A friend’s wife has broken her ankle. I mention it because my friend’s been busy undoing a lot of commitments so as to be her carer. They’ll get through but it made me resolve to cut a bit more slack in my life.
Many of us live with schedules so rigid they can only get broken when ‘something happens’. It’s one great advantage of retirement that you can be more choosy about commitments, with an eye to fitting in things you like to do, and space that’s there when family calls upon you.
Retired or not its basic wisdom to leave enough slack in your diary to cope with the unforeseen. What’s unforeseen includes the Lord’s openings to share his love. It’s not a good witness to someone needy who comes our way when we can’t be promptly available to share God’s love in their hour of need.
Time pressure is on us all but Christians live with an eye to eternity, to things that aren’t so much urgent as important. Things we have to attend to in our lives need spacing out so things God has for us to attend to don’t get missed, not that things we plan aren’t godly, just that they need limiting.
Cutting slack in our lives is a sign we don’t exist to do stuff so much as to serve the right stuff, God’s stuff.
Lord of our lives lead us into more spacious living so we can be available to deal with the unforeseen and, most of all, the things you have up your sleeve for us. Amen
Listen again on Premier Christian Radio’s inspirational breakfast show at https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Weekday/Inspirational-Breakfast
Thursday 8 March 2018
Saturday 3 March 2018
Premier Radio Thought on Billy Graham
Billy Graham was once asked, “Where is Heaven?” He replied, “Heaven is where Jesus is and I am going to Him soon!”
Now the great Evangelist has passed to Jesus.
His words about Heaven remind me how the person of Jesus Christ continues to intrigue people, drawing them from earthbound pursuits towards what’s ultimate and eternal. Although he taught and healed in the days of his flesh what’s distinctive about Christ is the transformation of his flesh at the resurrection. Jesus is bigger than death and he invites us to expand our own lives through death into his resurrection.
Reflecting on Billy Graham’s death last month Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wrote: ‘He was one who met presidents and preachers, monarchs and musicians, the poor and the rich, the young and the old, face to face. Yet now he is face to face with Jesus Christ, his saviour and ours. It is the meeting he has been looking forward to for the whole of his life.’
How do you see Jesus? How do you see Heaven? In Jesus Christ we see by faith one who points us beyond the grave to ‘the fulfillment of all desires, the joy that knows no ending, gladness unalloyed and perfect bliss’.
Such is Christian faith - and faith will one day vanish into sight, the sight of Jesus face to face! As John writes in his first letter: Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when Christ is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
Now the great Evangelist has passed to Jesus.
Reflecting on Billy Graham’s death last month Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wrote: ‘He was one who met presidents and preachers, monarchs and musicians, the poor and the rich, the young and the old, face to face. Yet now he is face to face with Jesus Christ, his saviour and ours. It is the meeting he has been looking forward to for the whole of his life.’
How do you see Jesus? How do you see Heaven? In Jesus Christ we see by faith one who points us beyond the grave to ‘the fulfillment of all desires, the joy that knows no ending, gladness unalloyed and perfect bliss’.
Such is Christian faith - and faith will one day vanish into sight, the sight of Jesus face to face! As John writes in his first letter: Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when Christ is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
Listen again on Premier Christian Radio’s inspirational breakfast show at https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Weekday/Inspirational-Breakfast
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