Coffee With The Lord

Materialism is a trap – a delusion.  We think we “can take it with us” … fact is, we can’t.  The only thing that really matters is what endures beyond the grave – eternal values!! 

Thought deeply about that today as I read this passage this morning during “coffee with the Lord”!  (Some posts just don’t need much comment 😉

 “Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike:  My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding…

“Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?  No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them— the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— so that they should live on forever and not see decay.  For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.  Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.  People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish…  

“This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings… But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.   

“Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them… People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.” (from Psalm 49 NIV)

It’s Easter tomorrow… It’s the culmination of a special week of remembrance and celebration for Christians! This week – “Holy Week” – we’ve been remembering and celebrating all the significant events leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior!

Interestingly, in the Bible reading plan I developed several years ago – “Necessary Food Bible Reading Plan” – the Bible reading from the Epistles has been 1 Corinthians 15 this week, the great “Resurrection Chapter” of the Bible! It doesn’t always happen that way, and it didn’t happen from my purposeful design this year, it just turned out that way. 1 Corinthians 15 – such a significant and critical chapter to Christian faith and life!!!

Sharon and I are visiting my brother and his wife, Wes and Dianne Bartel, this Easter weekend. In their home, there is a particularly significant light switch at the corner of a banister in their house that controls many of the lights and outlets in their living room. Dianne pointed it out to me yesterday and remarked on its significance. I rise early in the morning, before light, to have my time of “Coffee with the Lord” and would need it to have light enough to read.

It struck me this morning as I was reading 1 Corinthians 15… That chapter is a lot like the light switch in Wes and Dianne’s home – It is so critical – so significant – it impacts so much of my faith and life as a Christian!!! (Hey you should “read, reflect and respond” to what that chapter says!)

Here’s just a sampling of key, significant, statements from the chapter as a “taste” of its importance…

“I would remind you of the gospel I [Paul] preached to you, which you received, in which you stand…

“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, He was buried, and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain! We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ… and if Christ has not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in you sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ [those who have died] have perished…

“So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable!…

“I tell you this… Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, no does the perishable inherit the imperishable! Behold! I tell you a mystery! We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed! In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed! For the perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on the immortality!

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!!

Yup… 1 Corinthians 15 is so significant to me as a Christian – so important – a bit like “Wes and Dianne’s light switch! It makes sense of so much of my life as a Christians! It gives help, healing and hope! I’m so glad it’s in the Bible! I’m so glad that what it declares is a reality on which I base my salvation from sin, my daily life as a Christian, and my confident hope for the future! Be sure and read it!

I think we all tend to think of some people as especially “holy” – “saints” if you want to use the term. (Incidentally, that is what the word means in a literal sense … “holy ones”) Truly “holy” people, in our estimation, are very righteous, prayerful, “tuned into God”, knowledgeable about God and His word, kind, generous, given to compassionate acts and recognized as “holy” by others.

I’m OK with that … there are people like that. But I think all of that leads to a misconception about who ought to be “holy” if we’re not careful.

In my opinion, one of the really good things about the Reformation was that it led to emphasis that EVERYONE who followed Jesus– that put their trust in Him for salvation and had experienced “new birth” WAS “HOLY” – A “SAINT” IF YOU PLEASE. The leaders in the Reformation spoke of “the Priesthood of all believers.”

Sometimes we think of that idea as simply a New Testament idea. That’s not true… In my Bible reading this morning I encountered these words in Leviticus of all places…

“The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY OF ISRAEL and say to the: ‘Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy!”(Leviticus 19.1-2) And then a phrase follows over and over again in the following verses that establishes the basis for their “holiness”… “I am the Lord your God! … I am the Lord your God! … I am the Lord your God!…”

So really this is a consistent pattern and principle in the Bible. Holiness is not something limited to a special caste of people! It is something that applies to everyone who is a follower of the “Living God” And the practical application of that in my life is that principle – that truth – that reality – needs to influence and govern every aspect of my daily living! THE “LIVING GOD” – THE HOLY GOD – URGES ME… “BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY!” Oh, I want to be that way in my life, Father God!!