Dust to Dust

This past weekend I attended my first funeral in Germany.

Sure, "there is a time for everything," but when the "time to die" (Ecc. 3:1-2) hits, it's never easy.

I didn't know the man very well, but I remember that he laughed often, and seeing his lifeless body  was so surreal. That, combined with yesterday being Remembrance Day and reflecting on many lives laid down, was such a strong reminder that "all come from dust, and to dust all return" (v. 20).

Image Credit: Timo Kahlen

Death seems so daunting, the grave so greedy. And the last breath appears so final. Indeed, if "passing away" is understood as the end, even the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1 Cor. 15:32). 

God "he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more" (Psalm 103:14-16). 

If death really is the end, and there is no such thing as resurrection or life afterwards, Paul writes that preaching is useless, our faith is futile, and we believe in vain.

That doesn't sound very hopeful. 

But what if there is something stronger than the power of the grave?

What if a lifeless body returning back to the earth is not a symbol of meaninglessness, but instead of hope and promise? Like how a seed sown in dust, in earth, in soil, does not bear fruit...unless it dies?

 Image Credit: Ladies of Virtue

"The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:42-44).

Sounds pretty impossible, doesn't it? How can life come from lifelessness? But I have good news for you: "Death has been swallowed up in victory!"

Jesus Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, and because He lives, we also may live! God Incarnate, through His death, conquered the power of death itself.

Whoever believes in Him has eternal life. What a promise!

This reality provides hope for our life here on this earth. It gives us a purpose, because it shows us God's plan. After an entire chapter where he focuses on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul concludes: "Therefore, my brothers and sisters..." Therefore, since we know that Christ is risen, since we too will rise, since God has the victory, since the grave has lost its sting, since our faith is not useless, and because of resurrection power... "Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

What we do with our lives here on earth is not in vain. The work we do, the people we love, the ways we serve...it matters. In the famous 1 Corinthians 13 chapter we read that "LOVE NEVER FAILS."


And it was exactly THIS great love that took Jesus to the cross. 

GOD…the greatest Being

SO… to the greatest degree
LOVED…the greatest passion
THE WORLD…the greatest company of people
THAT HE GAVE…the greatest act
HIS ONLY SON…the greatest sacrifice
THAT WHOEVER…the greatest opportunity
BELIEVES IN HIM…the greatest decision
SHOULD NOT PERISH…the greatest rescue

BUT… the greatest alternative
HAVE …the greatest possession
EVERLASTING LIFE…the greatest gift 

(adapted from PawCreek) 

 

 

A New Citizenship

Today I received my Immigration Card for Deutschland!

This means that I can enter the country as a resident, not a tourist, that I can live here as long as I want, and that I am allowed to work. Woo hoo! Now that the paperwork and everything has gone through, I am also able to take a German "Integration" course for free. It will be about 600 hours, and will cover everything from the language to German politics and traffic laws, etc. So the next year will be full of a lot of learning! It's a little nerve-wracking, but I'm thankful that the authorities want to help me integrate into this culture and equip me for life here.

 

This whole process has brought to my mind the reality of another citizenship I have. Actually, a citizenship that you have too:

 {"Our citizenship is in heaven."} 

Philippians 3:20

It's a biblical principle that this earth is not actually our home! If we belong to Christ and are following Him, we are only here visiting :-) In the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews chapter 11, the author writes that these heroes of the faith "admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13). It's hard to live in this reality, because this world can be pretty deceiving and it's easy to feel at home in it. But the fact is - we were created for something more. We have heavenly DNA, and one day even our physical bodies will be transformed to match our new identity.

But even as we are living as strangers in this world - a country not our own - we should be adhering to the principles of the heavenly land where our citizenship actually lies. Just as my immigration in Germany includes both special privileges and responsibilities, so our heavenly citizenship implies that we live and act a certain way. We have the hope of eternal life in our heavenly home, but we also have a life that needs to be lived out here as "aliens" on this earth. An alien doesn't fit. An alien stands out. An alien doesn't belong. And our lives should be like that too. We must be different.

Peter wrote to his friends, "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul" (1 Peter 2:11). There are desires that we need to fight against, which are not part of our real identity. We ought to to adhere to a heavenly, higher spiritual standard.

But it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, right? Like when I'm driving here in Germany, and go to turn right at a red light (after stopping, of course!) But that's not allowed here. I need to wait for the green turning arrow. But in the only life I've ever known beforehand (Canada), I learned that it was okay to do so (and that other drivers behind you actually get angry if you block the lane by not doing so!) In a similar way, our "old life", our sinful flesh, teaches us that it's fine to be selfish. It's okay to lust (everybody else does it!) You need to lie sometimes. It's impossible to actually love everybody. Self-pity is okay.

But that's why we're told, in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"! Our old ways of thinking and our old patterns of behavior have to go once we accept Jesus as Lord of our life and receive citizenship in heaven. Spiritual guidelines and principles apply instead of earthly standards.

And what are these new responsibilities and privileges? They involve love, not apathy. Peace, not worry. Joy, not discouragement. Patience, not frustration. Kindness, not selfishness. Self-control, not self-indulgence. Mutual submission, not discord. Preferring others, not controlling others. A spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, not a spirit of timidity. A spirit which cries out to God, "Abba, Father!" not a spirit of fear. The power to overcome evil with good, not to be overcome with evil. The authority to live in the abundance that Jesus died to offer, not allowing Satan to steal, kill, and destroy in your life. The strength to rejoice in suffering, because we have a hope beyond this world.

These are the rules and rights of our heavenly citizenship! Sure, it takes learning and adjusting. It takes the "putting to death" of our old ways. It may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable. It may involve more cost in the short-term. But it's worth it in the long term! The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, our Counselor, our Guide, ready to train us in how to live in this new spiritual reality.

Are you living to the full potential of what your heavenly citizenship implies?

Mirror, Mirror, on the...

...page?

Yes I looked into the mirror this morning (a few times) as I was getting ready for my day. But another part of me was so desperate to also be ready for this day. I spent time getting my outside ready, but my spirit on the inside also needed some work done. I had neglected to look into another mirror yesterday, and I found myself easily frustrated and discouraged, caught up in my own little world instead of focusing on what I was called to do.

So this morning I took time to look into another mirror––one that isn't on a wall, but on a page.

James wrote, in chapter 1:22-25 of his book in the Bible, that the Word of God is like a mirror. He describes it as "the perfect law that gives freedom." We experience that freedom only when we do what it says, and not merely listen to it.

And this is what I saw in the mirror of the Word of God this morning:

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity....And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."(Colossians 3:12-14,17)

When I read this, I definitely saw some blemishes in my spirit which weren't pleasant to look at. If I had asked, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" I would have heard, as the Queen in Snow White did, that there was One fairer than I. But the good thing is, the Bible isn't just a mirror that points out everything that's wrong; it also provides the solution.

On that note, I should go now...I've got to get dressed with some compassion and gentleness and patience, and there's some forgiving and loving and giving thanks that needs to be done...

No more bananas...

Birthdays are a funny thing. They seem to provide some type of reasonable opportunity to be completely selfish all day.

This past Saturday we were preparing for my birthday celebration, and I was quite looking forward to being pampered and spoiled and showered with attention all the next day, on my birthday. We were planning on having some friends over for a chocolate fondue, so we went shopping for the supplies:

Fondue pot - check. (Thanks to my sister, who gave one to us for our wedding last year!)

Chocolate - check. (Mmm...German chocolate!)

Pretzels - check. (I like the whole sweet and salty thing)

Fruit - no check? My favorite is pineapple, but none of the pineapples were ripe. Oh well, I guess we missed the season for good pineapples. No big deal. Next, we searched for bananas - the second best option. But we couldn't find any. We didn't see any left on the stand except for special mini bio bananas that were three times the normal price. We called over a sales guy...he went and checked the back room, but came back and said there were no more bananas. No more bananas?! This could ruin the whole fondue idea! But what to do? It was already late and the store was closing, and the next day was Sunday, when hardly anything in Germany is open. No bananas! Since when has a big supermarket ever run out of bananas? Trying to quickly make up our minds, we settled for 6 bags of the mini ones and some grapes. That would have to do.

Mogi and I shook our heads on the way home. What do we know about not having enough food? It wasn't even a need of ours - only a desire. We had the money to get the other kind. We could have even gone to another grocery store. We could have decided on a cake or different dessert instead. Why were we complaining about having no more bananas?

Almost exactly one year ago, Mogi and I were confronted again with the reality that the majority of the world's population have no more bananas. In fact, they don't have access to much food at all. They don't even have water to bathe in or drink from. This is their reality.

I read the other day that if you make $50,000 a year, you are in the top 2% of the world's wealthiest people. If you make $40,000 a year, it's the top 4%. $30,000 puts you in the top 7%.


Through the ministry of Compassion (click here for the link to Compassion Canada's website), just over a year ago we became the sponsor parents of a sweet little 6-year old girl named Audrey Anne, whose family lives in the Philippines. Over the last year we have written and received letters, photos, and drawings. We have been blessed to participate in giving her hope.

Sometimes the world's problems seem too big to change. I often wonder, "where do I start?" And because it takes effort to think about, it is usually easier instead to just do nothing at all. But I've found that sponsoring a child is a simple but practical way to take the first step and get involved. Maybe I can't solve all world hunger, heal all those with AIDS, rescue all the children in the sex trade, or ensure that third-world families have clean drinking water, but I can make the difference in one person's life.

And so can you.

I want to encourage you to think about sponsoring a child. Actually, don't just think about it. Do it! Check out Compassion's website to find children who need you today.

I also recently ran into this blog online and think you should check it out: http://shaungroves.com/ It is the website of Christian songwriter and speaker, Shaun Groves. God has given him a huge passion for social justice and he currently travels, speaking and leading music, on behalf on Compassion, telling the story of children who are in need. His writings are funny, inspiring, challenging, and come from the depths of his soul.

The topic of social justice is one of the main themes of the Bible. If it's not something that concerns us, we are not truly Christ's followers. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 

I admit I have a lot more growing to do in this area. I've sung the song many times - "break my heart for what breaks yours" - but I'm still learning what that means. But I know I'm not going to learn more by sitting back and observing. Growth happens only by doing.

Please consider what you can do to help. And please feel free to add to the discussion below, and share your own thoughts or experiences about justice. If you have questions, let me know. Oh, and you're welcome to pass on this blog if there are others you think would be interested - hit one of the buttons below to share on Facebook, Twitter, or via email.

Learning to Love

 The Bible says (in Philippians 2), "If you have any...





encouragement from being united with Christ,

comfort from his love,

fellowship with the Spirit,

or tenderness and compassion,







then... 

  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

That's a challenging question: is my attitude the same as that of Christ Jesus? John 15:13, talking about the great love that Jesus has for us, says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." What does it mean to lay down your life for others? That's something I'm learning about in this season of life as God has called us to serve family members in need.

It means "doing everything without complaining or arguing," and even if we are "being poured out like a drink offering," to still be "glad and rejoice" (Philippians 2).

That's a tall order! And there's no way I can love like that on my own. The good news is I don't have to...and neither do you!

{ "Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." }