Vapor

“Eric, Jeff died.”  

“What?”

“He fell, thought he was OK, then died in his sleep.  The funeral is this afternoon.”

“Wow. Life is a vapor.”

That truth from the book of James has been dominant in my mind ever since.

Life is a vapor.

Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue  there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.

What is life?  Life is a vapor.   Life is a morning mist that dissolves with the first rays of sunlight.  Life is a disappearing steam above a swirling cup of tea.  Life is a for a little time and vanishes.

Do we really think this way? 

For the first time in my life, I went to the funeral of someone who was younger than I.  The young man’s parents were there.  The pastor noted, “This is not how it is supposed to be.”  And, minus that fact that the situation was very real and in the hands of God, he was right.  But the fact that I consider him right is evidence that I do not really think life is a vapor, as God clearly tells us.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that.  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

“So, did you still hang out with Jeff?”

“Well, no, we sort of disconnected.  We talked on Facebook a few times, but…”

Silence.

“Kind of makes you think.”  

As this statement was made, a young man looked me in the eyes in a way that made it clear that we were both struggling with the reality of the vapor like quality of life.

Do we truly realize that this day, this moment, this night, might be the day, the moment, the night when our mist dissolves?

Do we realize that our future intentions to do what is right is unpleasing to God?  

Do we consider that when we fail to do the good we know to do now, that it is sin?

Sobering.  Kind of making me think.

Life is a vapor.

Do I need to read the rest?

"Peacemakers are people who breath grace."  (Sande 11)


This is the first sentence of the preface of The Peacemaker.  I am kind of thinking that that idea alone, if truly activated in the life of every believer, would revolutionize fundamentalism.  


What is breathing?  I am not a doctor, but if I am remembering correctly it is the life sustaining process of taking in air, allowing our blood to gain the oxygen we need, and letting the air out.  Science books were not brought out for that definition, folks, but I think that is a fairly accurate description of what breathing is.  If not, let me know.


Now, what if, in our soul and spirit, we breathed grace?  What if we were continuously allowing God's unmerited favor bathe our being, nourishing our eternal life, and, in turn, poured out unmerited favor on those around us out of a heart of love for God and man?


Again, I am not a doctor, but, I think our physical life depends on breathing.  If we are not breathing, it is pretty much the end of our sojourn on this earth.


Is the same true of our spiritual life?  How "alive" would you be if you considered whether or not you are breathing grace?


Sande, Ken. The Peacemaker. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.

Result

The end result of truth should be charity.


True or false?

What is Grace?

What is Grace?

In pondering what Jesus is really like, John 1 was brought to mind.  

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

So, the real Jesus was full of grace and truth.  So, whatever grace is, Jesus was completely filled with it.  So, if Jesus is ours and we our His, should not grace be a major aspect of our character?  Should it not be a great measure of what God is working in us?

A common definition of grace is “God’s unmerited favor.”  That alone should impact our relations with one another.  Are we full of granting unmerited favor to those around us?  

Think about how wretched we would be before God without the righteousness of Christ.  Yet it is in that wretchedness that God extends His grace to us.  Consider Ephesians 2.  It is not a pretty picture.  Dead in trespasses and sins.  Following the world and Satan.  Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and the mind.  Children of wrath.  This is not a lovely description.  But it us in this condition, that wretched and wicked state, that He extends both mercy and grace.  He is the absolutely holy and just God, but His love and mercy and grace devised a plan whereby we could be reconciled to Him.  If I am remembering a line from The Screwtape Letters correctly, Screwtape notes, “He actually loves those little vermin.”  Compared to God, that is really what we are.  But He does love us.  And He does give grace.  He gives us His favor, His fellowship, communion with Him, the glorious privilege of knowing Him by His grace.

Is that what we are like?  Do we give and love and fellowship to those who have sinned against us?  Are we full of grace?  

Fade, Fade Each Earthly Joy

Fade, fade each earthly joy,
Jesus is mine!
Break every tender tie,
Jesus is mine!
Dark is the wilderness,
Earth has no resting place,
Jesus alone can bless,
Jesus is mine!

Tempt not my soul away,
Jesus is mine!
Here would I ever stay,
Jesus is mine!
Perishing things of clay,
Born but for one brief day,
Pass from my heart away,
Jesus is mine!

Farewell, ye dreams of night,
Jesus is mine!
Lost in this dawning light,
Jesus is mine!
All that my soul has tried,
Left but a dismal void,
Jesus has satisfied,
Jesus is mine!

Farewell, mortality,
Jesus is mine!
Welcome eternity,
Jesus is mine!
Welcome, O loved and blest,
Welcome, sweet scenes of rest,
Welcome, my Savior’s breast,
Jesus is mine!

This song and its tune have been on the mind a bit since the past Lord’s day evening.  In fact, as the song was being hummed this afternoon one of the students proclaimed, “You have a nice voice!  Will you sing for us?”  Oh my!  Someone’s ears must be broken.  Well, of course, the answer was “No way.  You do not want to hear singing.”  But, I think that may be a rare time singing has been requested.  Actually, a select few have claimed to like Riccipediaish singing, but it is a rare breed and they may be going into extinction.

All that to say, this is a great song to ponder, though it has its puzzlements.

The song was written by Jane Bonar, the wife of Horatius Bonar.  To me, that was an intriguing fact, as I have Night of Weeping by Mr. Bonar in my stack of books to read.  Looks like a good one, one that came through many sorrows and has the purpose of encouraging profit from the affliction God allows.  The Bonars experienced the affliction of losing a number of children at young ages, which, I would guess, provided background for this hymn text.

It seems obvious that the theme of the song is that all we need is Jesus. And that is so true.  But, this is where the puzzlement comes.  What does “Jesus” mean?  Have you ever really thought about that.  Who is He?  What is He truly like?  If, amazing, He is mine, and, what is more amazing, I am His, what are the ramifications of this amazing truth?  Should it not result in radical devotion is His Words?  And not just to the external and peripheral Words, but to the essence and root of them?  And what is the essence?  Love God and love man.  Is that not who He is?  What does that look like?  Do we know?  Have you seen it?  Are you doing it?  

Should we say farewell to much we claim to know and be?  Should realize there is much essential truth that is fading in this wilderness?  

Should we strive to grip what it essentially means to exclaim, “Jesus is mine”?

What is Forgiveness? Part 2

Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.  So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.  Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.  ⁹For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.  To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:6-11

What accompanies forgiveness? Riccipedia is not very musical, but this word reminds Riccipedia of music.  What are the harmony, chords, and whatever other musicy terms you would like to throw in, that are the companions to Christlike, tenderhearted and kind, forgiveness?

Comfort.  Strengthening the very one who has come for forgiveness.  God using humans vessels and His Word to build up the body by His grace and mercy.

Love.  Godlike, unconditional love in action.  Not just words, but to “confirm”, to truly display, the love of Christ for the forgiven.

Obedience.  Obedience to the command to forgive.  Forgiveness is not an option.  If we do not forgive others, God does not forgive us.  The standard of forgiveness is found in Ephesians 4, “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”  That is a high, high standard.    

Why?

From this passage, so that Satan will not have the victory.  Lack of forgiveness is one of the great deceiver’s devices in seeking to destroy the body of Christ.  Of course, he will not ultimately be victorious, but he can inflict much damage by deluding us with a shallow forgiveness that is not of Christ.

As a final note, a praise to God for Pastor Jon’s biblical, sincere,  and practical message on forgiveness.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,   That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21

What is Forgiveness?

"And again I say, you are never more like God than when you forgive, when you express kindness, when you are tenderhearted and forgive just as God has forgiven you. And it's not a shallow forgiveness, it's a deep forgiveness, it's a lavish forgiveness."  John MacArthur