One day Solomon thought about the labours of man, and wrote, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” (Eccles.4:9-10). In his day, most people worked on farms and in the fields where it is hard for one person to handle large animals and heavy harvests. Injuries were common, but easier to survive with friends helping out. Continue reading
God
The Good Thing About Snow
After two weeks of green grass and bare sidewalks, snow blew back into Barrie Thursday morning. My next-door neighbour shouted, “I hate this!” Despite all the grumbling and complaining from those who shovel it and drive through it, let me point out something good about snow.
Isaiah said to his fellow citizens, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow” (Is.1:18). Their nation was horribly corrupt and soon to be invaded and judged. But God would forgive them if they would only repent. Sin-stained hearts could be white as snow.
The colour of snow is certainly dazzling. When the sun shines on it we want to protect our eyes. Skiers wear sun block and heavily-tinted goggles. A dull world suddenly gleams. The browns and grays of late fall suddenly turn to bright white. Snow also has the ability to cover up the ugliest messes. The worst-looking yard in your neighbourhood suddenly looks fresh and clean after a decent snowfall. All that junk seems to disappear.
God knew what He was doing when he used the imagery of snow to describe His ability to forgive a sinful life and create something brand new all over again. All the decaying rot of a sin-infested life can be forgotten, as if buried under bright snow. Everything is transformed. God does that for us through Jesus Christ.
The next time you have to deal with great drifts of snow, remember that it’s a picture of what God has done for you. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”
– Tim Johnson
Saints
It is a surprise to some people that Christians are often called saints in the Bible. The word doesn’t refer to exemplary people of the past who’ve been given sainthood by religious people. Such a notion was popular in the middle ages, a time when entire church buildings were designed to hold reliquaries (ornamental containers with physical remains of a saint inside, such as bits of hair, etc.). In the Scriptures, all Christians are saints.
The word means holy one, or one who has been made holy by God. In the Greek text, saint and holy come from the same word. One is a noun and the other an adverb. The verb form is sanctify. So what is the Bible telling us? Those who obey the gospel are made holy before God. Colossians 12 says that God qualified us to receive the inheritance of the saints. We don’t become saints by heroism or martyrdom; God makes us saints through Jesus Christ. Continue reading
Kodak Moment
One December many years ago, a stranger pulled up to our house with a package. He asked my mother to give it to me, which she did. Upon opening it I was overjoyed – it was a shiny new Kodak Brownie camera. (You know – those old boxy things with the big flash attachment on the side). It was a very expensive gift for a child to receive. You see, I’d met the man a few weeks before on one of my frequent visits to the dentist. He was a fellow patient waiting his turn, and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Having never owned one, I told him I’d like a camera. The memory of his generosity has been a great example to me over the years.
There are many things one could point out from this story, but I’ll mention only two. I didn’t deserve this stranger’s gift. I hadn’t ever done anything nice for him; in fact I still don’t know who he was. But he did the work to go and buy the camera, then figure out where we lived so he could deliver it. God says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (NRSV).
A second thought: responsibility. There is no doubt the man expected me to look after his gift, appreciate it, and not be selfish with it. My parents didn’t have a camera at the time, so we shared its use for many years. God expects us to be responsible with His gift of salvation, to live in a worthy way, and to share it.
There’s something special about a Kodak moment. But what God did for you is enormously better.
– Tim Johnson
Inheritance
“Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Gal.4:7)
I’ve read that the baby boom generation is inheriting more wealth than anyone in the history of our country. This is because their parents lived during the most prosperous time of our history. People are inheriting houses, cottages, businesses and savings. Usually received with joy, soon the responsibility of sudden gain throws a different light on things. Continue reading