Forever is a Really Long Time!

"The Lord is my shepherd ... and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." - Psalm 23:1a, 6b

I want to link this to a dreary little Psalm, 88. That psalm has nothing positive to say and ends on the sad note of rejection and darkness.

Why link these psalms? Because there are times where there, simply, is nothing positive to say; and pretending there is doesn't help.

So, again, why link these psalms? Because, regardless of what we have or don't have in this life, how we feel or are treated, those in Christ's flock have a good home and a great future. "Forever" is a really long time.

Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

- fritz

What's His is Mine!

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' - Acts 13:47

Paul took a scripture from Isaiah 49:6, clearly referring to the work of Christ, and proclaimed it was God's calling to him.

Can he do that? Sure. Can we do that? Yes.

Paul, knew that those who are joined to Christ by faith are part of Christ in actuality.¹ What belongs to us now also belongs Christ - our sins, griefs, shortcomings.² He embraced them and took them to the cross. What belongs to Christ is now ours³ - his payment for our sins, his resurrection, his fellowship with the Father, his anointing with the Holy Spirit, his seat on the throne, even his call to ministry and the work of others in Christ. He now lives his life through us (though not exclusively), and not just for our benefit, but to those He came to save.⁴

- fritz

^{1 - 1st Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5:30
2 - 2nd Corinthians 5:21
3 - Romans 8:32, 1st Corinthians 3:22
4 - 1st John 4:17}

Death and Perishing, not the same thing

"...and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls." - Luke 21:16b-19 (KJV)

Jesus predicts a time of difficulty, but what strikes me is the fact that, in Jesus' world view, "death" and "perishing" are NOT the same thing.

That's curious - How can a person die yet not a hair of the head perish?!

Either this is an idiom for saying everything will turn out all right for the believer (good to know in a time of crisis), or it tells us two (2) other important things:

1) We need to adopt a broader viewpoint on life than the current one that starts at birth and ends when we expire (Matthew 10:28-30);

2) God cares more about our physical bodies than we give Him credit for (Romans 8:11)(Job 19:26).