We appreciate that the government wants to keep us safe. This is what they claim and the lockdown measures are designed to ensure the least loss of life. People will make mistakes but the intention is to prevent the loss of life.
Like all good intentions we can get lost, however, in the detail and miss the larger picture. This is what I hope we can grasp as we enter 2021.
As we consider the virus that has made us glad to see the end of 2020, we should also consider the myriads of other “enemies” that we have both without and within! We do face perils, knowingly or unknowingly every day.
As much as I’d like to avoid the topic, the reality is that death is on our doorstep whether we like it or not. There are a myriad of ways in which our life could end. The Bible says that our days are numbered but it also says that we should number our days:
Ps 90:10–12 —10 Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone. 11 Who comprehends the strength of your anger? Your wrath matches the fear it inspires. 12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Surely, this is important. To be ignorant of life and even of death will chart a course for us to a place that we may regret. So much is missed in life when we fail to number our days. The best wisdom is the course that is charted by a person at the end of their days. This person is the one who now sees things as they really are and can discern the difference between what is truly important and what is not.
Unfortunately, we seem to only realise this when we hit the end of our days. So sad that we can’t see these things from a young age. Such wisdom – in numbering our days – spares us many regrets.
The greatest of which is what a person does or has done with God. It is the nearness of death which causes a person to ask the questions: “If there is a God, how do we know”? “How can we be sure”? Often, the lack of remaining days does not permit those answers to come.
If I were to put a challenge to people to take up this year, it would be this: To look into whether there is a real basis for believing in God, for believing in Jesus Christ.
To be afraid to look into it because you may not like what you find is just avoiding the inevitable of what the Bible makes so clear.
If you accept that the Bible is true, then there is a far greater danger coming than the Covid virus. The Bible teaches that Jesus was sent by God to rescue us from our sins and to restore us to God. The person who does not receive that rescue will die in their sin and be excluded from God. The consequences of this are huge. Wisdom dictates that a person look into it before it is too late.
Christianity Explained is a six part course that will help you understand these important topics. If interested, please email me at echucacc@gmail.com
A New Year, a New Opportunity
We appreciate that the government wants to keep us safe. This is what they claim and the lockdown measures are designed to ensure the least loss of life. People will make mistakes but the intention is to prevent the loss of life.
Like all good intentions we can get lost, however, in the detail and miss the larger picture. This is what I hope we can grasp as we enter 2021.
As we consider the virus that has made us glad to see the end of 2020, we should also consider the myriads of other “enemies” that we have both without and within! We do face perils, knowingly or unknowingly every day.
As much as I’d like to avoid the topic, the reality is that death is on our doorstep whether we like it or not. There are a myriad of ways in which our life could end. The Bible says that our days are numbered but it also says that we should number our days:
Ps 90:10–12 —10 Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone. 11 Who comprehends the strength of your anger? Your wrath matches the fear it inspires. 12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Surely, this is important. To be ignorant of life and even of death will chart a course for us to a place that we may regret. So much is missed in life when we fail to number our days. The best wisdom is the course that is charted by a person at the end of their days. This person is the one who now sees things as they really are and can discern the difference between what is truly important and what is not.
Unfortunately, we seem to only realise this when we hit the end of our days. So sad that we can’t see these things from a young age. Such wisdom – in numbering our days – spares us many regrets.
The greatest of which is what a person does or has done with God. It is the nearness of death which causes a person to ask the questions: “If there is a God, how do we know”? “How can we be sure”? Often, the lack of remaining days does not permit those answers to come.
If I were to put a challenge to people to take up this year, it would be this: To look into whether there is a real basis for believing in God, for believing in Jesus Christ.
To be afraid to look into it because you may not like what you find is just avoiding the inevitable of what the Bible makes so clear.
If you accept that the Bible is true, then there is a far greater danger coming than the Covid virus. The Bible teaches that Jesus was sent by God to rescue us from our sins and to restore us to God. The person who does not receive that rescue will die in their sin and be excluded from God. The consequences of this are huge. Wisdom dictates that a person look into it before it is too late.
Christianity Explained is a six part course that will help you understand these important topics. If interested, please email me at echucacc@gmail.com
Pastor David McAllan