Grains of Sand

“ So God created man in his own image , in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them ”   —Genesis 1:27, NIV In the beginning the space occupied by goodness was huge. The moral character of God filled the heart and soul of that first man and woman. God has no flesh to imitate but he has perfection. With the first sin, goodness began to shrink until, in some, it became a mere pinprick or better said, as difficult to find as that proverbial “needle in a haystack.” How much, or how little, remained was still far from what satisfied the righteous requirements of God. The root word from which “ image ” comes means “shade.” Man went from there being a slight degree of difference between himself and God (for only God can be God) to having only a slight amount of “God-ness” in him. Only God could restore what that first sin, and the nature it imparted to all the generations after it, had lost. So he took on flesh, accepted the consequences for sin that he, ...

We look forward with eager anticipation to what this new year will bring. We hope for the best, but understand that in the midst of all those blessings will come sorrow and pain. Despite our resolutions to the contrary, we will be disappointed in ourselves and in others. No matter how pristine tomorrow's page will be, it will soon be smudged. We will do our best, with God's help, to keep those smudges to a minimum and we will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord just that little bit more during the year that is about to dawn. Today's verse reminds me that there will dawn a day that will mark, not a new year, but an eternity of years. Unlike tomorrow, this new year of years will be greeted without that lingering shadow of reality that hangs over my shoulder as I anticipate 2010. Here's what John says about that year of years: " He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things h...

The owner of my apartment was invited to come for Christmas dinner. She graciously accepted. She arrived, right on time, ringing the doorbell at precisely 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of December 25th. She doesn't have a key to my apartment even though she's the owner. She has to wait for me to let her in. I thought of her when I read this morning's verse. This one is usually used in the context of evangelism. However, as I look toward a new year and consider the old one I realize that it applies just as much to me as it does to the one who doesn't believe. John writes: " Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me " —Revelation 3:20. No, I don't need to be saved all over again, but I do need to not overload my "house" with so many other guests that there isn't room for the owner to come in. Life gets so full of activities and people that sometimes Jesus ...