Tag Archives: God’s handiwork

THE THREE PHASES OF LIFE

Christian Life, ,

THE THREE PHASES OF LIFE

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:16

Every human being lives life in three phases; nine months in the safety of a mother’s womb, a lifespan of years from birth to death, and an eternity of experiencing what started in phase one and two.

Phase one is a passive phase which begins the process of fulfilling God’s dream for every person born into the world. No-one chooses his parents or who he will be. He simply grows, in a protected environment, from a single cell to a complex human being with all the potential of adulthood packed into a tiny human form. The process of birth catapults us into the greatest challenge of all, living and learning from birth to death.

Phase two is the all-important time when we grow, learn, and choose the values that will shape us as we journey through life. We are not passengers in this phase; rather, we are apprentices, learning, practising, and preparing for the greatest adventure of all – the unknown hereafter when we will become what we are now learning to be.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

For those of us who have believed God’s Word and dared to entrust ourselves to Jesus, phase three is the promise of a life of perfection and peace in the presence of God, where we will live and reign with Him forever.

The second phase is all-important because what we do and become in our lifetime on earth will determine our role in eternity. Jesus gave us one simple instruction to help us to live wisely and serve our apprenticeship well; “Follow me.”

Firstly, He was a Son and He has given us the honour of becoming sons of God. “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Galatians 4:6, NIV). As a Son, Jesus lived in intimacy and perfect obedience to His Father. So must we.

Secondly, He was a servant, and we are also called to be servants. “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…” (Matthew 20:28, NIV).

Thirdly, Jesus came to reveal the Father and so must we. ”Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9b, NIV). Therefore, the Apostle Paul could say, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…” (Ephesians 5:1, 2, NIV).

Another qualification Jesus gave us is one we would not expect – how we steward our possessions. “If you are not trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:11, NIV).

The question we must ask ourselves during this second phase of our existence is, “Am I on track in my preparation for stage three?“ The way we manage what God has entrusted to us now will be the measure of our trustworthiness in the life to come. Our faithfulness to the tasks in hand will govern our position in the live to come

For the rest, who ignore this crucial phase of their existence and live it up as they choose, Jesus said they are destined for the eternal trash heap where the fire never goes out.

“…hell, 48 where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’ Mark 9:47-48

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

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DOCKING WITH GOD

Christian Life, ,

DOCKING WITH GOD

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

What is your orientation?

I’m not asking whether you are gay or not! What I want to know is, Are you docked with God or is He docked with you? “Are you crazy? What do you mean?”

Docking is the term used when a space vehicle connects with an orbiting space station to transfer people or equipment to the space station. The space station does not come down to earth to dock. Its people and supplies are brought up to its level so that it can fulfil its purpose.

How often have you heard the expression, “God is always there for me”? Is that the be-all and end-all of our Christian lives? What about our being there for God? Does He have to “dock” with us? What if He wants us to “dock” with Him so that we can fulfil His higher purpose?

I watched an interview on a Christian TV channel between a young Filipino girl, Mary Grace and the programme host, Don. Mary Grace was born with half a right arm and a right leg eight inches shorter than her left leg. Her left arm and leg were normal. She was rejected by her peers and lived a lonely childhood. Her grandmother loved and accepted her and taught her about Jesus from babyhood.

Mary Grace had a passion to play the piano but no-one would teach her because of her disability. Her grandmother finally found a piano teacher who was willing to take up the challenge and, at the age of five, Mary Grace began piano lessons. She learned to play with her left hand first, and then she put her right stump to work. She practised for hours each day until her stump bled.

Mary Grace is a concert pianist today, playing with her right stump as though it were an arm and hand with five fingers. Her passion now is to shine for Jesus through her music. But she does much more than play the piano for Jesus. In 2001 she went to the USA and there met a Filipino woman who has become a “mother” to her. With the money Mary Grace earns from her concerts, and sponsorship they garner from all over the world, these two courageous women support more than 350 college graduates in the Philippines who pastor multiple churches, some from five to thirty churches.

Now that’s what I call “docking” with God. God has so much blessing He longs to pour through you into the lives of spiritually impoverished people, but He is waiting for you to connect with Him with a heart of love and passionate obedience. How many are there in our church who are still locked into their own selfish lives, instead of “docking” with God to receive the supplies of grace He longs to pour out on empty and starving lives?

So, what’s your orientation – are you “docked’ into God or are you still waiting for Him to “dock” into you? (LAC)