Mark identified everything in his Gospel as “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Trace Mark’s reporting of Jesus’ ministry and discover he wrote about Jesus’ exemplary baptism, His victory over temptation, His selection of disciples, miracles He performed, spiritual truths He communicated, forgiveness He extended, prophecies He revealed, His sinless life, His crucifixion, His resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, and His mandate to His followers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world. But, according to Mark 1:1, all this remarkable information about Jesus is just “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
The word “gospel” means good news, so we may rightly ask what further good news about Jesus can possibly lie beyond the good news Mark’s Gospel unfolds? Surely, Heaven responds, “Wait and see.” When we live in Heaven with Jesus, we will see Him in all His fullness and revel in His attributes, authority, and power.
Christianity is neither stagnant nor stale. It focuses on our ever-living Savior and teaches us to anticipate each tomorrow and the eternal day. For the Christian, life just keeps getting better and better until in Heaven it is at its best.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Life After 90
Yesterday, Gloria and I attended a birthday lunch to honor three former members of a church I had served as senior pastor. Two are 92; one is 93. Each of them lives alone and pursues a fairly independent lifestyle. One still drives. The other two decided only recently to stop doing so.
Living beyond 90 is quite a feat. But living faithfully for the Lord and manifesting joy at that age is not only a remarkable accomplishment but also a testimonial to His sovereign will and goodness. Ultimately, the Lord determines the length of time we spend on earth, but each of us is responsible for what we put into the time.
If I live to 90, I hope I can still sit up and take nourishment. More importantly, I hope I can nourish the lives of others. Moses alluded to life’s days in Psalm 90. Here are two excerpts: (1) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom; and (2) Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (verses 12, 14).
Happy birthday, Enid, Bob, and Pearl!
On a personal note: I finished writing my second book for golfers and sent it to a literary agent yesterday.
Living beyond 90 is quite a feat. But living faithfully for the Lord and manifesting joy at that age is not only a remarkable accomplishment but also a testimonial to His sovereign will and goodness. Ultimately, the Lord determines the length of time we spend on earth, but each of us is responsible for what we put into the time.
If I live to 90, I hope I can still sit up and take nourishment. More importantly, I hope I can nourish the lives of others. Moses alluded to life’s days in Psalm 90. Here are two excerpts: (1) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom; and (2) Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (verses 12, 14).
Happy birthday, Enid, Bob, and Pearl!
On a personal note: I finished writing my second book for golfers and sent it to a literary agent yesterday.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
More Than Coffee and Sweet Rolls
Paul thanked God for the fellowship of the Christians at Philippi (Phil 1:3–5). I don’t think any friendship is quite like that Christians enjoy as they partner together to serve the Lord. “Fellowship” involves something far more significant than having coffee and sweet rolls in a church’s fellowship room. It involves working together to advance the cause of Christ. The Philippians exemplified this kind of fellowship by supporting Paul as their missionary (4:10–19).
Fifty-two years ago I graduated from Moody Bible Institute with 256 other seniors in what we all believe was the most closely knit class in the school’s history. At our 5oth class reunion in February 2007, we decided to establish an endowment fund that would benefit Moody students for years to come as they embark on short-term overseas mission trips. We set a goal of donating $57,000 as a class. Two years later, the fund’s balance is roughly $47,000. Soon we will reach our goal.
About 50 of our class members are in Heaven now, but the rest of us are in our seventies and are actively staying in touch. Facebook and e-mail keep us informed. Many of us are still involved in ministries. I am thankful for this ongoing fellowship, and I am also thankful for the fellowship of many friends acquired through the years since I graduated from Moody.
Why not thank the Lord today for your Christian friends and for the privilege of serving the Lord together, each in his or her own “corner of the vineyard”?
Fifty-two years ago I graduated from Moody Bible Institute with 256 other seniors in what we all believe was the most closely knit class in the school’s history. At our 5oth class reunion in February 2007, we decided to establish an endowment fund that would benefit Moody students for years to come as they embark on short-term overseas mission trips. We set a goal of donating $57,000 as a class. Two years later, the fund’s balance is roughly $47,000. Soon we will reach our goal.
About 50 of our class members are in Heaven now, but the rest of us are in our seventies and are actively staying in touch. Facebook and e-mail keep us informed. Many of us are still involved in ministries. I am thankful for this ongoing fellowship, and I am also thankful for the fellowship of many friends acquired through the years since I graduated from Moody.
Why not thank the Lord today for your Christian friends and for the privilege of serving the Lord together, each in his or her own “corner of the vineyard”?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Luigi Tarisio
One morning the body of Luigi Tarisio was found in the bleak home where he had died. Also discovered there were 246 rare violins, which Tarision had stored in the attic. The most exquisite violin lay in the bottom drawer of a wobbly old dresser. Obviously, Tarisio had loved violins, but by hoarding them he had robbed others of their music. What a loss the world suffers if even one Christian keeps the gospel to himself!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
"Error! Error!"
Errors in print can be embarrassing. Our newspaper published an obituary that listed the deceased person’s birth as Aug. 28, 2009 and her death as April 10, 2009. The obituary described her as “a longtime Colorado Springs resident.” Will Rogers was right, we can’t believe everything we read in the paper.
In the 1970s a publisher I worked for printed 10,000 books stating that “Meshech is Hebrew for typesetter omission.” The error crept into the books because a proofreader had flagged a typesetter omission after the words “Hebrew for” by writing “typesetter omission” on the galley. The typesetter was supposed to correct the error by inserting what he had failed to see in the manuscript, namely “Moscow.” The sentence should have read: “Meshech is Hebrew for Moscow.” (See Ezekiel 39:1.)
That error was costly. The printer had to throw away 10,000 books. Eat the cost, and start over.
Another time, a memory verse in an adult Sunday school manual suffered a typesetting error that eluded the proofreaders. Instead of stating, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain,” it read, “Now godliness with contentment is great pain.” (See 1 Timothy 6:6.)
Writers, proofreaders, and editors cringe when errors occur in print. The damage is done and cannot be corrected until the next revision.
My wife Gloria is usually the first person to catch an error in my blog. She sounds an alert from her computer desk, “Error! Error!” I don’t welcome the alert, but it helps to keep me humble. Fortunately, I can correct errors promptly.
Have you noticed a growing tendency to call sin an error or a mistake? Those designations are far too gentle. Sin is an offense, an evil assault on God’s will for us. It is rebellion, crookedness, and wickedness. But God can forgive our sin and cast it far from His sight. The prophet Micah declared: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because he delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 19). The apostle John wrote: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
We will never be free from sin until we reach Heaven, but while we live on earth we are never free to sin. Let’s abhor sin, and endeavor to obey God.
In the 1970s a publisher I worked for printed 10,000 books stating that “Meshech is Hebrew for typesetter omission.” The error crept into the books because a proofreader had flagged a typesetter omission after the words “Hebrew for” by writing “typesetter omission” on the galley. The typesetter was supposed to correct the error by inserting what he had failed to see in the manuscript, namely “Moscow.” The sentence should have read: “Meshech is Hebrew for Moscow.” (See Ezekiel 39:1.)
That error was costly. The printer had to throw away 10,000 books. Eat the cost, and start over.
Another time, a memory verse in an adult Sunday school manual suffered a typesetting error that eluded the proofreaders. Instead of stating, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain,” it read, “Now godliness with contentment is great pain.” (See 1 Timothy 6:6.)
Writers, proofreaders, and editors cringe when errors occur in print. The damage is done and cannot be corrected until the next revision.
My wife Gloria is usually the first person to catch an error in my blog. She sounds an alert from her computer desk, “Error! Error!” I don’t welcome the alert, but it helps to keep me humble. Fortunately, I can correct errors promptly.
Have you noticed a growing tendency to call sin an error or a mistake? Those designations are far too gentle. Sin is an offense, an evil assault on God’s will for us. It is rebellion, crookedness, and wickedness. But God can forgive our sin and cast it far from His sight. The prophet Micah declared: “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because he delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18, 19). The apostle John wrote: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
We will never be free from sin until we reach Heaven, but while we live on earth we are never free to sin. Let’s abhor sin, and endeavor to obey God.
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