I've always wondered how to accurately express this unconditional love of Christ--so pure, so true, so powerful, so perfect, so overwhelming. Well, for a time I was quite discouraged because there is really no way we can do such a daunting task. Ya' know what I'm sayin? However, I believe I stumbled across someone who has at least begun to pick the lock to this truth. The fella'?...a A.W. Tozer. Check this out...

I can do no more justice to the awesome wonder-filled theme called love than a child can grasp a star. Still, by reaching toward the star the child may call attention to it and even indicate the direction one might look to see it. So, as I stretch my heart toward the high, shining love of God, someone who has not before known about it may be encouraged to look up and have hope.

So beautifully put! Trying to even grasp the understanding of God's love for us is hard enough...let alone explain it! As Tozer put it, its probably a lot like a child trying to reach a star. Its impossible. However, that child can reach for that star and thus turn our heads upward....just as we can focus on and even reach for Christ, which will cause some to gaze upward to our Hope...our Love...our Life.

Another thing, if that child stays devoted to the gazing at of stars and has the passion to learn all he can about those very stars...he'll eventually get a telescope. Next he may buy a few beginner's books. Perhaps even take a few classes in high school. If the child continues with his love for the stars, he'll go to college to learn astronomy where he finds out all there is to know about the stars of the heavens. His next step could find him among those stars as an astronaut.

The same goes for us! Right now, we can only point to the source of the Love without really being able to fully understand, explain, or even appreciate it. But just as the child with the stars, if we continue to feed our passion for that love of Christ we'll perhaps study it more...open the Word more...and do all we can to find ourselves right in the middle of His love!

The apostle Paul does a good job of trying to explain the unfathomable love in 1 Corinthians 13. Read it. You'll see he straight up will define it. He says love is patient, kind, polite, protecting, trusting, hoping, persevering. But then in verses 9-12 he reminds us that we'll really not be able to grasp it completely. He wonderfully writes in v. 12, Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

So let me encourage you, as you look into that murky glass to catch a glimpse of Love: Keep it up! Because soon we'll find ourselves like that child who found himself among those very stars that he could simply point to years before. We'll find ourselves face to face with that Love...with Christ!

Gazing myself...

Can you change your life in 24 hours?

I was at the movies recently and a trailer came on with that question showing all throughout the preview. The movie was about a guy who was given 24 hours of freedom before going to prison for the rest of his life. And, as you can tell, that got me thinking :) ....

But what do you think? If you were notified that you had 24 hours left to live...or 24 hours left of freedom...what would you do?

I'm sure a lot of folks would say things like "I'd go sky diving", or "Share my true feelings with the one I love", or even "Eat as much fried chicken as my body could handle". :) I'm not sure I'd particularly do that, but I'm sure some folks would. :)

There are two points that I got just from sittin and thinking about that question....mind if I share? Why thank ya'! :)

Point 1:In 24 hours, its a whole heck of a lot easier to wreck your life than change it for the better.
Or in other words, it takes only hours, minutes, seconds to make a mistake...but it could potentially take a whole lifetime to make up for it. For instance, when it comes to premarital sex: a few minutes of pleasure can lead to pregnancy, disease, death, and a lifetime of guilt. Breaking curfew or lying to loved ones can destroy trust that will take years to rebuild.

However, that being said...given 24 hours to change your life for the better, what would you do? Where would you begin? See, just because its harder to change your life for the better in a short amount of time, doesn't mean its impossible. We humans have a certain knack for performing under pressure. Athletes become famous for rising above the rest during critical moments of a game. And in school, many students tend to do their best work when they have to cram...am I right? I think I am. :) So given that, perhaps if we went into each day as if its all we have left, then we'd have a passion like no other to right the wrongs we've commited. And maybe, just maybe, there'll be a change. :)

This leads us to our 2nd point...

Point 2:We're really only guaranteed the day we've got, ya' know? This 24 hours.
So why shouldn't we live today like its our last??? Christ even told us this in Matthew 24:36-51.He reminded us that noone knows about the day or hour... Noone knows it...enough said. So if we get to tomorrow and realize we don't have tomorrow, what do we do? All I know is this: we won't get to tomorrow and come to that realization...so live, brothers and sisters!

Peace

When you think about it, all different kinds of folks ended up meeting Christ...ya' know? People who were rich and famous, as well as people who were penniless. The righteous, as well as the sinfully dirty. The list could go on and on. When you think of the folks who met Christ, who comes to mind? Peter? Judas? The Samaritan lady at the well? Zacchaeus? Pilate?

Right now if you were to ask me that question, I'd probably have to say Simeon. No, not Simon...Simeon. No, not the fisherman who Christ called to be a disciple (Luke 5), but the little old man in Luke 2:25-35 who was promised by God that he wouldn't die until he had seen Christ. Pretty wild huh? Simeon must have been pretty tight with God to have had that honor...ya' know? In verse 25 it says he was both "righteous and devout".

In that day, the Jews had a whole mess of ideas about what Christ would be like. Many were expecting royalty. Others (like Judas) were expecting this great military leader. And as a result, many totally missed out on Christ. Not Simeon though. :) Good 'ole Simeon recognized Jesus as the Christ when he was just 8 days old!!! Simeon was able to see through the fact that this little child, who probably still smelled of the manger and swaddling clothes, was being carried around by a poor carpenter named Joseph and some unimportant lady named Mary. Simeon could see that Christ was actually the Son of God...even though the child was only 8 days old!

So what did Simeon see that others like Judas didn't?

Well, nothing really. In fact, Judas probably saw more than Simeon...Judas got to witness Christ as an adult who was actively healing and preaching!

The catch here is in verses 25 and 26 of Luke 2. We're told Simeon was righteous, devout, and moved by the Spirit of God. It was the condition of Simeon's heart that was the deciding factor here. He had allowed God control of his life...so that when Simeon was shown the Christ child as promised, no matter what the child looked like, he would take him in his arms and praise God as he did in verse 28.

So the question for us is this:

What is the condition of our heart?...Is it given over to God so that we'll embrace Christ with all our might? Or is it focused on what we personally want so that we reject what Christ has to offer?

Ok, so you can use whichever illustration you prefer--that I've been alseep for the past three monthsand am now waking from my slumber, that I went into a coma due to my excessive sweet tea intake, or that I've just had an extended vacation in Mozambique for the past three months. So let me extend deepest apologies for my over-extended absence. And much thanks to the faithful friends and family out there who kept calling me back out of my sleep, coma, or vacation in Mozambique (whicever you choose, of course).

Please feel free to list any comments, complaints, suggestions, jokes, and/or prayer requests by clicking on the "comments" link at the end of each entry. Lord-willing, I hope to write at least every other day. Please hold me accountable guys!
Now, on w/ the blog.....
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On peace...
Goodness, such a vague word...there's a whole mess of directions we could go w/ this. However, one thing comes to mind. As we look around us today and see how chaotic things are w/ random killings, bombings, earthquakes, fires, wars, etc., it makes it seem like peace will never be reached. And then if you happen to stumble across Luke 12:51, you can't help but wonder if there ever will be peace! For in it, Christ says Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

"How can this be?", one must ask when presented with this evidence...especially since Christ is known as the Prince of Peace, and since he told us in John 14:27 that he actually left us his peace. How could this be? One minute the Lord Christ says he gives us peace, and in the next he says he's here to cause strife!

Well, the important key here is to not think of peace as a time without war or pain or struggle. In Hebrew, the word for peace (shalom) means a fullness...or having everything you need to be wholly and happily yourself. Interesting huh.

So what makes us whole? Well, the love of Christ of course! 1 Peter 5:10 tells us that in the midst of our suffering, Christ will come and restore us and make us firm, steadfast, strong....whole.

So its now that we see this:
For Jesus, peace does not mean the absence of struggle, but the presence of love. --Frederick Buechner

Peace guys.
Aaron