all the earth shaking, mountain moving, and miracle working.
God isn't here to help us do whatever we think is right. He is here to rule and reign and cherish us, to show us His will and empower us to obey it.
I notice that Paul's success as a Christian is not a result of not being afraid to make a mistake. He wasn't worried about not knowing enough or not saying the right thing. When he was on his way to Jerusalem, fully aware of the persecution coming his way, he wasn't trying to figure out what he would say. Jesus said in Luke 12:11-12 "[11] And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, [12] for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Paul's success is the result of just trusting God and obeying Him boldly. He was never ashamed and always faithful. But he, like all of us, was human and weak. That's what's so great about God's grace. When great things happen through weak people, God is glorified and we are filled with joy.
Paul himself wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 concerning a painful source of weakness, "[8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My grace is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
God knows how to handle the gospel, and He doesn't intend to leave His people struggling on our own. Knowing this makes it a lot easier to think about inviting people to church or even sharing the gospel. I'm not so afraid anymore, because now I understand that being weak doesn't hurt. If anything, it helps, because it shows off how strong God is.
Trust is something God has spoken to me about this week.
At Publix a few days ago I was in the ice cream aisle with my mom, and a nice old couple came to make sure we were both saved. Of course we let them know we are, and we had a good conversation with them. They gave me a gospel tract which they had ordered from a tract-printing company called the Fellowship Tract League. You can order as many FREE tracts as you want from this company (www.fellowshiptractleague.org). These people impressed me because they do not even know me and they care enough to make sure I know about Jesus. I know that they probably meet a lot more people who don't know Him than those like me and my mom, who do. There is a good chance they will never see us again.
What I don't understand about myself, and a lot of us, is why it's so hard for us to even do that for the people we know. Are we scared? Are we ashamed? Maybe. Not all of us need to be in Publix with tracts, or in South Africa with a mission team, but all of us are called to "do the work of an evangelist." So why don't I do that?
I think I've finally figured out that my personal reason for not doing the work of an evangelist is that I'm afraid that I will do something wrong. I'm afraid I'll repeat past mistakes and just get in the way. I want great things to happen, and I don't want to be the reason something goes wrong. I don't trust myself to not mess up. But I wonder, does living evangelically necessarily entail trusting in ourselves? That doesn't exactly sound right.
I am an unusually trusting person. That's not always a good thing, but it helps me trust those who are trustworthy. I don't have a problem trusting God, because He is more trustworthy than anyone else ever could be. I definitely trust Him more than I trust myself. But I have had a problem figuring out how much we should trust in ourselves.
I've been reading a lot of the book of Acts lately. I'm particularly impressed by Paul, whose boldness and devotion result in miracle after miracle by the hand of God. I love reading about this because I know God can still do everything we read about there. In chapters 20 and 21 Paul is determined to go to Jerusalem even though the Holy Spirit is predicting heavy hardship for him there. Even his friends, who understand the Spirit's warnings, try to convince him. He will not be dissuaded from suffering anything he must for the glory of God.
Acts 20:24 "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."
Acts 21:13 "Then Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am willing not only to be imprisoned but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.'"
That is some seriously powerful faith. That's the kind of heart Jesus loves to see. Reading these things, I confess that I'm a little jealous. I want to have that kind of devotion, even if I don't face everything Paul faced. When I confessed that to God, He helped me understand something very important.
Our human weakness is a non-issue in God. It is enough for us to trust in God, because He is powerful and He empowers those whose trust is in Him. He doesn't want us to be pitiful and unconfident, but He doesn't want us to put our trust in ourselves so that we start thinking we are powerful enough to do anything on our own. That's when we get in the way. When our trust is in Him and we obey His will, we cannot fail, because He doesn't fail. He will not tell us to do something and then fail to empower us to to do it. All He wants us to do is obey, and He will do all the earth shaking, mountain moving, and miracle working.
God isn't here to help us do whatever we think is right. He is here to rule and reign and cherish us, to show us His will and empower us to obey it.
I notice that Paul's success as a Christian is not a result of not being afraid to make a mistake. He wasn't worried about not knowing enough or not saying the right thing. When he was on his way to Jerusalem, fully aware of the persecution coming his way, he wasn't trying to figure out what he would say. Jesus said in Luke 12:11-12 "[11] And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, [12] for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Paul's success is the result of just trusting God and obeying Him boldly. He was never ashamed and always faithful. But he, like all of us, was human and weak. That's what's so great about God's grace. When great things happen through weak people, God is glorified and we are filled with joy.
Paul himself wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 concerning a painful source of weakness, "[8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My grace is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
God knows how to handle the gospel, and He doesn't intend to leave His people struggling on our own. Knowing this makes it a lot easier to think about inviting people to church or even sharing the gospel. I'm not so afraid anymore, because now I understand that being weak doesn't hurt. If anything, it helps, because it shows off how strong God is.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
About "Thor: God of Thunder"
THIS WEEK has been long and busy. Right now I'm blogging at 11:32 PM the night before my Physics AP, because that's a great decision. Actually, it's because I haven't had a spare minute all day, but that's fine.
This was the week I started taking my senior year AP and IB tests, each of which last several hours. They're not fun, but I have a strategy: Study, Pray, Win. This strategy really works.
For example, in my Latin AP test on Thursday, a real miracle occurred. My phone, which was off in my purse on the far side of the school gym, sounded an alarm at 4:00 DURING my test. This alarm was to remind me to call my grandma and read her a Bible passage. I was horrified, because when phones make sounds during AP tests, people's tests get invalidated. I looked at my proctor, the strictest faculty member in the school, and then back down at my essays. I prayed and prayed that she wouldn't hear it, that she wouldn't do anything. The alarm got louder and longer. But she just sat there. It went off nine minutes later, and again nine minutes after that. And I kept praying, trusting God that He saw I was depending on Him. And she never seemed to notice. The fear had made my hand move so fast that I finished my test five minutes early. I don't know whether she couldn't hear it or whether she didn't care, but either way it is a miracle as far as I'm concerned, and I thank God for it.
This week hasn't all been work, though. Today I cooled off from volunteering at the Art Festival in Ponte Vedra by going to my cousin's birthday party. In a way, I guess I did as my English teacher advised: she said not to cram the night before a test, but just do something to relax. I'm glad I did. After the party we watched a movie called "Thor: God of Thunder," which, as you may have guessed, does not sound like a movie I'd like to see. I was pretty positive I didn't want to see it. But it was funny and interesting, and I'm actually glad I went.
There was one scene in this movie that really got my attention. It's one of the many climaxes, when Thor has told all of his friends to go at a distance while he confronts a monster by himself. I couldn't help but notice the Christian imagery that made its way into this scene.
Thor confronts this monster, sent by his jealous brother, meaning to give himself in the place of the people of the city the monster was destroying. Reasoning with his brother, he seems for a moment to have turned aside his wrath as the flame inside the monster suddenly cools. But then the metal beast backhands him in the face, sending him hundreds of feet away, and he dies. From galaxies away, his half-conscious father, king of the immortals, sees what he has done and the hammer of Thor is suddenly returned to its owner, restoring both his life and his power, so that he is able to destroy the monster before returning to his home realm.
Now that I type it out, it seems really weird. But think about it for a minute. Take away all the Nordic mythology and legendary splendor, and you get a story pretty similar to that of Jesus' sacrifice.
Jesus knew that if He laid His own life down, it would save countless lives. So He died to save us from our sins (the monster in the story). But death could not contain Him. After His sacrifice had been made, God resurrected Jesus, His humanly form, to conquer sin, the monster, entirely. Soon after, He rose up into heaven, promising to return.
There are a lot of differences between Thor and Jesus. A lot. Like the fact that Jesus is God in Man, and Thor is just a strong prince from a far away realm. Jesus is completely righteous, and Thor is cocky and proud. Jesus dies to save criminals (everyone), and Thor died to save innocents.
It's something to think about. Maybe there is, buried inside the plotline of "Thor: God of Thunder," a greater story to be told, one that is more than a legend.
This was the week I started taking my senior year AP and IB tests, each of which last several hours. They're not fun, but I have a strategy: Study, Pray, Win. This strategy really works.
For example, in my Latin AP test on Thursday, a real miracle occurred. My phone, which was off in my purse on the far side of the school gym, sounded an alarm at 4:00 DURING my test. This alarm was to remind me to call my grandma and read her a Bible passage. I was horrified, because when phones make sounds during AP tests, people's tests get invalidated. I looked at my proctor, the strictest faculty member in the school, and then back down at my essays. I prayed and prayed that she wouldn't hear it, that she wouldn't do anything. The alarm got louder and longer. But she just sat there. It went off nine minutes later, and again nine minutes after that. And I kept praying, trusting God that He saw I was depending on Him. And she never seemed to notice. The fear had made my hand move so fast that I finished my test five minutes early. I don't know whether she couldn't hear it or whether she didn't care, but either way it is a miracle as far as I'm concerned, and I thank God for it.
This week hasn't all been work, though. Today I cooled off from volunteering at the Art Festival in Ponte Vedra by going to my cousin's birthday party. In a way, I guess I did as my English teacher advised: she said not to cram the night before a test, but just do something to relax. I'm glad I did. After the party we watched a movie called "Thor: God of Thunder," which, as you may have guessed, does not sound like a movie I'd like to see. I was pretty positive I didn't want to see it. But it was funny and interesting, and I'm actually glad I went.
There was one scene in this movie that really got my attention. It's one of the many climaxes, when Thor has told all of his friends to go at a distance while he confronts a monster by himself. I couldn't help but notice the Christian imagery that made its way into this scene.
Thor confronts this monster, sent by his jealous brother, meaning to give himself in the place of the people of the city the monster was destroying. Reasoning with his brother, he seems for a moment to have turned aside his wrath as the flame inside the monster suddenly cools. But then the metal beast backhands him in the face, sending him hundreds of feet away, and he dies. From galaxies away, his half-conscious father, king of the immortals, sees what he has done and the hammer of Thor is suddenly returned to its owner, restoring both his life and his power, so that he is able to destroy the monster before returning to his home realm.
Now that I type it out, it seems really weird. But think about it for a minute. Take away all the Nordic mythology and legendary splendor, and you get a story pretty similar to that of Jesus' sacrifice.
Jesus knew that if He laid His own life down, it would save countless lives. So He died to save us from our sins (the monster in the story). But death could not contain Him. After His sacrifice had been made, God resurrected Jesus, His humanly form, to conquer sin, the monster, entirely. Soon after, He rose up into heaven, promising to return.
There are a lot of differences between Thor and Jesus. A lot. Like the fact that Jesus is God in Man, and Thor is just a strong prince from a far away realm. Jesus is completely righteous, and Thor is cocky and proud. Jesus dies to save criminals (everyone), and Thor died to save innocents.
It's something to think about. Maybe there is, buried inside the plotline of "Thor: God of Thunder," a greater story to be told, one that is more than a legend.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Royal Wedding
THIS WEEK, as you probably heard, Price William and Kate Middleton were married in Westminster Abbey in London, England. It was a long-awaited and highly anticipated occasion. People with no remote connection to the couple were wondering about every detail of the wedding, especially the bride's dress.
The event became worthy of even historic importance in the eyes of many people from places far from London. Americans rose early in the morning to watch the events live on television. And for good reason, too - it was a truly beautiful wedding.
The wedding ceremony involved many references to Christ's relationship with His church, often described as the "Bride of Christ." The Bible tells us that Christ loves the church as much as a husband loves his wife, enough to lay His own life down for her sake. The church - not referring to the building or a denomination, but the Body of Believers, all of those who are saved by God's grace because we believe in His sacrifice. God uses a lot of comparisons to help us understand how He loves us. Sometimes a friend who would even die for a friend. Sometimes a father and a child who needs guidance and love. And sometimes like a husband and a wife. These are all relationships we are familiar with. I think He does this to help us understand that He loves us more than we can understand.
Ephesians 5:25-27 "[25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, [26] that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, [27] that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
This means that throughout our lives God is making us ready for the wedding. The bride has to get ready beforehand, right? It also means that He loves us so much that He wants everything to finally be perfect. When I heard Josh McDowell speak at Campus Harvest a few months ago, he pointed out what amazes him: that even if he, or you or I, were the only person in the world, Jesus still would have died to save just that one person. That kind of love is too perfect and powerful to wrap our minds around, but it can certainly wrap around us. In John 15:13 Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."
The wedding reminded me that there is going to be a wonderful wedding in heaven, too. Christ often used weddings and marriage dinners to represent the kingdom of God in the parables He spoke. Revelation 19:9 and 21:9 also mention the aspect of the meeting in heaven being a wedding.
This wedding, as anything that happens in heaven, will be better than anything that could ever happen on earth. It will be more joyful and perfect and grand than the most elaborate wedding all of England could design. It will be more wonderful than a wedding could be even if produced using all the world's wealth and finery. You can't exaggerate how great it will be to finally enter heaven and be with Him forever. Can you imagine? We will be married to the King of everything, in a life that will last forever and be without hardship or calamity.
Revelation 21:2-4 describes how things will be in heaven. "[2] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. [4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Possibly the single most anticipated feature of Friday's royal wedding was the revealing of Kate Middleton's bridal gown. How would the bride look? What shade of white and what style would she wear? How would she do her hair? Only one thing was certain: she would be beautiful. And she was.
What will Christ's bride wear? We used to wear our sinfulness, which is what messes up the world. But by His grace we are saved, so we will wear His righteousness. It is beautiful and pure white. He paid for us to wear it, so that we can be "holy and without blemish."
The event became worthy of even historic importance in the eyes of many people from places far from London. Americans rose early in the morning to watch the events live on television. And for good reason, too - it was a truly beautiful wedding.
The wedding ceremony involved many references to Christ's relationship with His church, often described as the "Bride of Christ." The Bible tells us that Christ loves the church as much as a husband loves his wife, enough to lay His own life down for her sake. The church - not referring to the building or a denomination, but the Body of Believers, all of those who are saved by God's grace because we believe in His sacrifice. God uses a lot of comparisons to help us understand how He loves us. Sometimes a friend who would even die for a friend. Sometimes a father and a child who needs guidance and love. And sometimes like a husband and a wife. These are all relationships we are familiar with. I think He does this to help us understand that He loves us more than we can understand.
Ephesians 5:25-27 "[25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, [26] that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, [27] that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
This means that throughout our lives God is making us ready for the wedding. The bride has to get ready beforehand, right? It also means that He loves us so much that He wants everything to finally be perfect. When I heard Josh McDowell speak at Campus Harvest a few months ago, he pointed out what amazes him: that even if he, or you or I, were the only person in the world, Jesus still would have died to save just that one person. That kind of love is too perfect and powerful to wrap our minds around, but it can certainly wrap around us. In John 15:13 Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."
The wedding reminded me that there is going to be a wonderful wedding in heaven, too. Christ often used weddings and marriage dinners to represent the kingdom of God in the parables He spoke. Revelation 19:9 and 21:9 also mention the aspect of the meeting in heaven being a wedding.
This wedding, as anything that happens in heaven, will be better than anything that could ever happen on earth. It will be more joyful and perfect and grand than the most elaborate wedding all of England could design. It will be more wonderful than a wedding could be even if produced using all the world's wealth and finery. You can't exaggerate how great it will be to finally enter heaven and be with Him forever. Can you imagine? We will be married to the King of everything, in a life that will last forever and be without hardship or calamity.
Revelation 21:2-4 describes how things will be in heaven. "[2] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. [4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Possibly the single most anticipated feature of Friday's royal wedding was the revealing of Kate Middleton's bridal gown. How would the bride look? What shade of white and what style would she wear? How would she do her hair? Only one thing was certain: she would be beautiful. And she was.
What will Christ's bride wear? We used to wear our sinfulness, which is what messes up the world. But by His grace we are saved, so we will wear His righteousness. It is beautiful and pure white. He paid for us to wear it, so that we can be "holy and without blemish."
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