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Common Sense
Time For Us?
How long have we been with Jesus? “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26, 27 NIV). From the beginning, which beginning? It is generally construed by biblical scholars that when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, he was referring to their shared “beginning” with Him on His earthly ministry and mission, not the biblically aforementioned “beginning” of creation, “He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:2 NIV). Yet the Apostles joined Him at a different times on His earthly journey? We only know what Truth God offers to us through the Holy Spirit of Truth and through His Word. So what else about this or our beginning time does the Bible tell us? “And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world…” (Revelation 17:8b NIV). “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Ephesians 1:4 NIV). “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” (2 Timothy 1:9 NIV). “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:39 NIV). “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”(John 17:2 NIV). The choices referenced were clearly all written in the book of life before the beginning of time, but the question remains, were we?
Were we created later, to fulfill the list of names which preceded us, or were we created at that same moment the list was made? A list of names is simply a list. We can not choose to love from a list of names, but we can certainly love the ones it defines. God is light, life and love. Because we can’t recall a relationship with God before this life, does not mean we did not have one. Jesus said “you have been with me from the beginning“, and there exists in some of us an inherent need to always be with Him. If that same need defines you … “you also must testify“. God created “time” for us, He has eternity.
JC Calkins with COMMON SENSE 4 UNCOMMON PEOPLE
The Invitation Arrived
Give a hungry person a fish and he or she will eat that day, teach that person how to fish and they will eat forever. God has seen to that option for all of us too. This practical advice has been around for centuries but it’s as true now as it was when first written. It defines practical charity and good fellowship. This concept also holds true in our spiritual beliefs, through His following and discipleship. Jesus didn’t come here… read more
Write Home Campers
For those of us who turn to God regularly, many of our turns include our regular requests for His assistance. Before I grew to know God a little better, I believed that it was bothersome to ask God for every little thing that might help me to navigate each life-storm. I presumed that He might get annoyed in the same way that I or my dad might have gotten annoyed when I asked for things that I could clearly do… read more
I See The Light
The fog burned off, it was a day of clarity. During lunch with a close friend recently, our conversation momentarily focused intently on God. More specifically on exactly who God is? My friend said, the easiest way for him to think about it is that “God is life, light and love”, everything else is not (God). Stay tuned. The who God is part of that sentence went down easily, like freshly squeezed lemonade on a blistering hot, dusty day. There… read more
Exit Here, Narrow Road
There are no instructions recorded in the bible that come to my mind more often than these three simple sentences. Jesus said, “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 NIV). The reason for my awareness is simple, I’ve spent more of… read more
Manipulation
One of our least enviable character traits is that of manipulation. There are some, too many really, who take great personal pleasure in their sharpened ability to get others to do precisely what they want them to do. There are times when experience tells us that someone we know is embarking on a dangerous path or journey. This often results in our interference of best interests. We presume that we know better than they do, i.e. what such a journey… read more
Promises
It seem at times that some of us were born into a narrow era, when promises were the most valuable possessions we might hold on to or share with anyone else. That isn’t an era of time as you might expect but an “era” of honor. Our word was our primary testimonial of character. Our word was and for some still is the very essence of who we are. Over the course of this life I’ve watched a society of… read more
Revenge?
How about revenge for a biblical lesson? Certainly it’s something that most of us think about at some time or another? If you’re one of the rare people who has never thought about revenge of any sort then you can skip this article. I’m suggesting that most people feel that they have been wronged by somebody at some point in their life and that the perpetrator probably got away with it. When that happens we feel as though we’ve been… read more
Spring Break
We live in a society which prioritizes leisure. Yes most of us work hard for most of our lives, with the hope and expectation that we’ll one day retire into that life of relative leisure. We can count corporations by the hundreds who’s missions are to provide extravagant leisure opportunities and destinations for us, their customers. Leisure in this country and in others is a huge industry. Long before retirement, some people begin to commit more energy and time to… read more
Anger Leadership
The Prince of Peace certainly wasn’t immune to human frustrations. Nor was He always passive and tolerant. When a push back was necessary to illustrate His point, He didn’t hesitate. His message was love but that was far too simple and unrewarding for the persons of authority during the Lords brief time with us. They challenged Him, unsuccessfully. They baited Him, without benefit. They taunted Him and tried to entrap Him but nothing could slow what He’d come to say… read more
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