Abundant Life

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John10:9,10

I think we need to ‘KISS’ these verses. Let’s Keep It So Simple! And look at the content and context. Jesus came to this earth, and into the Christian’s heart to give him/her life, but not just any life, it’s abundant life. Some translations describe it as overflowing life, and that’s extraordinary living. Who would not want that? Or to put it another way, why would anyone want to pour cold water on this promise?

The phrase “The thief comes only to steal” is a clue to who would want to spoil the Christian’s full and abundant life, and it is a thief. Someone who would steal your joy. The trouble is that our abundant life can be most in jeopardy and stolen by other christians who will decide (for you) that you are not living your life correctly. Perhaps you are watching the wrong Christian TV programs and movies, or reading the wrong inspirational books, enjoying the wrong Christian music, or even listening to the wrong Christian pastors and leaders. This is being done on an industrial internet scale by those who would want to mould you into their image of who God is to them, and by extension, should be to you too. However, I hope you can hold on to the fact that as Christians we have abundant life, and as the following verses confirm it is full of joy and gladness. I for one need to hold on to my future reward which is great in heaven. Amen, and thank you Lord for the positive message of the Gospel which grows in joy, rejoicing, and abundant life.

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah8:10

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew5:11,12

Expectations

Whether we like it or not, we place our expectations on others whose life impacts us. We think they have a mark to reach to be true to the person we think they are. Let me expand that to the people they lead you to think they are! That’s a very different thing, isn’t it? There are jobs and professions that we instinctively know what to expect, and we are seldom, if ever, wrong. Doctors, nurses, police officers, and I’m sure you could add others. But these are professions. Trained professionals in fact. But what about a work or vocation that is spread across all kinds of people, young and old, experienced or not, man or woman?

The Christian is such a person, and we have our expectations in each of them, whether in the community, or other churches, or dare I say even our own church. While in mixed company, have you ever heard the words, “I never thought you….(fill the action yourself)”. It’s akin to suggesting that you are a hypocrite, and that is a word I dislike intensely.

You see, the truth is: As much as we place our expectations on others, those same ‘others’ are placing their own expectations on us. I suppose that’s a fair balance, but I still don’t like it. The bottom line is that I think we should be very careful about the measuring stick we use on our Christian brothers and sisters, because they could use that same stick to beat us up if we fall short of their expectations! How then do we ALL live up to the expectations placed on us? The short answer is that we don’t, because we can’t in our own strength. The apostle Paul gives us the answer when he wrote to the Christians at the growing church in Colossae.

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord. Colossians1:9,10NIV

Times and Seasons

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven….He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart. Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 11 ESV

The idea of a balanced life is nothing new. We have balanced diets of sweet and savoury, meat and veg, and the balance we need to do life in all its complexity. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, tells us that everything has a season, and sandwiched between verses 1 and 11 are the well known words which unfortunately we mostly hear at funerals, referring to “a time to live and die” and other opposing sides of the same life.

God has made everything beautiful in its time, and how true this is. From the flower in the bud which is undoubtedly beautiful, to the withering leaf when that same plant is anything but beautiful. If you are a more mature person, as you look back to teenage years, do you not think of yourself as a once handsome man, or beautiful girl, and now looking in the mirror those days are gone? There is a season and everything is beautiful in its time, and we see it and accept it as truth. The old saying goes: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” so is it too much to think that there is beauty in life at all stages? Even for the older, more mature, with signs of life etched on their face, and the older flower or plant which will eventually give new life as it falls to the ground? Yes, everything is beautiful in its time! Everything and everyone!!

God has also put eternity into man’s heart according to the wisest man, Solomon. So what does he mean? We share the planet with atheists and agnostics and they claim that there is no afterlife, and no God. I have a recurring thought that those who shout loudest about there being no God, are the ones most likely to be struggling with the very concept. Empty vessels perhaps? God’s Word is true, and when it says that God has put eternity into man’s heart, then we can go to the bank with it, no matter what some ‘learned’ academics and the ignorant may say. It is impossible to show or prove, but I believe there are more deathbed conversions, and examples of the ‘dying thief on the cross’ encounters with the living Christ than we can ever know.

Life and Death

I have seen a few more deaths and funerals recently, both by attending, and those celebrity figures we see in the media. No one is exempt, but sometimes I notice a gulf between the life lived and the eulogy at the funeral. Now, I know we don’t speak ill of the dead, and I don’t want to do that, but just make a couple of general observations.

The story is told of an old farmer’s widow who was at the funeral service of her husband of many years. On hearing all the good things that were being said by the minister, she turned to her adult son and asked him to have a look in the open coffin to see if it really was his paw in there. It might be funny, but I think we can all relate. My first observation is that the things said at a funeral will sometimes bear little resemblance to the person we knew in life. It is a refreshing relief when it does, and the truth of a Godly life comes as a real comfort to the family.

The second observation for me is more significant and serious. Although there is a lot made of the dead person’s life, practically nothing is mentioned about the afterlife. It’s as if the destination of heaven is assumed as a foregone conclusion, no matter the life of unforgiven sins and abuses committed over many years. Truth is I feel sorry for the Pastor or Minister who is officiating. If they know the one who has passed from this scene of time, they must know the truth of the matter. Maybe they are speaking with fingers crossed behind their back.

I believe we are being numbed to the thought of our eternal destiny because it can be an uncomfortable prospect. There are programs on TV and radio about accepting our dying process, but nothing about what happens after we die. It can be convenient to think that there is nothing! With that thought in mind, there are clinics which will help you to die ‘with dignity’. However, if we claim to be Christians, we must accept the basic doctrine of life after death, whether in heaven or hell. That’s the problem, it’s hell we don’t want to face up to, so we gush over the good memories and gloss over the stuff that is more likely to mean an eternal destiny of hell. We can only do something about it while we are here in the one life we have. For my part, I am happy to leave the final, eternal, judgement to God and not to any imperfect and flawed human being in a clinic, or even in a collar. It’s a sobering thought!

People have to die once. After that, God will judge them. Hebrews 9:21 NIRV

Hope

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.          1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT

Funerals seem to come in groups, and as you know none are happy affairs. In my time, I have attended several from the soul-less and God-less humanist ‘service’ right through to the joyful celebration of a life lived to the full and lived well. I know a man who became a military chaplain partly because of the question that haunted him: “Where are they now”?

Don’t you think we take some things for granted? For example, life? More so, the Christian life? When we are young, we feel invincible and untouchable and slowly over the years we become more aware of our vulnerability and mortality. Those feelings touch everyone, and it’s just part of life. But do you and I take our Christian life for granted too? That is, if you think of yourself as a Christian (with a capital ‘C’) and not a nominal christian (with a lowercase ‘c’).

Being a Christian makes the biggest difference when you go to a funeral, whether family, a friend, or a casual acquaintance. Does anything ever strike you during the service in church, or the crematorium? How well the songs and hymns are sung. The atmosphere that lingers underneath the outer human grief. The sure and certain knowledge that this still living soul is now in heaven with their Lord and Saviour. Don’t try to tell me it doesn’t matter because it certainly does.

As a believing Christian every one has the cast iron assurance of an eternity in heaven, not only with their Christian loved ones, but with the author of their salvation. I know the minister will always do his or her best to ease the pain of the grieving family and friends, but there is a limit to what they can truthfully say. However there is no limit to the positive words anyone can use to describe the benefits of the faithful believers. Because beneath the temporal tears of the mourning loved ones, lies the certainty of the joy that they have been welcomed to a reward in Glory that we cannot adequately describe.

Let’s do the minister a favour and live life so that he can tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth at our own ‘going away’ celebrations!

But What?

But I came to give life—life that is full and good. John 10:10 ERV
But you refuse to come to me to have that life. John 5:40 ERV

You can’t help but ask the obvious question. Why? The leaders of the church in Jesus’ time knew everything, or at least they thought they did. They knew their scriptures inside out and back to front, and this Jesus was obviously an imposter. They could see it, and they questioned anyone else that thought differently. They never stopped being taught, even when they became Scribes and Pharisees. The trouble is they never really learned. We can see that being the case in secular life, so why not in the synagogue?

The parallel is uncannily similar today, and the question is the same. Given the promise of real, full, abundant life for free, why would anyone turn their back on it? The Pharisees couldn’t see it and today there are those who know better, both in the general church and outside it. It’s not that the gift of life isn’t offered in our day and age because it is, and the cost is the same, it is a free gift. Full life for the living is free.

We have advanced in so many ways since Jesus’ day. Science and technology have taken over, and we can talk our way out of anything. That last part hasn’t changed from the Pharisees’ day. The biggest difference today is that we may have convinced ourselves that Jesus was an imposter, or a lunatic, or a liar. Maybe a bit of all three. This is made easier since society has downgraded church and Jesus to a mere side show. When you dismiss the gospel of Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection, you can ignore anything He might have said. In fact, you can ignore all of the Bible as a fairy tale.

If you were offered a gift of something you wanted and needed greatly, wouldn’t you at least give the giver a chance by taking the gift and seeing if it is true? Are you so arrogant and sure of yourself that you would turn away from it without a second thought? We haven’t come very far as a human race since Jesus’ time, and I suggest we are no different today.

Great Love

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.             John 15:13 NIV

The first that Dave knew something was very wrong was the double thud heard on the wooden framed outer doorway of the office where he was working on assignment in North Carolina. He was in regular communication via computer with his colleagues in Scotland, and although very unfamiliar with guns, he immediately recognised the sound of heavy gunfire and bullets which embedded themselves into the office doorway just a few feet from where he was sitting. There was a thin internal wall separating him from one of the production lines. Very quickly, Dave and many others were escorted outside to safety by armed security and told to ‘get down’ which they did.

Roll back a few minutes and an ex-employee had entered the production line unofficially through a loading bay, armed with an automatic rifle, handgun, and a large belt of ammunition. He was hunting for his old manageress with the intention of killing her for firing him due to his erratic behaviour. Unknown to him, she was out that day. The other men and women on that production line knew how unpredictable this man could be, but step forward the hero of the piece. A young family man, who was a lay preacher, and a former friend, he stood between the gunman and any possible intended victim. He tried to reason with the unreasonable, and it didn’t have any effect. Instead, at point blank range, this young man paid the price with his life by defending the other folks who could also have been a target, and died immediately. The gunman fled and was captured some miles down the highway after another shootout.

Dave never got to know the name of the hero who paid the ultimate price that day, but every single person on that production line felt they owed their life to him. He died on their behalf, and had done nothing wrong. His motives and actions were pure and clean. Remind you of anyone else? It should.

Another hero many centuries earlier had laid His life down for His friends, and not just a few, but for everyone who asks for His saving grace. Jesus died just as sure as the unnamed hero that Dave never met. He was a Christian who lived and died confessing his faith to a man who possibly didn’t deserve any help or mercy, but was granted it by another friend who decided to put his life on the line, to give his friend a second chance. It failed. How like the Saviour of the world who even now stands between us and a lost eternity, and yet so many still reject His pleading, but yet His word is as true today as it was when it is recorded: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Hebrews 3:15 NIV, but we must also always remember the promise of our ever loving Saviour Jesus who declares: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 NIV. How can we remain unsure and undecided knowing that we are loved that much? Maybe it’s time to take Him up on His offer of life, and that second chance we so desperately need.

Influence

‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13 NIV

The South of Ireland held their referendum on abortion, and in a shock to many on either side of the argument, the swing to allowing abortion in many situations was agreed. The vote was 65:35 in favour of relaxing the current legislation. The real shock was the size of the majority.

Two comments struck me as I watched the aftermath unfold, and both were sadly accurate. One commenter said, “Just because the majority voted for it, doesn’t make it right”. In a democracy that can be shown to be true in many societies. The second opinion was this: “The influence of the church has been largely dismissed as a result of the recent child abuse scandals involving the priests and the associated cover up. How can the ordinary person believe what they say now on anything?”.

The ordinary Christian in the pew has a responsibility to be a witness to the Jesus they profess, but a much greater burden of responsibility lies with the leaders in all and any church of all and any denomination. The thought and fear expressed in the wake of the referendum result is this: Would the outcome have been different if the church had spoken its advice in truth, purity, sincerity and the integrity they always claimed? In this case, the change could have been massive and an opportunity was lost.

To a smaller degree, our church of members and leaders should be aware of the impact on other people’s lives if we are seen as hypocrites, or at best a poor reflection of the Saviour we claim. When we lose our ‘shine’ we automatically lose the witness that should and could attract the unbeliever to become a believer. Perhaps not on a massive scale as shown by the recent Irish referendum, but certainly on that friend or family member you would love to see become a believer, and even more so because your life and lifestyle made the difference. In the words of the old saying, “The kingdom was lost for want of a nail.” Let’s make sure our influence is not dismissed. Think what you like, people do notice.

Posterity

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! Psalm 22:30,31

It is worth keeping in mind that we don’t know the future. While in our youth, we don’t give too much thought to the future, and let’s face it, the years ahead can bring many changes to life, some bad, and some good. For my part, and from experience, I am happy not knowing the future, and leaving it in God’s hands.

I was drawn to these verses because of circumstances which are unfolding before my eyes, and I am blessed to be a witness to them. The call of God on a life is a precious and very special thing, and cannot be compared to any secular job, no matter how important. When that call comes to your grandson, it can be humbling and a blessing in equal measure because it is within your own close family circle. Such is this time which I couldn’t foresee as he was growing up, even though he was raised in a secure, loving and Godly family unit.

Now some years later, it is evident that he will be used in music, speaking, teaching, preaching, and living a life of ministry to some who have not yet been born! That is mind boggling, at least to me. Those who know and love him, can see the sincerity of his life for God. However there is one in particular who is not here to witness this life changing period. His gran would be so proud of his commitment to serve the Lord in this way. Who can say that she is not looking down from her place in heaven, in that great cloud of witnesses, and smiling?

God is already in our future, whether we recognise that truth or not. Through good and bad, health and sickness, life until death. Let us be sure to live our lives as a testimony to the love and grace of a holy God such that others can see Christ in us and respond. Who knows what the effect of a sincere witness will be in the preparation of a heart, perhaps yet unborn, to be given in God’s service to others, through our own life? As the verse ends, “He (God) has done it”. It’s not of ourselves. No one else can take the credit!

Not Yet

I hadn’t seen my brother and sister for some time. It has been years since we had fallen out, and even now the reasons are hazy. They were real at the time I am sure because there was a real bust up. In fact more than a few of them which left indelible marks on our hearts, but I wish I could remember what it was all about. It all seems so long ago, and for a long time I had reached a point where it didn’t bother me any more. Especially after trying to make amends and hitting that brick wall. Truth is, I was part of the cause, and now I was isolated and paying the price for my actions. I always taught my own children that actions have consequences, so to be sure that our words and deeds always had good motives, because ‘family is everything’.

I was a Christian and felt that I had lived a good life. That is until the family split some years ago. I did try to apologise, but maybe not with enough feeling or conviction. In fact my family members who felt wronged, were Christians too. What a mess.

As I took the time to lift my head from my hands, I saw it again. The coffin. A dark wood to match the dark mood in the room. I was sitting on one side of the room on my own, and I could make out through the tears, the faces of my siblings just over the top of the closed casket. They were weeping too. This wasn’t supposed to happen. We should have had more time. Time to eventually put things right, but it never quite worked out. Mum and Dad were always there for us all, and they hurt for our differences over the years. They prayed for us all, and now my dad wasn’t ever going to see any end to his children’s childish squabbling. It hurt and pained him deeply, and now there was no way to make things right for him.

Mum sat over to the side of the room, partway between her children, all grown up adults, still behaving like the children they are. We were all wrapped up in our own griefs, and regrets. Regrets which were so avoidable. We claimed to be a Christian family but we couldn’t do the basic act of forgiveness. It was too hard we convinced ourselves, and anyway, God would understand we believed. That was easier than taking the step to be vulnerable and to ask for, and receive forgiveness. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray near the start of His ministry, and it is no accident that He included the selfless act of forgiveness. In fact He said if we don’t forgive, He would not forgive us. What a sobering thought. He said It is that important!

The organ started to play dad’s favourite hymn, and we all rose to our feet in respect, reverence, and awe. Dad was gone, mum was in a flood of tears, and as I looked around I realised that we were all out of time. As I found the haunting words ‘not yet’ on my lips and heart, I suddenly awoke with a throbbing heartache and in a real body sweat. It was a horrible dream, but oh so true. How much time do I really have I wondered? Was God giving me a message? Was the much needed and overdue heart change and spirit of forgiveness supposed to start in me? Why does it have to be me I muttered, and then I stopped dead. Dead. The thought was true, the dream was real. My plea, my tearful prayer to God was, and remains ‘not yet’. Please God give me the time I need, take the heart of stone from me and replace it with a heart of flesh. My parents were ageing, but please Lord, they were ready to meet You, but NOT YET for mum!!! There are some important things I need to do first before night falls and we are cut off!

We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. John 9:4 NLT  

The Journey - Flat Tyre

Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come... so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. Ecclesiastes 9:12

Everything on our journey does not go to plan. If we are fortunate, most things run smoothly, but then there’s the whopper that comes along out of the blue. You don’t see it coming and so it hits harder than usual. No one likes the unexpected, and when it happens, it can hurt and hurt badly. A flat tyre can ruin the holiday car journey, or at best delay it indefinitely. To say it is frustrating is an understatement.

Have you suffered a ‘flat tyre’ on your faith journey? You will not be alone if you have. Flats come in many guises, but all are frustrating, and have the ability to question the wisdom of your choice of destination, and certainly when you would expect to arrive. We take our cars for granted, and when that unexpected puncture happens, we often don’t even know how to change the tyre, or even find all the tools!

Since these emergencies happen unexpectedly, it is essential that we live and drive well prepared in advance. Anything else is folly, and only invites the disaster we want to avoid. After all, why have a spare wheel when you don’t know how to change it? I would suggest it is a good idea to look at the car handbook before you need to use it. It makes no sense to read the book when it’s too late. Do you see the similarity with our faith life? Don’t think about looking at the instruction book, the Bible, until we are in a serious illness, or worse still nearing death. You can’t phone for the AA to come and help you then, so be wise and find out how to live now. If you find out how to live, you will also find out how to die when that unexpected eternal flat tyre happens. That, my friend, makes the preparation all worthwhile!

All Done!

When our children were very young, after clearing their plate of dinner, they would lift both hands and say with a look of pride and achievement, “all done”. Christmas Day is all over, and in a way it is all done, but does it have to be? The turkey is almost finished and you are on to leftovers, wrapping paper is in the bin, the tree starts to look a little lost in the room, the carols don’t have the same ring now, and having eaten much more than you should, some plain, ordinary food is now needed. Christmas feels “all done”.

From early December, people were noticeable brighter, happier, and more likely to stop and chat than before. There is the anticipation of Christmas in almost every head whether a believer or not. Let’s face it we all like the feeling that Christmas brings, even if some do not accept the baby in the manger. It is impossible to miss the fact that something big is going to happen, and it means a lot to most people, if not everyone.

For the believer, Christmas is NOT a one day event celebrated once a year. It is, or should be, a way of living every day. The baby grew up, became a man, and was killed for doing good at the hands of a baying mob of his own people. He was unfairly and unjustly treated, and murdered. If the story stopped there we have no hope, and the baby at Christmas would be just like any other baby born at that time. But the story doesn’t stop there, this same baby who grew up, destroyed death, folded the grave clothes neatly, and left the tomb. From being very dead, to being very alive, He became our Saviour.

This makes us want to live like every day is Christmas, giving us a hope for the future and a spring in our step for all to see. So why did the baby come in the first place? One of the reasons is all wrapped up in Jesus’ words in John 10:10: I came to give life—life that is full and good. So, let’s make every day of the year our very own Christmas celebration.

Life IS a Journey!

Time passes surely and steadily with every birthday and anniversary, so in keeping with the title of this blog, I thought it would be a good thing to remind ourselves of the journey ahead that we all face. Our hopes, dreams, and chosen paths are different, but we are all on a journey whether we like it or not. In the months to come, let’s have a look at some of the highs and lows of this trip which we all face, and if you want to comment about your own experiences, you can do this on the parent blog page.

There is not a day goes by that you will not be faced with a decision which will affect the remainder of that day, perhaps the week, or indeed even longer. We must be careful then as we travel and interact with others who are on their own personal journey because there is an element of choice in the travelling we do. For some, it is a casual but healthy, non risk, walking exercise, but for others it will be like scaling a mountain. There are many types of journey in between these extremes, and I hope we can look at some of these through a spiritual lens.

If you read the Gospels you will soon realise that Jesus was on a journey for all of His 33 years while He was in an earthly body. He suffered many things, physical and emotional, and came out on top with the greatest miracle of all time. He defeated satan and death, and that is our total encouragement as we travel this life. So, let’s see what we can discover. Stay with me, and follow along as we explore that fact that “Life IS a Journey”!

He [Jesus] said to them, “When you travel, don’t take a walking stick. Also, don’t carry a bag, food, or money. Take for your trip only the clothes you are wearing. Luke 9:3

Earth to Heaven

I seem to be going through a stage of life where one friend after another is taking seriously and terminally ill, and sadly passing away. Normally, life’s events like these happen occasionally, but not for now. I have two ways to look at this, and react. I can take the passing of friends in a sad and grieving way, emphasising the tragic loss of a loved one to the spouse and family, and that is a normal, fit and proper reaction. In fact, this is very appropriate in the immediate aftermath of the loss. However, if we can find it within us, there is another way.

We are supposed to be a Christian country, but do we take this faith personally? Do we live the Bible we read, with all the promises it contains? I am fortunate to have many friends and family who live the faith of the Christian life, and believe in God’s promises. So, after the grief has eased (not passed, because humanly it may never go away) how about believing the words we read in the Bible we love? Words like: 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. Revelation 21:4  How can you not love these words?

Our loved ones who have gone on before us are not dead. They are very much alive and no longer sick, diseased, lame, blind, confused, or troubled. We have this assurance: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14 and in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Finally, we know without a doubt that Jesus feels our grief and pain at our greatest time of loss. This is the reason we know that He IS our Saviour, and the One who stands beside us in our loss and for that time afterwards when others may not be in touch so often. Now, rest in and be comforted by the One who understands our grief best of all, as God’s Word records: Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ John 11:35,36 How can we doubt His offer of that same love to us?

Fast Pass

You are at a major theme park, and you don’t have time to wait in the line, so what do you do? You buy a Fastpass which lets you stroll up, straight to the top of the queue and get on the attraction of your choice. And what did you do for this benefit? You paid for it! Others didn’t pay the price, so they wait in line. That seems fair, doesn’t it?

I have noticed another kind of Fastpass in operation, and right up front let me apologise for offending some sensitive people, because there is nothing surer. If we hold to the simple and basic beliefs of any Christian church, heaven is not granted to everybody. There has to be a recognition of our need of a Saviour, repentance, followed by salvation. I don’t want to complicate things, but that’s it in a nutshell for most. What no one can do is pay for entrance to heaven. It is a non-negotiable. Heaven is for believers!

Why then, especially around Memorial Day, do we see many references to soldiers who died in combat going straight to Glory? It is treated like a Disney Fastpass. Dare I suggest that not all brave (and no one doubts their courage and bravery) military men and women are believers in the atoning work of Jesus Christ? In spite of that obvious truth, we constantly, year after year, grant heaven to all past and serving military personnel. Brave soldiers, sailors and airmen and women are not given a Fastpass to heaven when they sign up to serve their country, and it does no good to pretend otherwise.

So, during this season of honouring and remembering our military, can we try to keep the truth in mind? Jesus said in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” These words are true for all, but the great news is that all can accept the gift of salvation, and enter the kingdom of God, including our brave military. It isn’t a Fastpass, but it is guaranteed because Jesus died to secure it. He further says in verse 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now that is worth celebrating by everybody, and on any every day of the year!

Celebrity Death

There have been a few famous celebrities who have died recently, some better known than others, but each one gets the same reporting importance. Rightly so, because death is no respecter of persons and every loss is significant and important to those left behind, and even many grieving people who didn’t know them personally. In essence, we identify with a person who can excite us, make us laugh or cry, and do good in the community. We mourn the death of people we respect and honour.

I wonder what the media and community would make of the situation in the unlikely event that any one of these celebrities suddenly appeared on our news screens again as if nothing had happened to them, and it had all been false reporting? The world would buzz with excitement that our ‘beloved celebrity’ was back with us alive and well! Maybe then we could believe that death is not the end of things.

We should never lose sight of the fact that there already has been such a miracle, where a good person was killed and a few days later walked the streets with friends who had trouble believing their eyes and ears. Jesus died, rose, and is now in heaven speaking on our behalf to His Father God, and we treat this with a shallow level of importance. History confirms the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, and we do celebrate that resurrection in a fitting way with chocolate eggs and fluffy bunnies. What?! Would you be happy with that for your celebrity? Why then, do we accept these insignificant trappings as symbolic of the coming back to life of the person who died for us, to give us the gift of salvation and eternal life?

Next time the media gushes over the life and death of a celebrity, pause for a moment and recognise the comparison of screen time given to them, against the historical fact that Jesus also died, but significantly is the only person who rose to secure our victory over death. After all, as a result, we have the prospect of a real eternal rest in heaven. So, let’s never forget or minimise the comforting words that Jesus said in John 11:25 ...“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

Life Isn't Fair

The 20th of August is important for two similar, but also very different reasons. My wife, a very special lady, lost her life to cancer almost three years ago. She would have been a very young, sprightly and active wife, mum and gran had she survived that terrible disease. This date will always be remembered for the great loss of a lovely, kind and warm person.


A year ago on the same date, the Locherbie bomber, Abdel Baset Ali Al Megrahi was granted compassionate release from his life sentence for blowing up Pan Am Flight 103, taking hundreds of lives with it. He was found guilty of the crime. I have made no secret of my opinion that the decision to release him to go back to his own country was wrong. He was given 3 months to live, and now a year later he is still alive. That is where life isn't fair. Compare the life of my wife, who only did good, to the bomber who blew a plane and it's passengers out of the sky, in an act of terrorism, and got a hero's welcome when he arrived home in Libya.


The debate and argument rages again, one year on from his release. I have even heard people say they wish him to be dead, and the sooner the better. He has lived too long! At the moment he has lived 4 times longer than the doctors thought. No, life is not fair, and I don't agree with his release, but I do not wish him dead for the convenience of some politicians who are being questioned on the basis for the release decision.


It has often been repeated that compassion is a part of the Scottish judicial system, and that is good and right, even when some decisions may be open to question, but please let's not wish anyone dead. That wish and desire is held and used in the countries like the USA who still use capital punishment. They wish the criminal dead, and they pass that judgement. With the faults we have in Scotland, let's not be tempted to change it for the barbarism of wishing someone dead, and let's keep that compassion alive.


And whoever said that life was fair anyway? Certainly not in this life. One thing is for sure, after death, the real reward or judgement is passed out by a higher court than any on this earth. My wife has her reward now, and Megrahi will also be given his 'reward'. Then life will be fair!!

Is That Really It??

One of the great freedoms we have, in every walk of life, is our freedom to choose our religion, faith, or perhaps to decide that there is no supreme being, and what we have in this world is all there will ever be. Many very learned and scholarly people have spent untold hours, and written books on whether there is a God or not. I am not a scholar in the same way these people are, and there are differing views even amongst the scientific community. There are many scientists who are convinced that there is a God, and similarly, many who think there is not. I could not enter a scientific debate with these scholars and philosophers, so I won't.


We are entitled to differ in this very basic question, and we do. Therefore I do not want to question how those who come to the conclusion that there is no God, got there. At least everyone knows where they stand. There are those too, perhaps like me, who are very sure of their belief in God, and have the faith to support it. In my limited way, I have read books, questioned myself, and spoken to others, to come to my own conclusion that there is a God, and that He is not far from any of us. I also believe the Bible is given to help us find the way. 


So we have two opposing camps. Those who accept there is a God, and those who don't, but in each case the decision was made after due thought and consideration at our own level. We are entitled to that basic freedom. However, there is a group in the middle. People who have not really given it a lot of thought, and who certainly don't live one way or the other, but who call themselves by a vague name. A name like, Catholic, or Protestant, or C of S, or C of E, or Baptist, and the list could go on. They will take their children to church to get baptised, get married, or be buried with a church's blessing. They might even go to church on a special occasion like Christmas, but have not committed to any real or life changing faith.


At the end of our time here on this earth, I find myself asking the question again, 'is this really all there is to my life'?  It's the same question those scholars can't agree on. We get side tracked by questions like, 'why all the suffering', and fail to ask 'why am I here'? So as my life draws to a close someday (and it certainly will!), I will not be asking myself 'is that really it'? My faith allows me to believe in life after death, and the chance to see a God who loves me, and loved ones who have died before me. It's my basic freedom, and based on many of life's choices and circumstances. The great thing is, I can live and die with confidence, and that gives me comfort right here, right now. I like that.