It was one of the coldest days this year. I think so anyway. But the sun was shining brightly on my monitorscreen and I had to pull the curtains in order to see properly. But before I did, I saw it–the screen and the whole monitor were covered with dust.
Why had I not noticed that before? The sun revealed the dirt.
It is the same with our lives. We think we are quite alright until–the Gospel reveals to us the real condition of our lives. John 8:12!
The leaflet came with our last phone -bill from Telecom, and on it was written ‘Keeping you in touch with tomorrow today’. That is all very well.
A leaflet from a Bank says ‘ Thinking about tomorrow? Have a chat with Monique today.’ Monique is an Investment advisor and you can talk to her about planning a comfortable retirement.
But let us see what the Bible, the word of God, has to say about our tomorrow. As you probably know the Bible has two main-parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Let us first see what is written in the O.T., in the book of Proverbs. By the way, the Bible is actually a library. There are 39 books in the O.T. and 27 books in the N.T. The book of Proverbs says in Proverbs 27:1 (click on the address and read!)
But what does the New Testament say? There is a book called James and in James 4:13 -14 (click on the address and read!) We should actually continue to read the verses to the end of chapter four. Why don’t you find a Bible and do that right now? Do not boast about tomorrow. There may not be a tomorrow for you. Or for me. There are still people dying every day. They are listed every day in the newspaper. Of course, we do not know what will happen tomorrow. We are taking ourselves so seriously and we are thinking that we are important. The Bible says , that we are MIST, that appears for a little while and then vanishes. And that is true. The Bible is true.
I have actually read the rest of chapter four for myself just now and have decided to finish this story with those powerful words from the Word of God,”Instead you ought to say, if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. As it is you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone then, who knows the good he is to do and doesn’t do it sins.”
Somebody wrote to us before last Christmas,”See you both at Christmas time.” It never came to pass because he died on Christmas Day and we only came in time for the funeral.
wd
Ich habe geweint, weil ich keine Schuhe hatte, bis ich einen traf, der keine Fuesse hatte.
G. Leopardi
I wept, because I did not have any shoes until I met someone who did not have any feet.
Das Bild ganz unten wurde heute am 19.07. geknipst. Weihnachten haben wir das ganze Jahr hier.
Aber nun zu ‘Weihnachten im September’
Man erzaehlte mir von einer Frau, die an einem Schaufenster eine Weihnachtskrippe betrachtete und zu ihrer Begleiterin sagte:”Sieh dir das einmal an, nun bringen sie sogar Religion in die Weihnachtszeit.”
Ich selbst war damals noch nicht so weit heruntergekommen, sondern wusste, dass Weihnachten mit der Kirche und der Bibel zu tun hatte. Aber das war auch alles zu jener Zeit. Weihnachten bedeutete fuer mich Weihnachtsferien, einen Weihnachtsbaum, den wir uns aus dem nahen Wald holten- was ueberhaupt nicht erlaubt war-ein bunter Teller mit allerlei Suessigkeiten, Geschenke und in der Schule gab es jedes Jahr ein Weihnachtsspiel, bei dem ich auch mitwirkte. So war es bis zu meinem achtzehnten Geburtstag. Um diese Zeit wollte ich den eigentlichen Sinn des Lebens wissen: Wo komme ich her, wo gehe ich hin ? Was bedeutet alles, was dazwischen liegt? Ich wusste, dass ich auf der Suche nach der Wahrheit war. Warum wohl?
Die Bibel war in unserem Haus. Sie wurde sogar gelesen- von meiner Mutter. Sie verstand die Bibel und sie verstand auch zu beten. Sie betete fuer ihren Sohn. Heute verstehe ich den Vers in der Bibel, wo Jesus sagt:”Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben.” (John 14:6) Jesus ist die Wahrheit. Er ist auch der Weg, der einzige Weg zu Gott. Wir sind Suender und benoetigen die Gerechtigkeit, die uns nur Jesus geben kann, um vor Gott, dem Vater, bestehen zu koennen. Der Herr Jesus Christus ist das Leben.
Vor dem 18. September 1958 dachte ich, ich lebte. Aber es war kein Leben. Es war ein Leben im Elend. Erst seit dem 18.09. 58 weiss ich, was das richtige Leben ist. Seit diesem Tag weiss ich auch, was die Bedeutung des Weihnachtsfestes ist:” Der Herr, Jesus Christus, wurde in diese Welt geboren, um fuer meine Suenden zu sterben.
Der Engel sagte den Hirten auf dem Felde von Bethlehem:”Euch ist heute der Retter geboren, welcher ist der Messias, der HERR, in der Stadt Davids.” (Luke 2:11)
So ist Weihnachten fuer mich im September, weil ich am 18. September erlebte, dass fuer mich Jesus Christus, der Retter, geboren ist!
wd
I am interested in computers:
Nothing could be farther from the truth I read that a deleted file is gone forever.
Also an email is living forever.
Now I understand better when the Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 12:36, ” But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
A couple of days ago I received an email with the following signature:
Whakapono ki a koe Believe in Yourself
The Bible, the Word of God says:”Believe in the Lord Jesus,”……. Acts 16:31 New Testament
Between one of the doors into Lynn Mall and McDonald’s in Auckland you can see a monument and on that monument you find the following writing: LEST WE FORGET
In memory of those who served and gave their lives.
When I was reading that today I was straight away thinking: LEST WE FORGET
IN MEMORY OF HIM WHO SERVED AND GAVE HIS LIFE!
I am thinking of course about the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It is all very well to think about the people who died in the wars. I also lost my father in the second world war. I never knew him. Never met him. I have no memories of him. In fact I don’t even know where he died. Probably it was Czechoslovakia. May be it was not. Who knows?
So far as I am aware his name is not written on one of those monuments.
O K , we should not forget our dead soldiers who died in battle. But if we should forget, there are not too great consequences. There are also many like me who grew up without a father. It is sad to grow up without a father; but if you have to, you have to. I had to.
But if we forget the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for us there are eternal consequences. We are all living forever, either with the Lord in heaven or without him.
Because in order to stand before God, the Father, we need the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are all sinners. As we are, we cannot stand before God, the father.
On top of that, when the Lord Jesus Christ becomes our personal Saviour, God becomes our heavenly Father and looks after us. From my own experience I can say that it is so good to be able to say, “My Father in heaven.”
wd
On the leaflet I picked up today was written ‘NZBLOOD’ with a drop of blood dripping from the letter N. It continued ‘Give someone a gift of life…..Give Blood At…. ‘ and then the place.
In this case it was the Kaitaia Children’s Complex. And then the exact time. (Day, Date and Hour)
I get from this that blood is a gift of life. Blood is life.
Some more important Facts on Blood
Each donation is able to help up to three people- blood donors are literally life savers. There is no substitute for human blood-healthy donors are the only source of supply.
The Bible in the Old Testament (Leviticus 17:11) says also,” For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”
You ask now,”Why is blood necessary to make atonement (At onement, harmony)?”
God demands blood because he said to Adam,” for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17 at the end-first book of the Bible) Then sin came into the world and brought death in. The word of God must be kept. The Bible says that the life of the flesh is in the blood. And when God demands blood in other words he demands life.
We have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It says so in Romans 3:23,”….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…” I must die for my sins or find some substitute to die in my stead. Only Christ was without sin, and therefore he could be my substitute. God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for us. Thank God for His love.
The Lord Jesus Christ died for me; and because he died for me, I love him. Because he died for me, I will serve him. He robbed death of its sting. He robbed the grave of its victory.
In sending His son to this earth God could be just and justify the ungodly.
Praise God!