Finishing Well

“All’s well that ends well.” So said Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon. And we desperately want it to be so. To end well and be happy.

In just a few days, the moment high school seniors have anticipated for months will arrive: Graduation. Caps and gowns. Diplomas. Smiles. Pictures. A time for happy endings.

Despite it being a time of celebration, some will be disappointed. They expected, hoped and planned to graduate, but at the last minute came up short. Maybe it was an assignment, a grade or a credit short—the reason doesn’t matter. They didn’t make it.

However, even those who “made it” are in for a surprise. Happiness fades. The spotlight moves to someone else. The daily grind resumes and life returns to normal.

If all you do is live for the moment, it’s gone in a flash. And a mountaintop high can suddenly become a Death Valley low. Talk about a roller coaster life!

“Well hold on just a minute,” you say. “What’s wrong with living for the moment or pursuing happiness? Doesn’t anyone pursuing happiness in this life ever catch it?” Sometimes.

But happiness is as fragile and fleeting as Bob Lind’s, “Elusive Butterfly.” Did you ever hear that song? It was one of my favorites in high school. Chasing love or chasing happiness—both seem to escape us when we desperately want them the most.

The truth is this: Life lets you down. It disappoints everyone. On the carousel of life, even if you get the brass ring, it’s tarnished.

It’s only when we get to know the God of the Bible that life begins to make sense.

God’s Word tells us the truth about life. That even good people experience difficulty. It says, “A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.” Then it adds, “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”

What makes it possible to bounce back? A right relationship with God through faith in Christ.

The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” That truth encourages us.

It doesn’t say that God works good into all things. It says he works all things together for the good of those who love him. A right relationship with God results in finishing well.

The journey may be difficult, but you can finish well if you trust in Christ. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished through his life and death, those that believe in him will not be caught “a credit short” when it’s time to graduate from this life to the next.

When your life is over, what will you find on the other side? Many see no reason for faith in God. They gamble their eternal destiny for a few moments of brief pleasure in this world.

Instead of that approach, consider Pascal’s wager.

The great scientist, mathematician and philosopher reasoned, “If I am wrong about God existing, then neither of us would even know it, because we would both die and cease to exist, and all consciousness would disappear. But, on the other hand, if I am right and you are wrong, when we both die, I will go to heaven, and you will go to hell. Now, it seems to me that any intelligent person would bet on the right side of that wager.”

Consider the future. We’ll all be dead much longer than we live on this planet. That’s a sure thing. And when you run the numbers, wisdom says to plan ahead for eternity.

Will you finish well? All’s well that ends well--in heaven!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Acting Stupid

Why do people act like they do? It’s one of the great mysteries of the universe!

It amazes me to see people who should know better acting stupid. They make choices and do things that hurt themselves and those they love. And they’re the only ones who don’t see it!

How pathetic. And yet I just described every one of us.

You know and I know it’s true. Vainly we hope no one else suspects us. Yet deep down in our hearts we know. We are all hypocrites.

There. I said it. Hypocrites. Judging others with rules we don’t intend to keep.

Our predicament reminds me of Gerry Rafferty’s song, “Stuck in the Middle With You.” Do you remember it? It’s an oldie that “Stealers Wheel” recorded years ago. The lyrics said, “Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, Here I am, Stuck in the middle with you.”

That’s us! We’re surrounded by people just like us. And we don’t like it for one minute.

Author C. S. Lewis is reported to have said, "People are good at expecting others to live in a manner that they are not willing to live themselves." Ouch--that hurts! But it’s true, isn’t it?

Well, hold it right there for just a minute. If everyone does it, what’s the problem?

The problem is we’re blind to our own hypocrisy and complain about everyone else’s!

We need someone to slap us and say, “Doctor, heal yourself! If you’re so good at diagnosing other people’s problems, why can’t you see your own?” Indeed.

What’s the answer?

Listen to Jesus. He said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.’”

He nailed it, didn’t he? We’re all super speck inspectors. Nit picking other’s failures and ignoring our own. Acting stupid. Why are we like that?

The problem is our unforgiving hearts. We’re good at excusing ourselves but not anyone else. We expect God to forgive us but we don’t offer others the forgiveness we think we deserve—even though they are just as deserving (or undeserving) as we are.

Face it. We’re all a mess of mistakes. Without God’s mercy we’re sunk. You can’t be good enough for even your own standards and you know it. It’s just a show. Inside you know.

So what should we do? What’s the solution? Is there any help for hypocrites?

Jesus said we should first pay attention to our own shortcomings. That means humble ourselves and admit we make mistakes.

Turning away from the sin we love and asking God to forgive us is the way to remove the plank. Then when we experience his wonderful forgiveness through Jesus Christ, we can offer that same forgiveness to others who so desperately need it.

This simple prescription from Jesus will go a long way toward healing what’s wrong in our relationships. But as long as we think we know better, we’re still stuck in the middle of the clowns, the jokers and the hypocrites. Acting stupid.

So wise up! It’s time to stop running from God and hurting those you love. Come to Christ. He helps hypocrites become forgivers.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Significant Times

To his children he was a father. To his followers, a hero. But to Americans he was a monster.

When he died I was taking a Sunday nap. It wasn’t until the next day that I learned of Osama bin Laden’s death. From the perspective of humanity, just another man had died as a war casualty. But from the perspective of history it was a significant event.

“Now hold on, just a minute,” you may say. “Why is bin Laden’s death so important?”

Last week I heard a television commentator remark that Osama bin Laden’s death was probably the most significant death in a generation. That it is at least as important as Adolph Hitler’s death was to my parents’ generation.

That thought stopped me in my tracks. I’d never thought about what Adolph Hitler’s death meant to the generation that fought World War Two. Or about how significant it was to them.

Up until now, the most historically significant death in my lifetime was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. That was earthshaking to a seventh grader. And then it was followed by the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.

As Americans we thought the world had gone crazy. But, in reality, those events affected our country more than the world. Bin Laden’s death affects the entire world.

The United States went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan because of bin Laden’s scheme on September 11, 2001. As a result, thousands of military families around the world were affected. And al-Qaeda sponsored terrorism has brought fear into the lives of the citizens of many nations.

Osama bin Laden was the most wanted man in the world. But even a $50 million reward for his capture didn’t bring him to justice. So when he was found and killed it was big news.

Most people in the world today understand that Osama bin Laden’s death is an important historical event. (Even though how it will affect the world in the long term is still unknown.)

But when Jesus was killed, the world didn’t pay attention. If the news even reached Rome, it must have seemed like the execution of just another insignificant criminal in a small, remote country. Caesar was probably more concerned about Pontius Pilate’s law and order record.

But what important people saw as insignificant literally changed the world forever. For the first time in history, forgiveness of sin and assurance of eternal life was available to every tribe, people, language and nation!

Speaking of his coming crucifixion, Jesus said, “So the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” He added, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

The Bible adds, “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”

Previously God’s invitation to salvation involved becoming part of the Jewish nation, Israel. But now forgiveness of sin and eternal life is available to all through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

I invite you to explore Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God. Because, if it’s true, it changes everything! A good place to start is the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible.

Examine what Jesus taught. Consider the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Then decide for yourself. Know why you believe what you do about the most important man that ever lived.

Osama bin Laden’s death may be significant, but its importance pales in comparison to Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. What will you do with Jesus?

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

A Mother’s Gift

A mother’s gift begins when her childhood ends.

I suspect most mothers remember the moment their childhood ended. It may have been while feeding her baby or changing a diaper. Suddenly she realizes life is no longer about her but about her child. And her gift of selfless love begins to grow in that moment.

For a man this transition can be more difficult. All he knows is that, after baby is born, the woman he loves no longer has time for him like she once did.

A new father may be a little jealous of the attention his baby receives from his wife. Sure, he’s proud of the little life he helped create. But accepting the awesome responsibility of parenthood and a child’s need for selfless love can take longer for a dad.

A wise person once said, “Parenting is not so much about taking children and turning them into adults as it is about taking parents and turning THEM into adults.”

One of the things that endeared my mother to me was her unselfish love. Selfish love loves for the sake of itself: “I love you for what you do for me.” But unselfish love is unconditional. It says, “I don’t require anything of you. I love you for who you are and I give myself to you.”

We learn that kind of love from our mothers and from God. It’s their gift to us.

Childhood is a wonderful time. But there comes a time to grow up and take a lesson from our mothers: Life is no longer about us. True delight is found in the joy of others.

Just ask a new mother. There’s no greater joy than when her baby smiles and laughs.

Have you discovered the joy of selfless love? Or does your life still have to be about you?

Well hold on just a minute! What if life wasn’t fair to you? Maybe you never knew your mother. Maybe you never got along with her. Or you lost her before you were ready to give her up. Or maybe you had a mother who abused you. What about that?

The truth is that people, even those closest to us, sometimes let us down. But God never does. He still loves us with an unconditional love. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. To be both a mother and father to us, if necessary. God is always there when we need him.

The Bible says that God loves us so much that he gave his very best: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Do you enjoy God’s love and his gift of eternal life? If not, accept it today.

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. If your mom is living, thank her for her love for you. Take her to church before Sunday dinner and show her you still appreciate her faith in God.

If you have lost your mom, remember the gift of life and the gift of love she gave to you. Then thank God for the mother he gave you.

I’m not suggesting that your mother was perfect. In fact you may have to forgive her for being less than perfect. (You were less than perfect, too. Remember those teen years?) But God gave you your mom. And he gave you to her.

We don’t get to choose our mothers but every one of us can choose to have a relationship with God. The Bible says that if you come to him through Jesus Christ, he will forgive your failures. He will love you like a long-lost child that finally comes home.

Parenting can help us mature in life. But spiritual maturity comes when we put God first in life and choose to serve others. Then you’ll delight in serving them and rejoice in their laughter.

Unselfish love is a great gift to give and to receive. Thanks, Mom. And thank you, God.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!