Life Is A Vapor

Just as the lifespan of a bubble is short, so is our life and our opportunity to capture the glory of God.  Our time here on earth is to eternity as a grain of sand is to the universe.  It is tiny.  It is microscopic.  It is infinitesimal.  We don’t last long, so we’d better make hay while the sun shines.  We must grab hold of that bubble–take hold of God–while we have the chance.

Bursting The Bubble

But there’s a problem.  Try as we might, we can’t catch the bubble.  It doesn’t matter how hard we try or how many chances we get.  We just can’t do it.  It doesn’t matter how fast we are, how strong we are, or how smart we are.  That bubble will pop the moment we touch it.

Similarly, we can’t take possession of the glory of God.  How good, upright, respected, or sincere we are doesn’t matter.  We are damaged and depraved.  The glory of God is beyond our ability to capture or comprehend.  This is where Jesus steps in.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  Romans 3:23-25

He Shares The Bubble

In our depravity we are removed from God.  This separation is fatal.  Our bodies are dying and our souls are dead without God.  So, Jesus steps into time and does the impossible: He catches the bubble.  What we could not do, Jesus did.  When our sin would separate us from God, Jesus took our sin.  He also shares the bubble with us, so that we can be a part of the family of God.  Through the atonement bought by the blood of Jesus, the glory and the light and the life of God are imparted unto us.  We are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, so that when God looks upon us He sees His perfect, sinless Son!

We can’t catch the bubble, so Jesus caught it for us.

We could not come to God and live, so Jesus came to us and died.

We do not fall short of the glory of God anymore because Jesus brought His Glory to us.

Jesus looked at them and said, With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.  Mark 10:27

Considering the cold weather we are dealing with here in Southeastern Kentucky, I though this post would be timely.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.  2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”  Psalm 19:1-2

Like the hymn I Sing The Mighty Power Of God says—”Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed where’er I turn my eye; if I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!”—one simply has to look around them to see evidence of God and His glory.  In fact, the very seasons of the year allow us to see and experience the redemption story from beginning to end.

Summer

Almost everyone counts this season as their favorite.  The weather is warm, school is out, pools are open, beaches are inviting, cookouts abound, and fresh produce is everywhere.  Summer seems perfect.  Similarly, all creation began in a perfect state.

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.  Genesis 1:31a

Autumn

Soon afterward, the most terrible and consequential act in history took place: the fall of man.  Now I know some may want to associate the season’s term ”fall” with the fall of man, but their similar designations are not related.  Autumn also being known as fall is, however, fitting.  Students are no longer free from stressful schoolwork, cold temperatures arrive, and plants begin to die.  Autumn signals approaching death.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  Genesis 2:16-17

Winter

The gravest of seasons.  The temperature plunges and the cold kills.  The days are short as darkness seems to overcome the light.  We bundle up and suffer through the chill.  All hope is not lost, however, because in the midst of all the death and dying a promised Redeemer arrives.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise His heel.”  Genesis 3:15

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him;
He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
11 Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied;
by His knowledge shall the righteous one, My servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and He shall bear their iniquities.  Isaiah 53:10-11

Spring

Suddenly, out of death, life is renewed.  Warmth begins to permeate the land, nourishing rains fall, and light overcomes the darkness.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3

The story isn’t over though.  It gets much better.  What is at the end shall be as it was at the beginning.

Eternal Summer

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship him. 4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.  Revelation 22:1-5

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for that summer.

Your & You’re

I like your blog.
I like you’re blog.  –>  I like you are blog.  Wrong
You’re a great blogger! –> You are a great blogger!
Your a great blogger!  Wrong

There, Their, & They’re

There is a fountain.
Their house is beautiful.
Their going to church.  Wrong
They’re going to church. –> They are going to church.
***  There is a “something.”  Their “something” belongs to them.  They’re is a contraction of they are.  ***

Should, Could, Would

You should have –> You should’ve
You could have –> You could’ve
You would have –> You would’ve
You should of … could of … would of … Wrong

Affect & Effect

The effect of poor grammar is detrimental to us all!
The affect of poor grammar is detrimental to us all!  Wrong
Poor grammar affects many people.
Poor grammar effects many people.  Wrong
Their choices effect positive change.  –  “Effect” here signifies that positive changes are being brought about by those choices.
Their choices affect positive change.  –  “Affect” here implies that positive change is diminished or enhanced by those choices depending on the effect being either good or bad.
*** Nine times out of ten, use “affect” as a verb and “effect” as a noun and you will be correct.  ***
They were affected …
They were effected … Wrong
The effects are common.
The affects are common.  Wrong

Asking a Question or Questioning Something

I wonder if they’re going to go eat?  Wrong
***  Just because you’re questioning whether something is the case doesn’t mean you are asking a question.  ***
I wonder if they’re going to go eat.
I wonder, are they going to go eat?

Split Infinitives & Other Fun

Their trying real hard to not be the last group to write good.  Wrong
They’re trying really hard not to be the last group to write well.
***  Think “to be, or not to be“  to remember how to write infinitives.  ***

First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth
Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Sixteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth
Twentieth Twenty-first Twenty-second Twenty-third …

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th
20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24th 25th 26th …

10.  Her smile is lovely; her laugh is infectious. She is full of the joy of the Lord.
9.  She’s a lady. She permeates the room with class. Everyone she knows loves her.
8.  She loves God, His Word, and His people.
7.  She’s kind. She’s considerate. She’s constantly thinking of others.
6.  She is so full of life. She provides humor, happiness, and companionship to all around her.
5.  She focuses on the best of me; she puts up with the worst of me.
4.  She pets on me; she doesn’t mind me petting on her. She’s the most huggable thing on earth.
3.  She would rather eat pickles than eat chocolate; she’d rather eat fruit than eat cake. She is unique.
2.  She makes me want to be a better man; she makes me want to deserve to be with such a beautiful person.
1.  Our great God entrusted her to me. Other than the redeeming blood of Jesus, she is the greatest gift given.

Happy Valentine’s Day!