Posted by: jakinnan | February 18, 2013

Life at Last

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Life is the offer, friends. Let us not forget that.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (John 17:3 NLT)

There is no simpler or more beautiful way to say it than this: Act Four is the restoration of life as it was always meant to be.

It is the return of the beauty, the intimacy, and the adventure we were created to enjoy and have longed for every day of our lives. And yet, better, for it is immortal. We can never lose it again. It cannot be taken away. Sunrise and sunset tell the tale every day, remembering Eden’s glory, foretelling Eden’s return.

And what adventures shall unfold when we are given the kingdom that was always meant to be ours? Listen to this:

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come,you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” (Matt. 25:34, emphasis added)

Adam and Eve, and all their sons and daughters after them, were created to reign over the earth—to explore and discover and create and do all those things you see people do when they are at their very best.

That is our destiny.

-John Eldredge, Epic, 92-94

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 18, 2013

02/18/2013 Scripture

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Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe?  But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.  I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

-John 16:31-33 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 17, 2013

The Freedom to Reject Him

 

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In an attempt to secure the sovereignty of God, theologians have overstated their case and left us with a chess-player God playing both sides of the board, making all his moves and all ours too. But clearly, this is not so. God is a person who takes immense risks. No doubt the biggest risk of all was when he gave angels and men free will, including the freedom to reject him—not just once, but every single day. Does God cause a person to sin? “Absolutely not!” says Paul (Gal. 2:17). Then he can’t be moving all the pieces on the board, because people sin all the time. Fallen angels and men use their powers to commit horrendous daily evil. Does God stop every bullet fired at an innocent victim? Does he prevent teenage liaisons from producing teenage pregnancies? There is something much more risky going on here than we’re often willing to admit.

Most of us do everything we can to reduce the element of risk in our lives. We wear our seat belts, watch our cholesterol, and practice birth control. I know some couples who have decided against having children altogether; they simply aren’t willing to chance the heartache children often bring. What if they are born with a crippling disease? What if they turn their backs on us, and God? What if . . . ? God seems to fly in the face of all caution. Even though he knew what would happen, what heartbreak and suffering and devastation would follow upon our disobedience, God chose to have children. And unlike some hyper-controlling parents, who take away every element of choice they can from their children, God gave us a remarkable choice. He did not make Adam and Eve obey him. He took a risk. A staggering risk, with staggering consequences. He let others into his story, and he lets their choices shape it profoundly.

-John Eldredge, Wild at Heart, 30-31

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 17, 2013

02/17/2013 Scripture

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

-Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Picture Credit: Brandon Darnell

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 16, 2013

02/16/2013 Scripture

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What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?    Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[f] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.  How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

-James 2:14-20 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 15, 2013

Is Jesus More Like Mother Teresa or William Wallace?

William-Wallace

Now—is Jesus more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace? The answer is . . . it depends. If you’re a leper, an outcast, a pariah of society whom no one has evertouched, if all you have ever longed for is just one kind word, then Christ is the incarnation of tender mercy. On the other hand, if you’re a Pharisee, one of those self-appointed doctrine police . . . watch out. On more than one occasion Jesus “picks a fight” with those notorious hypocrites.

One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd.” Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” But the Lord replied, “You hypocrite! You work on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from their stalls on the Sabbath and lead them out for water? Wasn’t it necessary for me, even on the Sabbath day, to free this dear woman from the bondage in which Satan has held her for eighteen years?” This shamed his enemies. And all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did. (Luke 13:10-17 NLT)

Does Jesus tiptoe around the issue, so as not to “rock the boat”? Does he drop the subject in order to “preserve church unity”? Nope. He walks right into it, he baits them, he picks a fight. Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, and shames him in front of everyone. The Lord is a gentleman ???

-John Eldredge, Wild at Heart, 24-25

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 15, 2013

02/15/2013 Scripture

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His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

-2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

Picture Credit: Sandra Kreuzinger

 

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 14, 2013

A Love Story

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Let’s begin here—this is a love story, dear friends.
God is love, the apostle John tells us, and then he says it again so that we don’t forget, “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God” (1 John 4:16). Love is the single most defining quality of his character and his life. God is a passionate, and jealous, lover. (Is there really any other kind?) Out of his love he creates us for love. “We love, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The Scriptures tell us we are made in God’s image. You’ll notice that we human beings are, above all else, deeply and profoundly relational. Because he is. God is a Trinity, a fellowship of love. Love and intimacy are the core of his being, and so he gives to each of us a heart like his. When God does this, he reveals our deepest purpose: to love and to be loved.
This is, after all, a love story.
Why else would love be the deepest yearning of our hearts?
Isn’t love the greatest joy of human existence? And the loss of love our greatest sorrow? Do not the two great commands confirm this? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Love, for this is your destiny. Love God, and love each other. The banners that fly over God’s kingdom are the banners of love. It’s not about Bible study and faithful church attendance, not even dutiful marriage. Take the heart out of all that and it will absolutely kill you. This story is meant to be a passionate love affair. “I have loved you, “God says, “with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3).
-John Eldredge, Love and War, 26-27

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 14, 2013

02/14/2013 Scripture

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You are beautiful, my darling,
beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
 Your teeth are as white as sheep,
recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.
 Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
 Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
 Your breasts are like two fawns,
twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
 Before the dawn breezes blow
and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
and to the hill of frankincense.
 You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
beautiful in every way.

-Song of Solomon 4:1-7 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | February 13, 2013

Real Romance

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So I find myself dreading the approach of Valentine’s Day. Can I pull it off? Will she be happy? And now we’ve got a culture crazed with the upgrade of everything. Dinner and a card used to be a home run. That sounds so blasé these days, like you barely even gave it a thought. How boring. Now you’ve got to make it an all-day occasion—flowers in the morning, call and sing to her at work, write a poem in the card, dinner yes (and not the same place you went last year), but then something romantic afterwards like a hot air balloon or a drive in a rented convertible up Sunset Ridge. We have blown this day way out of proportion. It’s taken all the fun out of it.

And the truth is, women feel the pressure too—the pressure to be beautiful, to have just the right earrings to go with just the right dress, for their hair to be perfect—to achieve “sexy” without tipping over into “skanky.” (Edith Head said your dress ought to be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady). A woman feels the pressure to make all the right conversation, not to order too much at dinner (“I’ll just have a side salad”) and certainly don’t eat it all. And they feel the sexual pressure coming—either to offer sex “because it’s Valentine’s Day” or because they want to win their man. (Have you noticed all the November babies? Count back nine months. I know one family where all their kids are November birthdays. It was one of the few “sex days” of the year).

Real romance doesn’t work like that.

Romance seems to happen not because we’ve turned our google-eyed attention to romance, but because we are focused on other things—a beautiful fall day, and a spontaneous walk in the woods. An evening out “just because,” and we stumble on a great little restaurant and it all just becomes lovely. Or maybe the two of you simply rent a movie and watch it in your sweats, but it stirs both your hearts deeply and afterwards you have an amazing conversation and the intimacy makes you want to rip each other’s clothes off.

Romance requires free hearts.

Pressure, on the other hand, kills everything it touches.

-John Eldredge, Love and War, 57-59

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