Posts Tagged ‘Heaven’

Lesson for the Lord’s Day

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable, but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1 Corinthians 15:19-20

Communists used to make fun of Christians by saying that all they had was after this life. One of their so-called poets, Joe Hill, had a famous mocking line: Work and pray, live on hay, you’ll get pie in the sky when you die. Poor Joe Hill didn’t have much for a reference point; an execution squad shot him for a murder he probably didn’t commit when he wouldn’t use the alibi of being with another man’s wife at the time of the murder. Sadly, much of the world shares Joe Hill’s belief that the Christian is missing out on all that is good in this life, and will probably miss out in the next. How very wrong they are on both counts. Paul reminds us in today’s text that because of the resurrection, Christians have the best prospects for time and for eternity.

The most important element in life is hope, and it is part of our reaqson for being at all stages of life. Teenagers hope for a drivers lcense and a nice car, and for a glamorous girlfriend/boyfriend. Students hope for a great job and a fulfilling life. Young people hope for the best for their families and careers; middle aged people hope for a great time in retirement; retired people hope for good health as long as possible; and those in poor health hope the doctors find a cure. We need hope, it’s what gives us a reason for living, for looking forward to tomorrow and next year. That’s the way humanity is built. Without hope, we die. Do we have hope today as we gather to remember the One who died to give us assurance of hope? The certain and glorious hope of eternal salvation is rooted and founded in nothing more and nothing less than the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ.

Our gathering to remember the Lord today causes us to look backward to Calvary. We remember how much He suffered, how much He paid, how much He loved, to rescue poor sinners from eternal perdition. We remember His death. But we also remember His resurrection. Because He died, we have no fear of hell. Because He lives, we have assurance of Heaven.

Without the resurrection, we would be miserable. But we rejoice today, because He lives. And we will live forever with Him. -Jim MacIntosh

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Daily Devotional | Comments Off on Lesson for the Lord’s Day

Tidings for Tuesday

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Which devour widow’s houses, and for a shew make long prayers; the same shall receive greater damnation. Luke 20:47

Many years ago, a teenage friend of mine and I were sitting on our bicycles, watching the local minister of the little United church has he turned onto the road leading to his home. It was a gravel road, and the man of the cloth had a heavy foot, spinning his tires as he made the turn. Gravel stones flew and the rear end of the car fish-tailed as it approached the narrow bridge, avoiding the guardrails of the bridge by only a few inches (this was in pre-metric days). We shook our heads at such a display of reckless driving, and my friend made the observation, ‘It’s a good thing he’s got a sure ticket to heaven, ’cause he’s going to get there quick’. For some reason, he thought that the minister of a church would be automatically assured of Heaven. Actually, there are many people who think that. The scribes and the Pharisees of whom Jesus was speaking in today’s text apparently thought that. What a rude awakening they have had!

There was an old law, long since repealed, that enabled people to escape the consequences of serious crimes if they could read a portion of the Bible in court. Called ‘benefit of clergy’, this law existed during a time when few people could read or write. Some people actually escaped the gallows by using this loophole. The scribes and Pharisees appeared to think that their knowledge and still in Scriptures was enough to assure them of escaping damnation. So they were unkind to those they considered less than themselves, and were heartless toward the poor. Jesus warned them to search the scriptures because in them they thought they had eternal life, but in reality the Scriptures spoke of Christ. They failed to recognize the One of Whom Scripture spoke, and are now in hell. All about us are religious people who are relying on their religion, not on the Lord Jesus. Tragic is their end!

It would be good if all of us had the same knowledge of Scripture that the scribes and Pharisees had. It would be good if we spent as much time in prayer as they did, although we should do our praying in the closet, not in the market.

Have we escaped damnation? Not by our prayers or our Bible reading, we haven’t. Not by being more pious than others, we haven’t. By the blood of our Saviour, we have. In deep humility, let us give thanks to the Lord Jesus today. Not of ourselves… all of Himself. -Jim MacIntosh

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Daily Devotional | Comments Off on Tidings for Tuesday