Anxiety Antidote

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:06-07, NKJV).

I dare you not to be anxious about something; double-dog dare you. Anxiety is one of the best schemes of the enemy, ever. It undermines faith, robs you of peace, steals your joy in the Lord, and makes for an anemic witness. And it is so very effective. This long drawn out emotion, whatever its origins, has the capacity to bypass all reason and rational thought, and withstand most attempts at sane mitigation. Unlike raw fear or terror, which cannot be sustained for nearly the same duration, anxiety can plague a soul for years, or decades, or an entire lifetime. Anxiety can kill, and not very cleanly.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25, NKJV).

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:27-29, NKJV).

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (Matthew 6:31, NKJV).

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34, NKJV).

“But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; (Matthew 10:19, NKJV).

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41, 42, NKJV).

“And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? (Luke 12:25, 26, NKJV).

There is NOT ONE exhortation in the New Testament for a believer to worry or to be anxious. In fact, the opposite is true, as can be seen from the citations above. Jesus, Himself, makes it clear that anxiety indicates:

• misdirected priorities (Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?; But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part)
• an inflated view of our control over things and life (Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?; If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?)
• an incorrect view of the sovereignty and omnipotence of God
• and disbelief of the following:
• And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NKJV).
• “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:30, NKJV).
• But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37, NKJV).

This is serious stuff on at least two crucial levels. Unrelieved anxiety will alter everything about your life and your interface with the world. In response to it, you are guaranteed to become either resentful, despondent, or manipulative, and these are just the main headings under which reside a plethora of possible subheadings, like addiction-prone, compulsive, and/or hypocritical. Scratch the surface of many an unpleasant person and you will discover a bubbling cauldron of anxiety that MUST be relieved eventually, if only ultimately by death. 

Secondly, chronic anxiety is the opposite of faith. It leads to the temptation to rely on something or someone OTHER THAN GOD. This stands to reason, because a correct view of God in conjunction with a knowledgeable faith in God, alleviates anxiety infinitely better than any pharmaceutical (prescribed or otherwise), heretical Eastern mystic practices, frenetic, distracting activity, or cultivation of powerful friends in high places. Without that faith in God, all these other empty and futile solutions may appear to be your only desperate alternatives.

If you've read this far, I hope your mind is filled with "but what about…?" questions, because that is exactly where this is leading. But what about imminent danger? But what about a fearful and devastating illness? But what about not being able to provide for your family? But what about the prospect of losing a loved one, or a child? And finally, but what about the several million other things in life which we either cannot anticipate, or over which we have no influence?

That's the point! For every possible threat or loss or fear you can think of, in reality, you have NO CONTROL. You could take all the precautions in the world, but the simple truth is that something sudden and unexpected (from your perspective) could obliterate all your diligent, proactive preparation in an instant, and that which you feared most could come upon you like a meteor falling out of the sky. Here's the thing to remember, beloved: IT IS NOT UP TO YOU.

Yes, of course we are to be good stewards, and like the wise, when we see peril approach we take action. No, of course we are not to tempt God in any way by being deliberately careless or reckless. But common sense is not what's in view here. Dark and dreary and fearful dread of the unknown future is. And the only antidote for that is to come to the Throne of Grace in prayer and supplication believing that God is Who He says He is, and that He loves you with an everlasting love. Come to Him thankfully and lay at His feet ALL YOUR REQUESTS. Especially those that involve the fearful future. And in exchange, He will provide you with peace. Peace. 

Peace of mind, peace of heart, the peace of assurance, the peace of being loved by God, Himself, so much so that he will rearrange the world for you, His child. And that peace, so sublime, so supernatural, so freely given, is beyond mortal understanding, and it will act as an impenetrable shield and fortress around your troubled heart and restless mind, through Christ Jesus. He is the gatekeeper. He is your hedge and your strong tower. 

Jesus, and Jesus, alone.

He knows the number of your days, and the hair on your head. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the Sovereign God of all existence.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (Psalms 139:16, NKJV).

Dead Man Still Over the Edge

"It is a little girl named, Susana, coming home in a blaze of glory," he continued solemnly. "Beloved by her family, in love with her Savior, and greatly loved by the Lord."

"Coming home? You mean here?" 

"No. To the Throne itself, to be welcomed by Jesus and heralded by the Host of Heaven. The light of her young life radiated far and wide among the people who knew of her suffering and innocent faith. The four short years of her planetary life impacted more people for good than the whole long lifetime of many others put together."

"Susana? I knew of a little girl by that name, the youngest child of missionary parents. She battled cancer for more than half her life. And in the midst of her trials, her mother and father wrote of how sweet and loving her sprit was, and although often barely strong enough to raise her arms, when she could, she raised them while singing praises to Him. My heart broke when I read of their pain."

"Our Lord's did also, but we know that the sufferings of that present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which is now revealed in her. Look, as she rises toward her King, who stands to enfold her in a loving embrace from the arms of Love Himself. He has brought her Home to be safe and in His Presence forever more. Her parents know this, and while their grief is overwhelming and beyond words, their joy in their mutual salvation is deep and profound. They are assured that their parting is only for a time."

"Yes," I said, "but they will miss out on all those precious, irrecoverable moments between parent and beloved child. They will never see their daughter grow and change and mature, and become all of what God intended. A thousand, thousand priceless memories will never be theirs. And the poignancy of the memories they have gone without hope of being repeated. I cannot imagine their pain."

"Oh but you can! That is why there are tears in your eyes. In your mind you have put yourself in their place with your own daughters, and it is not your inability to imagine that pierces your Christ-softened heart, but that you can imagine, oh so well! But you have it all wrong! The Lord promises to restore the years that the locust has eaten. He who has gone to such extremes to save, and who promises to never leave you orphaned, will not let such inconsolable loss go unanswered. They will have those moments with their sweet child. Do you think He would do less?"

Then it dawned on me, and maybe, just maybe, I was beginning to understand what he meant. Didn't I experience it myself before I knew where I was, as Dead Man? I saw him, me, my companion, flow from age to age, one instant an infant, the next a wise old man. And when I complained, he said it was my doing, not his. Then it came to me! Of course! Nothing is lost in the Lord! Nothing! Not time, not memories, not all those things that in His goodness He has chosen to bestow upon us, and enabled us to joyfully experience.

"Now you're getting it!" he smiled. "Jesus said that all that the Father gives Him will come to Him, and the ones who come to Him, He will by no means cast out. Did He not promise through Peter that a Time of Restoration of all things is coming? Has He not proclaimed that he who has lost father or mother or sister or brother or child in the life below will receive a hundred-fold in return in the life to come, here, in His Presence forever and ever?"

I began to see then, in my mind's eye, life in Heaven in ways that I couldn't have conceived of before. The Great Reunion of family and loved ones lost in the Shadowlands taking place in the Realm of His Light. IT WAS GLORIOUS! Father and daughter reunited and experiencing in timeless ways the fullness of their love and life and time together with a depth and completeness impossible in any other place, and in no other time. Infants, untimely gone, embracing their bereaved parents in glory, as adults, as children, as toddlers, as all these earthly ages at once so that NOTHING IS LOST! I could imagine my own reunion with my own parents, so long ago departed, and could almost see how they would experience my whole life again, simultaneously in the endless now, as we hugged in unspeakable joy. And this time as it was truly from the perspective of Heaven, and with perfect knowledge.

"Yes," he answered my unspoken question. "That and so much, much more than you can ask or think. The joy that awaits the saints in glory is of such quality and quantity that it cannot even begin to be exhausted throughout all eternity. The surface will not even be scratched after ten thousand times ten thousand years. Your Heavenly Father will have it no other way. That is His heart. That is His character. That is the joy of the Lord."

Now I knew the tears in my eyes were of joy and gratitude, rather than empathic grief. This is what my Lord sacrificed Himself to give me! This was the joy that was set before Him as He endured the Cross, despising the shame; to sit down at the right hand of the Father and provide delight and pleasure to His children at His right hand forever more.

At that moment, it all made such brilliant and perfect sense. His extravagant grace was the precisely appropriate expression of His extravagant goodness and love. How could it be otherwise? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also freely GIVE US ALL THINGS?

The I saw the image of little Susana again, as she raised her weakened and intravenous-scarred arms in unbridled praise to the One who loved her with an everlasting love, and I fell on my knees in wordless adoration and gratitude. If God is for us, who can be against us? How could I possibly be anxious for anything assured of an eternity with Him, in everlasting joy, never alone, and never bereaved again?

In my ecstasy, I glanced next to me and saw the he who I was to become in the same humble and loving posture of rapturous worship, and I knew - I knew - that we were fulfilling the very purpose of our creation.

Rejoicing and Gentleness

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:04-05, NKJV).

In the world today, gentleness is often synonymous with weakness, and weakness is to be hidden at all costs. For a natural man, one whose spirit remains dead in trespasses and sins, this makes a lot of sense because the only resources available to a natural man are of this world. His weapons of warfare and protection are carnal, fleshly. Camouflaging vulnerabilities is good strategy if you are a citizen of earth, and if your only hope is in this life. Unfortunately, while you may prosper within your allotted time on the planet, when you die, all your carnal strengths, all your sensible strategies, and all your plans and schemes come to an end. You are left standing naked and unprotected, subject to the full fury of a holy God, with nothing to shield you from His righteous wrath.

If that is your fate at death, you will know with unmitigated certainty and everlasting regret that it did NOT have to be that way. You will finally acknowledge and hopelessly understand all the loving opportunities you were given by Him to escape eternal damnation simply through faith in Christ, and nothing else. I cannot help but think that one of the greatest torments of Perdition will be that very knowledge - that stubbornly, willfully, you refused to be saved. All the post-mortem regret in the Universe will not remedy your condition or ameliorate your agony.

For those saved by grace through faith, however, there is reason to rejoice always. This is true because the Lord Jesus Christ made our salvation possible. He took upon Himself that eternal agony in OUR place, suffering the just and due penalty for OUR sin, though He Himself knew no sin. For that once for all sacrifice, the Father granted Him our lives, eternally. To receive that life we simply, sincerely, repent (not do penance) and believe. Nothing else will do. Nothing else is possible. It is that, and only that, or an eternity of unthinkable suffering. And regardless of either your opinions or feelings about the way of salvation, that is God's honest truth. Disbelieve at your own grave, inevitable peril.

The Apostle Paul is so adamant in his exhortation for the redeemed to rejoice, that he commands it to be unending, and then repeats it. His reasons are as many and as profound as the gifts that have been bestowed upon us by Christ, starting with meaning and purpose in this life, and flowing seamlessly into all the eternal blessings we are promised to receive in the next. There is no such thing as annihilation. Those who die still wrapped in their congenital sin do not merely blink out of existence. Their consciousness remains, and at that Day of Judgment, they will be physically resurrected for everlasting condemnation. In the interim, between physical death and eternal separation from God (the Second Death), they are kept in the place of torment. If for no other reason than we have escaped such a horrendous destiny, we who are saved should rejoice with joy unspeakable. But there is so much more.

We are promised everlasting life in a New Heavens and a New Earth. If that strikes you as absurd wishful thinking, contemplate the odds, the wishful thinking if you will, of conscious human existence happening "by chance" in the first place. Meditate on the patent absurdity of the anthropomorphic character of the entire material universe. Dwell on the vast, immeasurable improbability of a tiny rock, in the midst of a mediocre solar system, on the outskirts of a nondescript galaxy, being the home of the likes of us. The recreation of the Universe by Divine Fiat is far more probable, likely, and believable in comparison.

Do you enjoy the beautiful things of this life? They are mere shadows of the things to come. Art, literature, sweeping terrestrial landscapes, loving relationships, warmth, light, life, safety, security, peace? These will be yours without qualification or limit. Do you enjoy variety and interesting pursuits, or being wholesomely entertained and delighted, or challenged by profound ideas and discussions? These too are yours without end. Is your desire to be reunited with your loved ones who have died in Christ, or with beloved saints of the past? To know as you are known? To recapture the moments of this life that were either too fleeting to fully enjoy, or lost because of circumstance or error? All this and things beyond that which we can ask or think are ours in Christ. But as it is written: “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.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV).

Given these promises, believing these promises, explains why we can, and should, rejoice. It is honoring to our God and Father. It is honoring to our Savior. It is a hallmark of our faith. And there is more: a direct connection between rejoicing in the Lord, and the reasons that make it possible and compelling, and letting our resulting gentleness be made known to all men. Only someone secure, as we are secure, can afford to always be gentle. Only someone who has the rock-solid divine guarantee of an incorruptible and invulnerable future destiny can allow that gentleness, founded on joy in the Lord, to be known to the world.

Think about it. We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain in Christ. We are in His hands. Our days have been mapped out before the foundation of the world. He knows their number, and He knows their end. He knew us before our birth, and will be with us always, even unto the end of the world. Nothing is impossible for Him, and He works all things together for good to those who love Him. The truth is this: gentleness requires strength. The archetype of a gentle giant rings true precisely because this strikes such a resonant chord within the human mind. It's a no brainer. We therefore can be gentle because that Giant of Giants is on our side, protecting us, keeping us, and caring for us, forever.

So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NKJV).

Dead Man Over the Edge

At first I didn't see anything but a hazy darkness as I looked down over the edge of… I don't know what. I thought it strange that, where a moment ago there was the magnificent panorama of the "smallest bit of Heaven", now there was nothing. Or mostly nothing. As I gazed more intently I began to see more (is that how everything works here, I wondered). At a very great distance, a sphere began to emerge, like a pale, wavy-colored marble. More than anything it looked like a gray-scale rendering of the Big Blue Marble.

"Is it Earth?" I asked. I sensed more than saw him nod affirmative. "Why does it look like that? I would have expected it to be in giga-pixel color depth. You know, trillions-and-trillions-of-colors."

"You are seeing it from the context of Heaven. C.S. Lewis called it Shadowlands. You can see why. In comparison to the reality of this place, the material Creation is quite dull and drab. Of course, it wasn't that way in The Beginning, nor will it remain that way forever, but that is how it is now."

There were so many things I could have said, then. But what I ended up saying is, "why would anybody want to go there?"

"It's destiny is to be recreated, as part of the New Heavens and New Earth of Revelation, but seen at this time from here, you are viewing its true appearance."

"It looks dead."

"Yes, but it's not. It is filled with life; life lived in the shadows of death."

"It is unpleasant to look at. What are those darker patches there and there?" I asked, pointing to where I began to see them appear on the planet's surface. Again, as I willed myself to look closer, the Earth's image enlarged. I felt that if I wanted to, I could have visually dived beneath its lackluster atmosphere.

He sighed then, and it was the first hint I had gotten from him of anything less than a vast, serene joy. I looked over at him. He was sad, and for some reason that shook me to the core.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" I almost yelled. "I thought in Heaven there would be no more tears or sorrow or pain!"

"We are not in Heaven proper, nor anywhere near His throne, nor are we in the Time of the Restoration of All Things. Those dark patches are human souls dying in unbelief. We are witnessing the black gateways of Hades opening up to consume their immortal souls, where each one will remain until they are cast, with Death, Satan, and the rest of his minions, into the Lake of Fire at the at the end of history. And there in Outer Darkness they will remain in torment for all eternity."

The timbre of his voice as he spoke was full of a grief so profound and ancient that it seemed to come from the beginning of time itself. As I turned away from him and gingerly looked back over the edge, I saw an increasing number of the blackened discolorations. These grew larger and appeared more frequent, as if the Gates of Hell itself were multiplying and spreading like some kind of planet-sized malignancy consuming all life and hope. I desperately wanted to turn away, to look once more at the vastness and beauty of Heaven, but I could not. I could only continue to gaze downward through my tears.

But then, a blaze of light! There on the surface below! Tiny pinpoints at first, but a stark contrast to the pervasive darkness. While these did not obscure the black holes peppering the fabric of the earth's drab surface, their appearance seemed miraculous and powerful nonetheless. They were beacons of something, maybe hope, or life, or I didn't know what, but something good in a horrible sea of despair.

Then I did know, as sure as I knew anything.

"Believers!" I cried excitedly, wanting to hug my counterpart in a sudden ferocious joy. Instead I pounded him enthusiastically on the back. "Yes! Yes!" I shouted. "It's not all darkness and death and despair! There's…"

"Light!" he finished for me. "And life!" His face was now as it was before, but more… radiant. His smile returned, seeming to dispel the crushing aura from the planet below. "Yes! Brothers and sisters in the faith," he continued. "Young and old. Alive and ALIVE, although their outward shells are perishing, their inward parts are being transformed from glory to glory. They are the ones bought with a price. Saved from the fires of Hell by faith in the Son of God!"

Although he was merely speaking, it seemed like he sung a glorious Hymn of the Ages that echoed throughout the Realm of Heaven, accompanied by an invisible chorus of music and voices so sweet, so powerful that my heart soared.

And then a flash of light brighter than all the others, and more sustained, like a sunspot or a brilliant, city-sized flare blazing across the darkness.

"What is that?" I asked, as if a two-year old seeing my first sunrise.

"Who is that," he clarified.

Dead Man on the Balcony (continued…)

How can you tell how long something takes when time has no meaning? All I knew, all I wanted to know, was that this experience, whatever it was, was too magnificent to come to an end. I realized at that instant (ah! there it was again - a reference to time!) that if this, the smallest bit of Heaven, was so enthralling, so captivating (when all I was doing was leaning on a balcony railing looking out at stuff - such incredibly awe-inspiring stuff!), that the rest of it must be beyond imagining.

Heaven, a word to name a place, diluted by overuse, losing its meaning over time and endless repetition, was impossible to stereotype. I supposed that the very attempt to make it meaningless was part of the Enemy's strategy in the long war against the God of Heaven - what can't be eradicated, trivialize. What can't be trivialized, stigmatize, and what can't be stigmatized, marginalize.

"Clever boy," he said from next to me. "Did you just come up with that?"

"Your mind-dropping again," I said, not looking over at him. "It's rude. It's not polite to be rude. Glorified men should be polite. And what, there's no right to privacy here?"

"In a place where Omniscience reigns, privacy is necessarily hard to come by. Plus, it's not needed here. Everyone wants to know as they are known."

"I get the distinct sense that I won't be staying here for long. Is that true?"

"Yes. You are on a kind of weekend pass. A tourist, and not the first. And certainly not the last."

"Will I be able to speak of this when I get back? The Apostle Paul said that his experience in the Third Heaven was not lawful to speak about."

"Our beloved brother Paul was taken right to the Heart of Heaven, as was John the Elder. I'm sorry to say, you're not even in the parking garage."

"That's OK. I'll take it. Do I have to go back?" I was whining. We both knew it.

"Yes. But when the time comes, you will understand, and have no regrets."

"So why I am here? Why not just leave me on the planet until my body revives or is resuscitated? Why give my a taste of what I can't keep?"

"You've got it wrong. You asked for this. You prayed for this. For comfort, for assurance, for a glimpse of what it is like. So He has granted it to you because He loves you, and delights to give you the desires of your heart. But more than this glimpse you could not handle. So, as in all things, he has given you only what He knows you can bear."

"Why you, then? Why not one of my departed relatives? Why not anybody else besides me, er, you?"

"I volunteered. I wanted to be your guide. I like you."

"I don't get it. Not any of it."

"Of course not. You are a finite being on the edge of the Infinite. Nobody expects you to get it, not right away; least of all me."

"Hang on! Is that an insult?"

He smiled that smile again. I ignored it. Mostly.

"What's next?" I asked.

"I would like to direct your attention over there," he said, pointing somewhere beyond the horizon.

Dead Man on the Balcony

"I did not see that coming!" I said. "How can you be me, if I am me? There cannot be two me's.  I am me, not you. Otherwise neither one of us is either one of us."

"It's simple, really, " he said. "I am you as you will be in your future, while being the you that God has intended before the foundation of the world. I am you without all the bother of linear time. Don't get bogged down in the details. They're beyond your current understanding. Suffice it to say that I am a glimpse of things to come."

"But I don't like you!"

"But you do! What's not to like?"

"You're, well, unnerving. And a bit conceited."

"How's that?"

"You think you're better than me."

"That's not conceit. It's true. I am better than you. In every way, but so what? I had nothing to do with it."

"I don't like being inferior. I want to be best."

"I'm afraid you're puny idea of best is rather meaningless here. You would not want it any other way, believe me."

This being Dead Man, and talking with a guy who said he was me, who seemed to morph seamlessly from one age to the next, without so much as blinking, was disconcerting. I felt off my game, unable to grasp what was really going on, and trying to desperately to figure out just what kind of dream this was. Because it could't be reality. It had to be a dream. And an annoying one at that.

"Think of it this way," he advised, "you are not dreaming. You are on the balcony of Heaven about to look down over the railing of existence. True, full-dimensional existence, which is not really anything like the skipping-across-the-surface-of-time kind of existence that you're used to. It will be upsetting at first, knowing you (And I do know you, don't forget), but it'll be OK. I promise."

"I hate it when you give me that all-knowing smile after you tell me something that proves you know what I'm thinking."

"You liked my smile before now. You thought it added to my aura of amiability."

"Yeah, but now I know who you are, and I don't like it."

"Ah! So you believe me, then?"

"Let's just say I'm willing to suspend my disbelief in the hopes of bringing this to some kind of sensible closure. And maybe getting outside this room into the sunlight. It looks really nice outside, like the world used to look when I was a kid, before I knew what it was really like."

As soon as I voiced the desire, I was outside - on a balcony, no less - gazing out over the most fantastically satisfying landscape I had ever scene. It was perfect in every aspect, with that magical proportion of light and shade, brilliant colors, pastel shadows, grand sweeping vistas of majestic terrain, interspersed with intriguing views of cozy woods, undulating, grass-covered hills, and sparkling, seemingly endless bodies clear blue water. And all permeated by a sense of peace and rightness that made me gasp. 

As I looked more closely (and here I marveled again at the acuity of my vision, as if I had both infinite-distance and microscopic focus at the merest thought), I saw more species and varieties of plants and animals than I could ever have counted. They seemed to span all know terrestrial climates and ages, extinct, futuristic, massive, minuscule, flyers, crawlers, creepers, swimmers, floaters, and some with inexplicable forms of mobility. 

There was a lot to take in. I could have spent millennia from just this one balcony vantage point and not exhausted a tenth of what I was seeing. A millionth.

"You need to breathe," he said gently. I glanced his way for just a millisecond, unwilling to look away from the amazing panorama before me for more time than that, and was not surprised to see his eyes shining in wonder as much as I imagined my own had to be.

"You said I'm Dead Man," I reminded him quietly, gazing back over the railing. "Why do I need to breathe?"

He laughed at me then, kindly, affectionately.

"In some ways," he said, "we haven't changed a bit."

Personalities and the Church

I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. (Philippians 4:02-03, NKJV).

Euodia ("Fragrant"), Syntyche ("Fateful"), Clement ("Merciful") and an unnamed "true companion" (or perhaps someone named Syszugus, which means "true companion" or "genuine yokefellow") are addressed personally in this beginning of Paul's closing chapter. The subject is, once more, unity of mind. Clearly there were three or four strong and notable personalities in the church at Philippi, who, if their disunity became more pronounced, could become a disruptive or even divisive force in the church. This is always the risk of having dynamic people in places of influence in the family of God. While superficial conformity is nowhere mentioned in the New Testament, doctrinal unity is repeatedly emphasized. Without it, as we see today, the Church loses its effectiveness in a world increasingly lured into darkness.

The only antidote is for each one of us to be humbly teachable, sitting under the authoritative instruction of the whole counsel of God. Nothing else, neither politics nor persuasion, will be a lasting remedy. Only hearts and minds transformed by God's Word can foster the necessary atmosphere of unity so vital to a thriving fellowship. And it is not that these dominant personality types in view meant evil, for that seems unlikely given the apostle's gentle chiding. But without strong leadership grounded fully on sound doctrine, the gentle, refreshing breezes of individual differences can evolve into full-blown storms of discord.

Paul's strategy in addressing this issue was to gently remind each of the participants of their beginnings in the gospel; their first love of Jesus; their laboring to spread the good news. It is likely that whatever doctrinal or faith-practice issues that were in dispute between these two powerful and godly women, underlying the conflict was something else. That is not to say the contention was not real, or was invalid. It is to say that in requiring direct intervention by the Apostle Paul, these women were symptomatic of not "esteeming others as better than themselves", and of failing to "let nothing be done with selfish ambition." Contention and strife are not natural byproducts of agape love. These are, however, benchmarks of conceit, ambition and pride. All ugly things in a church.

There is plenty of room in a well-grounded fellowship for amicable disagreement on non-essentials. If all such are handled with love and tolerance, and under solid teaching and leadership, disruption is unlikely to occur. But when these escalate, when emotions run high, and factions get created, the result can be disastrous. More than one vibrant church has split and died. Consequently, in addition to reminding them of their humble start in the faith, Paul solicited the help of a syszugus. 

This was someone who walked in agreement with Paul, and had proven to be steadfast and reliable. The description, "true companion" says it all. He or she was literally a "genuine yokefellow" who had taken up the yoke of Jesus Christ in such a way that they were able to bear, not only their own burdens, but the burdens of others within the church family. And, in this instance, the burden of like-mindedness in the church, corporately. How wise Paul was to enlist the aid of others to come alongside the disputatious pair, and defuse the situation by the injection of calmer, less invested, and likely more rational thinking. His goal was to re-instill unity; not by compulsion, but by an appeal to a deeper fellowship, mentioning Clement, and the rest of my fellow workers.

Paul subtly and profoundly emphasized not the differences, but the underlying cohesion of the church everywhere and throughout the ages. It is this: our names being written in the Book of Life. This is instructive for us today, when the church has been fractured and splintered on the shoals of denominationalism, doctrinal liberalism, and moral compromise. Being one in sound doctrine is the only prescription that effects a cure to the natural divisiveness of fallen human beings saved by grace through faith. And upon that foundation is built mutual respect, self-sacrificing love, and remembrance of Who we really serve, and to Whom we owe all.

And it is so important to have a Syszugus upon whom the church leadership can rely to sincerely smooth ruffled feathers, and calm the storms of emotionalism that sometimes comes upon the church. A person (or persons) who do not add their own fallen fuel to the fire, but keep their eyes on Jesus, to Whom the church owes ultimate allegiance.

No single person can be all necessary things to all people within a fellowship all the time. And in perfect anticipation of the needs of the church throughout the ages, Christ has gifted each committed member of each church family a subset of the required tools to edify the body of Christ, to express His mercy, diligence, leadership and love. A thriving church is a place where these gifts are allowed to grow and blossom, and come to full fruition under the guidance and administration of the Holy Spirit.

When such is in place, I believe that that Body of Christ, however large or small, rich or poor, well-known or unknown, shines a light in the darkness that makes the Enemy and his minions tremble and quake with fear, and that brings  joy unspeakable to the One who died to save us, and who lives forever more.

Adventures of Dead Man - Scene 4: Dream?

"So, I have become Dead Man, is that it?"

"If you'd like."

"And I am experiencing a bit of Heaven?"

"Well said, yes. The smallest possible bit. There is much more, of course."

"How do you know?"

"I am a permanent resident."

"An angel or a glorified man?"

"Excellent question! I expected no less."

A blatant attempt at flattery, I knew, but this guy, whoever he was, was just too amiable to get annoyed.

"And you are? And don't be evasive this time. It's a nice day out there, and I might just decide that answers are less important than I thought a minute ago."

"It's been much less than a minute, my friend."

"You're doing it again," I said. "On purpose."

"Yes. I promise to stop if you answer one more question from me."

I raised my eyebrows at him. He did the same at me, at the same time, but better. And then that whole image metamorphosis thing occurred again, and I saw him at a variety of ages, as if he were all of them at once.

"Stop doing that! It's disconcerting!"

"I imagine it is, but I am not doing it. You are. When you reside in Heaven, even as a visitor, what you think is what you see. Or more precisely, what you think is reality. That's why permanent residence requires an existential transformation. Terrestrial beings cannot stay here for long. They need to put on immortality and incorruptibility. I'm sure you could imagine the resulting chaos otherwise. That's why you are in an Isolation Room, of sorts. Quarantine, so to speak."

I had to admit, he was very good at controlling the conversation. The more he spoke, the more questions I had, and it would be very easy to get side-tracked. Plus, while I felt the conversation was extremely important, I lacked a certain necessary sense of urgency about it. That breeze and sky outside were too inviting. And I had not felt so physically good in a long time. Maybe since birth. But then, my laser-like focus would come into question and we couldn't have that.

He was smiling, again. I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew what I was thinking. It was kind of fun, and the blue outside was the bluest blue I had ever seen, or could imagine ever seeing. But enough of this, I decided, I have my reputation to consider. For some reason, I laughed out loud at that. So did he.

"Alright. What's your question? And remember, a deal's a deal. I answer your question and you answer mine. Yes?"

"Of course. Here it is: how did you get here?"

"I died. You said so yourself."

"Please! Now you're just being petulant again."

I cleared my throat to gain time. I do not like tests, or trick questions. I especially dislike tests that contain trick questions.

"Fine," I said. "If this is Heaven, and I am now Dead Man, the only way I could have gained entrance was through my faith in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Friend and Brother, the Son of God, who died on the Cross of Calvary for my sins."

It's funny. I knew that was the correct answer he was looking for, and if he were being truthful in his claim to have studied me, he had to have known that's what I would say. So why the test? Why make me say it?

At that very moment, in addition to the idyllic sky, the warm breeze, the lazy summer sounds, and the perfect and painless physical condition I was in, something else came into focus. Something big and complicated and powerful that was impossible to describe, but indisputably good and pure. It filled, well, everything, and in some ways it was a glorious and stirring symphony, and in some ways light, and in some ways neither of those things at all, but much, much more.

My whole being smiled in utter, inexpressible joy. I am sure my eyes glistened with emotion so deep and profound that I should not have been able to see through the incipient tears. But I could, even more clearly than I had before! I saw my companion's face, and it looked as I imagined my own did; completely enthralled and filled with anticipation that was guaranteed to be fulfilled exceedingly abundantly beyond whatever either one of us could ask or think.

"You did that on purpose!" I said.

"Yes! Consider it a gift. A downpayment of unimaginably greater things to come. And, your welcome."

I laughed then in a way that I hadn't done since I was a boy being lovingly trounced on by a litter of puppies full of life and eager to welcome into the fold a new and interesting, if odd-looking, member.

"Your turn," I said joyously, after some uncountable time. "Who exactly are you?"

He looked at me with that same knowing and friendly smile, and his image fluctuated once more through the stages of human life, finally settling on the form of an ancient, wise, and compassionate man full of love and ageless warmth.

"I am you!" he said with a smile. "Transformed!"

Adventures of Dead Man - Scene 3: Dream?

I waited, mulling. I knew I should be upset, but that peaceful sunlight, and that breeze, and the serene summer sounds. It was hard to remain discomfited. And while I was content to just lay there for a time, I was really looking forward to getting up and going outside under the blue, blue sky, and maybe running again, and feeling the warm air on my face… and my eyes. I hadn't felt that directly, and still been able to see clearly, since second grade; a very long time ago. It was a small thing, but suddenly, very significant. I didn't know why. I didn't care why.

But there were questions, and so far, precious few answers. Actually, no answers.

"So, how can I be dead, 'technically', for a time?"

He chuckled. It was a friendly sound, not at all derogatory.

"Don't tell me," I said. "You saw that one coming."

"Yes, I did. Like I said. I know you. I've studied you."

"I'm flattered."

"No you're not. You're annoyed. You think I'm trying to distract you. But I know better than that. Your laser-like focus is undistractable."

"Now you're making fun of me. And that's not even a word - undistractable."

"Yes, I am. A little. But I'm sure you don't mind because…"

"Yeah, you know me. I get it. So?"

"You are aware of the true definitions of death, yes?"

I merely raised my eyebrows. Two could play this game of being enigmatic.

"Relax," he said. "It was a rhetorical question. I know exactly what you do and don't know."

"You're that good, eh?"

He smiled. Despite myself, I liked him. He was growing on me.

"You have undergone the First Death. Your consciousness, your spirit, has been separated from your physical body."

"So I'm unconscious, and this is a dream. What'd I have? Heart attack? Stroke? What?"

"No. You are not unconscious. You are dead. You were shot."

"Dead? Shot?"

"Yes. Now you're getting it."

"I should be really upset then. "

"Perhaps."

"Who shot me?"

"That's not important. Your family is safe. I know that's what you're now primarily concerned about. You were the intended target. You really do worry too much."

"When you asked me what's the last thing I remembered, I saw me on the ground. I didn't look shot. No blood. I looked old, and well, heart-attacky."

"Nope."

"Whaddya' mean, 'nope'"?

"You saw what you could handle at the moment. Your Father is like that. Merciful. Kind. He knows you far better than even I do."

"And it's not important who shot me?"

"No. Not at the moment."

"So, I'm dead."

"Yes."

"And this is Heaven?"

"A small piece of it, yes."

"What I can handle right now."

"Yes. Exactly."

Adventures of Dead Man - Scene 2: Dream?

"Say what?" I said in an inexplicably British accent.

"Your death," he repeated softly.

"I do not feel dead. I feel, well, great!"

"Yes. Regardless, you are, in fact, dead…at least for now. Technically." He smiled again.

"You're playing with my head," I accused, starting to feel petulant.

"I am telling you the truth, one layer at a time, because I know you. I know you very well."

"How's that? Granted you look familiar, but I can't quite place the voice or the face. Or the teeth."

"Patience, my friend. Trust me."

"Is this Heaven, then?" I asked.

"Why do you ask? I mean specifically, not generally. I tell you you're dead and you ask if this is Heaven, which makes sense, of course. But what specific detail caused you to ask now?"

I thought about it for a bit, inclined to answer flippantly because petulance demands either flippancy. Or pouting, and I was too old to pout.

"No glasses," I said. But as I answered, so did he, exactly in unison. The same response, in the same tone. He even pointed at my eyes, just like I was.

"Told you I knew you," he said. "And, no. I am not 'playing you.'" Which is exactly what I was thinking.

"Your back doesn't hurt, either, which is the second reason you asked about Heaven," he continued.

"My back always hurts," I replied, pouting.

"But it doesn't now, because you're dead. And you would have said something about it, but now you won't because I just did, and you hate to play into people's expectations. It makes you feel like a puppet."

"I don't think I like you," I said.

"But you do!"

Damn that smile! Could you even say damn in Heaven?

"It's not exactly a common exclamation, but it's been heard on occasion."

"Now you're answering my thoughts, too? That's not polite."

"No. I suppose not. But it continues to make my point, so you can begin to trust me. Because you'll need to."

"What point? That you know me."

"Yes, exactly!"

Stand Fast

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. (Philippians 4:01, NKJV).

Part of walking the walk is standing fast. There is no room for moral or doctrinal relativism in Biblical Christianity. None. 

By this I mean, the truth of Christ is not "mostly true", or "true for me", or "true in some circumstances or contexts". It is simply true, period. You may disbelieve it, but like all facts, you're feelings or perceptions about it have nothing  to do with its undeniable independent reality. This means, in part, that Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world regardless of your vote on the matter. 

And the things that are revealed in Scripture about God, man, sin, condemnation and redemption are definite and concrete. There can never be a nuanced Christianity. It is what it is. So you either stand fast in the Lord, or get crushed. For He is “[a] stone of stumbling And a rock of offense…” (1 Peter 2:8, NKJV). And “[whoever] falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Luke 20:18, NKJV).

Standing fast means not compromising. It only makes sense. Facts cannot be compromised. Christ's coming to redeem the world from sin through His death is the most significant fact of existence, thus far. There is another, future, fact, equally significant. His return to reclaim the Title Deed of earth. When that occurs, after seven of the deadliest, most calamitous years of human history, the Day of Salvation is ended, and the Day of Judgment has come. Between His First and Second Coming is now - the Church Age. This will reach its final chapter when the living church is taken up out of the planet to meet the Lord in the clouds (1Co 15:50-58; 1Th 4:13-18). At that time, all that restrains the evil rampant in this current age will be removed, and Hell will break loose upon the earth. Literally. In the meantime, we who believe are to stand fast, to be immovable in the things of God. 

For those who do not believe, who may read this and scoff, or be offended, or embarrassed, know this: your feelings regarding these future facts of history are irrelevant. You may hope and pray it is fantasy, or wishful thinking, or deranged Christian fundamentalism, or you may choose instead to respond to the tug of fear in your heart as you see the world system unravelling day by day, in complete accord with ancient Hebrew and Christian prophecy, and seek the One who created you, and sent His Son to save you. It is your choice. And to those who continue in godless rebellion, know that the hardness of your heart was written about nearly 2000 years ago.

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:1-10, NKJV).

While standing fast is the exhortative crux of this verse, do not miss yet another series of insights into the Pastor's heart of the Apostle Paul. Or, as he provides with all his encouragements to godly behavior, the summary motivation behind it. 

Therefore is the opening argument. All of the letter to the church at Philippi up to this point is focused on that one word. Since Christ guarantees to finish the work of sanctification that He has begun in our hearts, since there is no way to lose that which He died to give us, since He has revealed to us His mind and poured out His divine life on our behalf, since He works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure, since there is nothing in existence that compares with the value of possessing Him, since His immeasurable gift to us through faith is eternal life, therefore so stand fast in the Lord. This is Paul's pattern in each of his brilliant epistles, providing the richness of all that God and Christ has done for us, and then, and only then, does he exhort us in how to respond; not out of ritual obligation, but from a heart of love. The popular misconception of Christianity as being a religious system of do's and don't's in order to earn God's favor and entrance into Heaven is severely uninformed. The truth is that God has done it all. Our part is to humble ourselves to repent and believe. He then works in us till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Ephesians 4:13, NKJV).

Finally, as he does frequently in his writings, the apostle reveals his love for his people, referring to them as my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown. Note the lyrical quality of that phrase, and the poetic repetition of the word translated beloved. This is a form of that spectacular Greek term, agape, about which much has been written here. It is that incredible, self-sacrificial love emanating first from the heart of God Himself, and then poured out by the Holy Spirit upon each of us who have believed in Christ.

I suspect that Paul, for all the hardships of his life, was a man who walked in deep seated satisfaction because he seemed rarely to focus upon himself, but rather on his longed-for brethren. Picture, if you will, a father so missing the presence of his beloved children, that his every waking thought is of a future anticipated reunion, where he can again be among  those who are closest to his heart. So proud was he of their progress and growth of faith that he saw them as his jewels and rewards, his joy and crown.

Of course his desire was for them to stand fast in the Lord. Knowing the truth of God, and of man, and of sin, what father (or mother) would want anything different?

Adventures of Dead Man - Scene 1: Dream?

I woke up feeling the best I had felt in… years. Maybe decades. There was a pleasant breeze and natural summer scents wafting through the open window, and the soft morning light outside could only be described as peaceful. There were only two problems. I had no idea where I was, or how I had gotten there.

I thought I was alone in the room, but I was wrong. Sitting by the window, on what looked like a hand-hewn log chair, was a man. I had no clue who he was, but I was sure he was familiar. I thought for a moment that I should be afraid, or at least startled, but couldn't drum up the necessary adrenaline. I was just too bemused and felt too safe. He smiled gently at me, saying nothing, clearly as comfortable sitting there in silence as I was content to be silent.

I vaguely remember feeling almost exactly the same way once as a very young child. Safe at home in bed, on a perfect summer morning filled with country fresh air and lazy summer sounds audible from just outside, with the distinct assurance that all was well, and that a satisfying day lay ahead. No worries. No obligations. Just a sweet and calm anticipation of what the next few hours would bring my way.

But that was very long ago, and while I recall the memory, I didn't recall recalling that particular memory for a very long time indeed. Where did it come from, and why now?

I cleared my throat.

"Hello," I said, surprised at the strength of my own voice. Why did that surprise me?

The stranger's smile widened. Perfect teeth, like polished ivory. Not fake looking like he'd been bleaching; just natural, like teeth were always meant to be.

"Hello yourself," he replied amiably. The voice, like the face, was comfortingly familiar. I focused on his appearance more closely, wondering why I didn't feel the need to grope for my eyeglasses on the night stand. I shifted my gaze for a split second. Hmmm. No night stand. No glass case. Problem? Apparently not.

"Questions?" he asked.

"Well… yeah," I said. "Now that you mention it. Where am I, and who are you?"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

Him just voicing the inquiry invoked some kind of 3-D cinematic, surround-sound virtual reality in my head. Sight, sound, smells, and tactile sensations poured into my awareness through an open floodgate, so that I was both perfectly aware of myself lying in bed, and simultaneously off somewhere into a distinctly different reality. I liked it. Well, most of it. The unsettling part was an image of a man (more than an image, really), collapsing on the ground, clutching his chest and trying his best to breathe. I didn't recognize him from the back, but the coat and build were familiar. Then he managed to turn himself over and I saw his face as if floating above him. The vivid scene vanished instantly as my heart leapt into my throat. It was me!

My eyes snapped open (I didn't realize I had closed them), and standing next to the bed was the stranger, a look of compassion and understanding on his face. And there was something else, like a gentle and loving sense of humor percolating warmly just underneath the surface. Who was he?

"Are you OK?" he asked. 

I really noticed his eyes then. They were a piercing grayish-green. Comforting. Knowledgeable. I studied his face more closely. He looked both ancient and young at the same time. Child-like and full-grown. If I stared for any length of time at all, he seemed to shift in appearance; the emphasis changing. For one nanosecond, I saw him as he must have looked as an infant, innocently self-absorbed. In the next, a series of flowing mental pictures (more than pictures) of him as a toddler, adolescent, young adult, middle-aged, and finally an elderly and wisdom-filled old man, ramrod straight and full of vigor. All these perceptions hitting me at faster than the speed of light it seemed, a universe of impressions in the blink of an eye.

"I think so," I managed to reply.

"Good," he said, and smiled wider still. "You are taking it well."

"Thanks," I responded automatically. Then, "What am I taking well, exactly?"

"Your death," he said.

Walk the Walk

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:17-21, NKJV).

The apostle Paul was a gutsy guy. Many today would describe him as lacking nuance. I've been around a lot of nuance in my lifetime, and after a millisecond or so of it, it gets old. Stale. Nuance is a nuisance. It seems being definite today is a handicap, unless you side with the current popular fashion, then its OK to be definite, and loud, and intolerant. Otherwise, those who disagree with you will leave no stone unturned in order to trip you up with the crippling accusation of hypocrisy.

Paul did not care what others thought of him. He put, not just his reputation, but himself, on the line all the time. He does it here: Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. How many of us today have the courage to promote ourselves as a standard or model of Christ-like behavior? How many of us have a Christian walk that is worth following? Don't get his motivation here wrong, either. He was not seeking fans. He was seeking converts. He desired people to follow him because he followed Christ. When those in the church of Corinth started to form a denomination around him, the apostle soundly criticized their foolish intentions, and openly derided their thinking. He purposely set himself up as an example because he knew he had influence. Empowered teachers of the Word of God always do. And his life was proof that he not only taught, but lived what he believed. His only goal was to live and teach in such a way as to bring others into the Kingdom of God. That is what we are all supposed to do. 

Another reason he promoted himself as an example was because he knew there were others who named the name of Christ for either selfish gain, or to manipulate people, or to wield influence and garner prestige. He summarized these anti-Christian scoundrels as having four common characteristics.  For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. Headed for eternal death; slaves to fleshly lusts; who call evil good and good evil; and who seek the acclaim and acquisitions of the world. The apostle was vehement in warning his flocks about such men and women, weeping and pleading with them to be aware of the dangers posed by these evil workers. And he proposed himself as the antidote. "Follow me, and those like-minded," he writes, "because we are the pattern provided for the church by the Holy Spirit." 

If Paul were not the real deal, this would be a dangerous proposition, indeed. As a teacher of God's Word, he would receive double judgment, first for his own error, and then for the others his misdirected influence caused to go astray. Of course he was cognizant of this fact, and lived his life "as God is my witness", and in "fear and trembling" precisely because he understood the stakes. He pleaded with the church to set their minds on things above, and to understand the schemes of the enemy. 

Then, as he does in all his teachings, he provides the motivation and reasoning behind his exhortations. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 

Look, we are citizens of Heaven before any nation on this earth. In fact, we are not only citizens, but Ambassadors of Christ and His Kingdom, operating behind enemy lines until we either depart from this Fallen world, or the Lord returns in His full sovereign power. As such, we are His representatives. Think on that for a second and you will tremble as Paul did. Or you should. What an honor! What a sacred responsibility! You carry His banner in the world, and you should do so humbly serving your God and desiring above all else to be true, not to yourself, as the blinded world preaches so stupidly and incessantly, but to Him.

You desire to do this because you know He is coming back. It is your primary motivation. It is why you want to be found as a good and faithful servant so that you may hear loving words of commendation on that Day of the Return of the King. You long for Him who saved you, and will perfect you, and resurrect you, as a lost child longs for his parent, or as someone in dire need longs for a Rescuer. We who know the truth have hearts whose eternal life's blood flows to the rhythm of "Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!" "Maranatha!" and "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!" Any other cry of our heart that drowns out those calls to Heaven makes our faith a pretense, a sham, and full of nuance. May it never be so among us!

And this One we eagerly wait for has all power and authority in Heaven and earth. He is able to transform each one of us from this crusty terrestrial shell into a glorified eternal mansion modeled after His glorious body. This is the promise of eternal redemption, for which we have received, as yet, only the downpayment of His Spirit within us. If you believe in anything less, you have misread the Bible or have been misinformed. It is as simple and un-nuanced as that! His ability to perform this glorious transformation is not surprising. He spoke and the Universe leapt into existence at his mere command. He knows all the stars by name. He created everything out of nothing, and most miraculously of all, He condescended to become one of us, to die on the Cross of our sin, in our place, so that we can live forever with Him in His Kingdom. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and will one Day subdue all things to Himself, finally and completely.

For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11, NKJV).

Walk in the Light as He is in the Light. Let your words and deeds match. Walk as if He were walking right next to you. 

Always. 

For know this: He is.