Living Before our Father

Living Before our Father

V13. “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Since the prophets searched diligently the prophecies, and ministered what they had found, knowing that they would not share in them, and that angels even desired to look into them, Peter tells the reader to be mindful of these things. To gird up ones loins, was to take the long outer rope and fasten it around your waist in order that you do not impede movement as your travel, fight, or work. To gird up the loins of your mind was to remind yourself that you could expect trouble as you stepped out in faith, but to remember who it is that saved you and lives within you. We are to be ready to face lives troubles with the sureness of who we are in Christ Jesus, protecting the word which has been given unto us. To be sober is to practice spiritual self-restraint, so as not to be tempted by the world’s allurement, and our own senses, resting patiently, solely in the hope of Jesus’ return, when again our salvation will be complete.

V14. “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance:”

Peter goes from being sober and enduring to being obedient as children. When I think of obedience, children are the last image that comes in my mind, but Peter is saying that we are to be obedient to our salvation, and not that obedience brings our salvation. Our obedience to God and His word comes out of our love for Him and for what He has done for us, also out of respect for who He is, and fears from the correction of a loving Father.

Lust is formed from the emptiness that came about from being alienated from God, since sin entered the world through self will, and not God’s will. Once salvation is achieved through faith, the greatest obedience of all, we enter back into a relationship with God, and that void is filled with His love, so we are not chasing our will, but His, we are not conforming to our old nature, but God’s nature. As Christians we no longer walk in ignorance, but in the knowledge of our salvation, as we explore God’s will for us.

V 15, 16. “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘be holy, for I am holy’.”

God, whose characteristic is holy, calls us to be holy. We are already holy consecrated to God in the inner man, but God is calling us to be holy in the outer man. God is the image that we are to base our walk in life upon. I remember the slogan that went around at the height of Michael Jordan’s popularity, “Be like Mike”. I also remember that rap singer Nelly put a bandage on his face as a message to a friend in prison, soon all the kids were wearing a bandage in the same spot. We are quick to go along with what is fashionable, wearing the latest fads, and going along with the crowd. God calls us to walk apart from the crowd, separated unto Him. The true nature of a man is found in the way he behaves when no one is around this is when he feels free enough to be his true self. Unfortunately at times this is also when God watches us most, for it is then that the true nature of our heart is displayed, free from the eye of man. We are at times more concerned by what people think about us then what God thinks about us. Then how do we mirror our Father? By first making sure that the inner man is right with the creator. I always thought that an interesting phrase, get right with God, what does it mean?

We have inherited from our birth a sinful nature that cannot exist with God, so in order to exist with God we must change that nature. To change by oneself is impossible, so how can this change be accomplished? One must be reborn, and accept a new nature, one that is holy even as the Father is Holy. By accepting Jesus as your personal savior, you are changed within, as the savior comes to live within you in the person of the Holy Spirit. To be holy in the outer man is something we accomplish, again with the help of the Father, by thinking as God thinks and living as God wills. To know the will of God, simply ask, and God who reveals things to us in a way in which He chooses, and is knowing of our needs, will reveal it to you. Jesus said in Matthew 11:15, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” I feel that God is speaking to us, but are we listening?

V 17. “And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;”

Calling on someone is a phrase I don’t hear very often. It means to check in on someone to see how they are doing, but we do not call on the Father to see how He is doing, we do it to see how we are doing. There are times when I just need to feel close to God, that I call on Him to see how He and I are doing. I ask my wife from time to time how are we doing to make sure that our relationship is going in the direction that we both want to go, how wonderful it is, and fearful, to come to the Father and ask Him, “How are things between us Lord?”

In Acts 10:34 Peter makes this statement, “In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality.” God does not judge us by class status or race, but judges us by the image of His Son Jesus Christ. Judges have a standard in the law that they decide their judgments upon. Unfortunately, a few judges try to push their personal opinions upon others, from their bully pulpits. Jesus is God’s standard in which He shall judge all mankind, since being born again, and saved by grace, we are no longer under the law, but under the grace. God’s judgment upon His people will be upon what we did with the life He has given us, and what we did with the gifts that He has given us, and what we did with His Son.

Conducting our lives in fear, is not hiding ourselves from the rest of the world, but walking in the world with the confidence of who we are in Christ Jesus. The fear Peter talks of is a reverential fear, God who is our Father is also our judge, this may cause us to fear, and this fear keeps us in check to walk in the will of God, I now that in my own life when I think of the freedom in which I am able to conduct myself, I wonder if God would approve of my actions. It is this fear and not wanting to displease God that keeps me honest before Him. There is no fear in love, but in our imperfect state, we need this fear to keep us in the will of the Father. It is also this fear that even though faced with death, many kept to their faith, and would not deny Christ. I can only imagine the thoughts that would pass through my own mind, if faced with death. I would not want to die, but I dread facing God knowing I chose my live over my love for Him.

V 18, 19. “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

Another motive to conduct our lives in reverential fear is to consider the cost of our salvation. When an Israelite was sold as a bond-servant because of debt, he could be purchased back by his brethren. When we were bought from a life where we were prisoners to sin and death, we were bought with an imperishable ransom whose weight far outweighs that of silver or gold, in the precious blood of Christ. Christ took our nature to become our kinsmen and our redeemer. Remember that He by whom we are redeemed, is also He for whom we are redeemed. Therefore our life is not our own, for we are bought with a price and are servants to the one who has bought us. Christ came to live among us, was subject to the same influences of sin that we are today, and yet became the sinless one and therefore qualified to serve as our savior.

It is funny as I study the epistle letter that Peter wrote to those suffering from persecution that I am realizing that Peter has yet to address others, but addresses instead our conduct. It is as if to say not to worry about what others can do to you, but instead worry about your relationship to God. I don’t see the pity party that many require as they only look at their own situations, but to look upon God and remember who you are in His Son Jesus Christ. Peter is saying simply, stay focused, on God and His will for your life. As I sit here and study with the beautiful day on the outside, NASCAR playing in the background, and a list of things I need to, on my only full day off, these words ring true, focus.

Panning for Gold

Panning for Gold

1 Peter 1:10-12

V10 “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,” To go into all the prophecies of our salvation would be an exhaustive study in which I fear I would lose many readers. I will reference to an article that mentions the importance of bible prophecy. The prophets searched diligently through the writings of those inspired by God, as they were, and saw that Messiah’s kingdom was superior to anything offered by the law. They searched through the writings as one searching for grains of gold. I watched the great care that a few men exhibited while panning for gold, and realized the great time involved for a few nuggets, or a little dust, yet the reward was worth it for them. The miners saw the riches obtained from their effort, and it spurred them to look more.

Hidden in the word of God are the nuggets that offer us hope, in the redemption of mankind, a hope that is manifested in the person of Jesus Christ.

Begin with Moses and go on through all the prophetic writings, and you will discover that Christ is the grand theme of the Bible. He said: “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me” (John 5:46). If we deny Him of whom Moses wrote then Moses, by inspiration, becomes our accuser. To Adam and Eve Christ was promised as the Seed who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).To Abraham God had said that in Christ all nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18 cf. Galatians 3:14-16).To Israel the Paschal Lamb foreshadowed the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world (Exodus 12 cf. John 1:29; I Corinthians 5:7).To Israel in the wilderness the serpent of brass lifted upon a pole (Numbers 21:8, 9) typified the lifting up of Christ upon the cross (John 3:14).Balaam’s prophecy of the Star that would come forth out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17) was none other than our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:2; Revelation 22:16).Christ was also the smitten Rock (Numbers 20:11 cf. I Corinthians 10:4) and the greater Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15).When Philip first met Jesus Christ he ran to Nathanael, and said: “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth . . . ” (John 1 :45). Taken from; “The Importance of Bible Prophecy” Author Unknown

We have the luxury of realizing the prophecy fulfilled in our salvation through the person of Jesus Christ, and have the benefit of a relationship with God, as well as the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this enables us to search the scripture for not only end time prophecy, but God’s will for our life.

The grace that shall come to us when our salvation is perfected at the second coming of Christ. The Old Testament saints possessed the grace of God, but it was grace linked to their lineage, they were children of God, where we enjoy the full privileges of adult sons. One of these differences is that we can now enter into the Holy of Holies and converse with our creator through Christ. This is a privilege that I fear most of us fail to exercise as we should.

V11. “searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

Searching what meant looking for the exact time of Christ coming, since they could not ascertain that they looked for what manner of time, or the season, the fit time of His coming. In other words they wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the coming of the Messiah.

We do not have to look far back in history to see many that have predicted the second coming of Christ only to see that time pass into the next day and the day after that. Many believed what was told them concerning the return of Christ, and sold all they had in order to be ready for His return. I can not imagine the fear that overcame them as they realized that they would have to start all over again with nothing, because they believed a lie. I feel that Satan has a powerful tool in this deception in that, many would fall away from the faith, when Christ does not appear on the chosen date. This time is not for us to know only the Father knows the time when our salvation will be perfected.

The disciples had posed this same question to Jesus in Matthew 24:3-31. Jesus did not give them a definite date but He did give them a list of things that must happen in order that all things shall be fulfilled. We need only to look at scripture to see what must occur in order for the return of Christ, just as there were certain things that had to occur for the birth of the Messiah. As I watch world events unfold around us, I have to think there is no method to the madness, yet all things are working towards the day of Christ return and we need only look at world events to see that they do indeed line up with scripture. Look at one prophecy that had to happen as Jesus said in Matthew 24:2 “And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be here upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” This occurred in 70AD as the Romans destroyed the temple, leaving not one stone upon another. Yet Revelation tells us that the temple must be rebuilt, on the same site, a feat that seems impossible with the dome of the rock now occupying that spot.

We can get caught up with prophecy to a fault that it becomes all time consuming, and we loose the purpose for Christ return, the redemption of mankind. Many have not accepted the salvation offered to them by God, and this is our work here on earth. We are to pray for the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but what will He find? Will He find us busy about His work, sharing the love of God with a dying world, or will He find us wrapped up in ourselves waiting for either our death, or His return.

V12. “ To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.”

The prophets, having received prophetic word from God, realized that these things were not to happen in their lifetime, nor, except for Daniel, did they receive a timeline when these things were to happen. Yet they were not discouraged in revealing what they had received, but preached, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to the partial benefit of their generation, and of the hope to come. This prophecies were understandable, with spiritual instruction, to the generations to which they were given, but the full knowledge of them were hidden till Jesus should come. Just as now there are prophecies that have been given to us, that we can not fully understand, still through spiritual guidance we study them, yet the full meaning of them will not be revealed till the second coming of Christ.

Our believe in these prophecies and our desire to know more about them, gives us encouragement to persist in the faith, looking forward to the day when all things will be made known to us. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am also known.” When looking in a fogged up mirror to shave I run a great risk of cutting myself, only after I clean this mirror can I see clearly to shave. Anyone looking through a dirty window gets a distorted view of the world on the other side. As we study the word of God and align it with prophecies, we begin to wipe away the dirt from the window to a better view of not only our future but a better understanding of God’s will for our life. Still there are things that are kept from us till the time of Jesus’ return, to this Paul says in verse 13, abide. Abide in faith, in hope, and in love. Prophecies teach us that Christ will return, for His church, He even tells us that. What will He find, will we be about His work, looking forward to His coming by spreading the good news of it? Or will be locked in our own little world, looking in that mirror and only seeing ourselves, waiting for the return of Christ, only to wonder why we missed it?

The First Epistle of Peter 1:5-9

The First Epistle of Peter

Chapter 1:5-9

V.5 “who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

What does it mean to be kept? Are we preserved, protected from harm in this world? Calvin ask the question; “Of what use is it that salvation is "reserved" for us in heaven, as in a calm secure haven, when we are tossed in the world as on a troubled sea in the midst of a thousand wrecks?” If eternal life is kept for us as an inheritance, than we too must be kept in order that we may reach. God not only initiates salvation, He also keeps us to it. It is His power that defeats our enemies, and it is His long suffering that protects us from ourselves. This guarding is effected, on the part of God, by His power, on the part of man, through faith. We live spiritually in the power of God and He lives in us, therefore the power by which we are guarded by is not an external power, but a power that comes down on us and lives in us. Don’t fool yourself that you are kept in the power of God by your goodness, your acts of charity, nor by your knowledge and reason, but it is faith that brought you to salvation and by faith you are kept in it.

Salvation is the final end of our new birth, provided by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and given to us by our belief, completed when Christ shall be reveled. Christ is ready to judge on the final day of grace, when restoration will be complete and the ungodly receive the fruits of their labor.

V.6 “In this you greatly rejoice, through now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,”

We rejoice in the fact that; 1. God has chosen us, and called us out of sin, and offered us salvation through the sacrifice of His Son upon the cross. 2. That our names are forever written in the Lamb’s book of life to be opened at the last time. Luke 10:20 “but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 3. That God lives in us through His Holy Spirit. 4. That either at the end of our lives, or the on the final day of grace we shall see our savior face to face. The list could go on and causes us to rejoice indeed, so that joy carries us through our troubles. For all tribulation is temporal, though it may not seem so at the time. I remember in various times when the world seemed to be crashing in around me that God’s still small voice was there to comfort me, telling me that this too would pass. There are things in my life now that grieve me terribly, and yet that sureness and peace that comes from God, lifts me up. I remember the past victories of the Lord and am able to rejoice and say, “This too will pass”.

Some feel that some kind of atonement in necessary, if we are to be a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:10 can be misunderstood to mean this when it says; “Yes, and all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution”, but this is not for atonement, but for the sake of Christ. How many of us seeing another harmed because of your deeds, would not do what we can to right that wrong? If we being human have these feeling, how much more God, who watches us suffer for the cause of Christ? In Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for their testimony which was held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Though the shock of what has come upon us grieves us, the hope of what lies ahead, and the promise that God will go through our trouble with us, causes us to rejoice. If I went to someone suffering and said to them, “Rejoice! For your salvation is at hand!” I may walk away with a bloody nose. Go and pray with this person, listen to them, cry with them, grieve alongside them, and rejoice when God shows His mercy to them.

V 7 “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

I often wondered, why Job? I mean if God Himself said that there was no one like Job, Why the troubles that came upon him? As you read Job you will discover that Job possessed pride that kept him from being all that God wanted him to be. God tests the genuineness of our faith, not because He enjoys seeing His people suffer, but because He wants to rid us of the impurities that hinder us from being all what He wants us to be. Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to study the scriptures.
While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable
expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier
of silver" (Malachi 3:3

One lady proposed to visit a silversmith, and report to them on
what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling
the object of her errand, begged the silversmith to tell her about the
process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she
asked, "But Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh,
yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eyes steadily fixed
on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the
slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He
shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.". God sees it needful to put
His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of
purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for
us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested
beyond what we can endure. Before she left, the lady asked one final
question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite
simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the
silver, the refining process is finished." Author unknown.

God wants to do so much more through than our minds can even grasp the reality of, but in the way are the impurities that a life of sin has left behind. I was talking to my wife and mentioned that it is funny how the events of our past shape our future. God has a glorious future for us, if He could just rid us of the Junk.

V8 “whom having not seen your love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of Glory,”

As I got to know and spend more time with my wife, as we were dating, I grew to love her. Peter is writing to people that never met Jesus, but accepted Him by faith. It that way they began a relationship with the Lord, which outshines that of those who knew Him during His earthly ministry. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brings Him into the heart, with that indwelling all His virtues become known, and His excellence discovered, in a far greater way than could be known to those who knew Him while on earth.

What is inexpressible joy? I know that during a Ohio State football game I have no trouble expressing joy when they score and win a game, but how can I have joy that is inexpressible? 1Corinthians 2:9 says; “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” So this joy is expressed in faith for the kingdom we can only imagine. I have often thought of the new colors that will be known in heaven, of the different smell that will overwhelm the senses, and can’t imagine the sensory overload that we will experience that first day in heaven, when our salvation will become complete. A joy full of glory, for it expressed in faith, faith is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for. By faith we receive our relationship with God as our Father, and our sonship with Jesus Christ.

V9. “receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls.” Again by faith, receiving the completion of our salvation, experiencing the first fruits of our salvation, in being delivered from a state of wrath. The soul is what was lost, so the soul is the primary concern of salvation. The body will share in redemption, but the soul of the believer is already saved.

A Heavenly Inheritence

During the next weeks I will be doing a study on the two epistle letters from Peter. He wrote his first epistle letter in the early sixties A.D. to the Christians in Asia Minor. They were suffering persecution at the hands of those who did not understand the live style change they had undergone because of their rebirth into the kingdom of God. They were mostly converted Gentiles who came out of a life of lewdness, drunkenness and idolatries. Although their suffering was a fiery trial, it did not entail martyrdom as yet.

The First Epistle of Peter
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of Dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of The Spirit, for the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an in inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are Kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, through now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the gentleness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen your love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of Glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.
V1. The pilgrims of dispersion referred to in the KJV as, “strangers scattered throughout”, could mean the Jewish pilgrims who were taking the gospel to the world, but can also refer to those suffering persecution from their brethren who did not understand their believe in Christ. We as Christians are pilgrims in a world that is increasingly hostile to the gospel of Christ. Most are willing to concede that there is a God, but mention Jesus and the need for a savior and they don’t want to hear it, or bristle up at the thought that they are sinners in need of a savior. As I watch the invocation delivered at NASCAR events, I have watched as most bow their heads as the invocation is delivered, but there are a few who refuse to do this. They stand proudly as though defiant to any notion of the existence of a God. Many even our closet friends and family do not understand our conviction to the gospel, and our dedication to the Lord. Yet we are called to take the gospel to these same people.
V2. Peter calls those who he is writing to ‘elect’. As we approach Nov. and near the election of a president, this word becomes more meaningful, but what was Peter referring to in this passage. In Matt. 24:31, at the return of Christ, it says that His angels shall gather the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. God has always set apart a people who are faithful to Him and are called by His name. So the election comes from God and not man, according to the foreknowledge of God. The Rev. J. Wesley penned it this way; “Strictly speaking there is no foreknowledge, no more than after knowledge, with God; but all things are known to Him as present, from eternity to eternity. Election, in the spiritual sense, is God’s doing anything that our merit or power has no part in. The true predestination or fore appointment of God is, 1. He that believeth shall be saved from the guilt and power of sin. 2. He that endures to the end shall be saved eternally. 3. Those who receive the precious gift of faith thereby become the sons of God; and, being sons, they shall receive the Spirit of Holiness, to walk as Christ walked.” That we might not think ourselves special in that we have chosen salvation, and become proud in that we are set apart for eternity, election into God’s kingdom comes from God. We heard the call of God on our lives, admitted that we indeed needed to be saved from destruction and the lives that we led, and received the precious gift of God, in His Son Jesus Christ. God was not the one lost, we were, we did not choose God or salvation, but God chose us and we only accepted the free gift of God. We walk daily in the grace of God, and are no better than the sinner who continues in their sin, but can only confess that there but for the grace of God go I!
This helps me to not look at those who are in church every time the door is opened, sing in the choir, serve as an usher, or even teach, as I do, and wonder how can they serve God in that manner and do what you outside of the church, but to look to God and be accountable for what I do inside and outside the church. This leads into the next line in this passage; ‘in sanctification of the Spirit’. This is the means by which the elect are pointed out, set apart by the gospel, and the word of the Spirit. Sanctification signifies the setting apart for the use of God, walking in obedience enabled by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. Again even our obedience is subject to the aid of the blood of Christ. We are not able to walk in obedience to God, without God. To many times I struggle and say that I am not going to do this or that, only to embrace the very thing that I say I am not going to do, wanting to walk in obedience to God, but unable to do it without God.
V.3 “has begotten us again to a living hope” Begotten means to birth, God has not only given us new life in His Son Jesus Christ, but He has also given us hope. I like that Peter chose to use ‘living hope’ for that is exactly what it is. Before our birth into the kingdom of God, we faced death, we may have thought that we would squeak into heaven on our own merits, but there was that doubt that kept us weak in trouble. I heard a story of two boys about to drown, that one didn’t want to hear another word about Jesus. With water up to their necks and no hope of rescue, he suddenly wanted the clam and sureness that his friend displayed. He confessed that he wanted to hear more about this Jesus that gave him hope. Unfortunately I lost the signal and did not know the outcome of the drama, knowing the show I am sure that the two were rescued at the last minute. When faced with death the boy wanted to live, and if the only way he could live was to live in Christ he wanted it. Without this hope, which comes from God, we when faced with the possibility of death, tend to give up. Many have lost the will to live, but the hope of resurrection gives us a peace that there is a tomorrow, there is hope there is live. I found a story on the internet that expresses this well.
The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city's hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher. "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now," the regular teacher said, "and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind."
The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, "I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs." When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much.
But the next day, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. "No, no," said the nurse. "You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live."
Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" Bits & Pieces, July 1991.
V4. What is our hope for, but an inheritance, given to the children of God, into everlasting life. Many try to prolong their lives through exercise, good eating, and careful living. Everlasting life is a gift from God given to His children who have accepted His Son as their savior. It is incorruptible, which defers from anything that the earth can offer. Even the greatest inheritance can be corrupted and can corrupt. This gift of salvation can not be corrupted for it does not come from man, but from God. It is undefiled, in that no impurity exists in it. Nor can any impurity enter it, thus we can not receive it on our own merits. It does not fade away, in that it never loses its beauty. In working in the yard today, I noticed several of my flowers losing their beauty and their smell had faded away. Eternal life will never fade with the coming of winter, losing nothing that it owns when we first enter into it. That is exciting to me that the excitement of eternity in heaven will be renewed each and every day. Finally, it is reserved for us in heaven, far removed from the trouble of this earth. Where we will see the incorruptible one who has purchased eternal life for us, we shall come face to face with the King of kings, the Lord of lords, our Rock and our Redeemer. I long for that day, as the elect of God, set aside for His purpose, and an heir to the inheritance of eternal life, that gives me hope to endure till the day I too will bow my knee before Christ and enter into His kingdom that He has prepared for me.