I am the vine

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“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Connection with Jesus

Lately, I seem to be getting frequent reminders that I am not as young as I used to be. The latest was a notice in the mail that our 20th high school class reunion will be held this summer. Indeed, those 20 years can go by very quickly. Also, a lot can happen in 20 years that can make it hard to stay in contact with classmates. Life happens. We get married and have children. Jobs take us all over the country. When we go so long without seeing people, it is very easy to lose the connections we once had with them.

It’s also easy for that to take place with Jesus. We fill our schedules up with work and sports and school activities. We have family and community obligations. We take vacations and try to make the most of life and before we know it we are losing our connection with Jesus. This happens gradually just like it does with high school classmates over 20 years. But before we know it, we have not remained in Jesus.

Losing a connection to a high school friend is one thing. Losing our connection with Jesus is another thing altogether. Jesus makes it clear in John chapter 15 that without a connection to him we are in trouble: we can’t grow…we can’t produce fruit…we can’t be saved. Ultimately, no connection with Jesus means no getting into heaven. It means getting tossed out with the other dead branches into the eternal burn pile.

The good news is that Jesus will never sever his connection with those who are joined to him by faith. He is always ready and waiting in his Word to remind us of his love and to draw us closer to him.

Perhaps for you now is a good time to reconnect with Jesus and take steps to remain in Jesus. Recommit yourself to regularly attending worship. Join a Bible study. Expand your devotional life.

We may or may not want to attend a class reunion, but we never want to miss out on eternal life with Jesus!

God's purpose for his creation of man

Why do bad things happen?

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In this world, why do bad things happen at all? One would have to agree that bad things do happen to all people. War, poverty, disease, sickness, accidents, pain, sorrow, death occur everyday to people around the globe. The rich, the poor, the intellectual, the illiterate, the strong, the weak, the old, the young can all be stricken and afflicted by that which we might define as bad.

This is not how God envisioned the world he created. When he was done creating the world, God looked over his creation and we read his evaluation in Genesis 1, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” What happened to this world that was very good? The answer again is found in the Bible, just a few short pages away from Genesis chapter 1. Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God, listened to the temptation of the devil, chose to go against God’s command and so sinned. Sin entered this perfect world. The effect of this sin was felt not only by Adam and Eve, but by all of creation. God told Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.”

About 4000 years after Creation, the Bible gives us an evaluation of the status of the world with these words: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” All of creation is tainted by evil. The ultimate evil that sin brought into the world is death, which awaits all living things on earth.

What good is there in this world that is so steeped in evil? On this side of eternity, the bad things keep happening. Evil will continue to happen until the end of time. God has not left us without hope. God in his love sent his one and only son, Jesus, into this world to live as our brother and to suffer the sorrows of this life, including a horrible death in our place. In exchange he guarantees us a place where we might enjoy goodness and mercy forever. There will be no more sorrow, or crying or pain. As believers in Jesus, the bad things of this life will pass away and we will be able to experience paradise in heaven.

Is Jesus Just a Prophet?

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Prophets come in all shapes and sizes. If you speak of prophets in Christian circles, they will recall Old Testament folks like Isaiah and Jeremiah. But what about Jesus? Was he just a prophet among the many prophets?

Generally, prophets are known by their claim to speak about secret events or to reveal some divine truth not known by their hearers. And since it is unknown, there could be many so-called prophets who will say interesting things. But who is to know if they are speaking from supernatural, inspired knowledge, or just making stuff up?

When prophets predict some future event that doesn’t come true, it certainly causes us quickly to lose confidence in their claim to have a special ability as a prophet. We ought to listen carefully to those who have never missed once.

That narrows the field of prophets down quite a bit. While in Japan I was touring a Buddhist Temple at Narita. The monks were busy scribbling “holy writings.” I asked a teacher what they were doing, and he said, “They are updating their holy writings in order to make them relevant to today.” If their prophets were supposed to proclaim some divine truth, it would surely be suspect and hardly reliable.

Compare that to the prophets of the Bible. Every one of their prophecies was fulfilled. The Bible hasn’t changed in over 3000 years, and still every prophecy holds true. Quite dependable, wouldn’t you say?

Jesus was called a prophet. Matter of fact, Moses told God’s people to be looking for this prophet (Deuteronomy 18:18). When Jesus lived on earth, he did prophesy about the coming of the kingdom of God and about his purpose to save the world. He often spoke about his own suffering and death. Other prophets spoke of these things too, but what sets Jesus apart from all the other prophets is the fact that all the other prophets directed their attention to the promised Savior—to Jesus.

Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about the promised Savior. He was born from a virgin in Bethlehem; he descended from the Tribe of Judah; after his birth there would be a massacre of babies; he rode a donkey into Jerusalem; he was betrayed by his friend for 30 pieces of silver; he was rejected by his own people; and he was accused and condemned unjustly. Then came the big fulfillments. He suffered on a cross while the soldiers cast lots for his clothes. He died and then had his side pierced without one bone being broken, Jesus was buried with the rich and rose again from the dead – everything just as had been prophesied about him.

No other prophet, either Christian or non-Christian, has come close to fulfilling what Jesus did. No other prophet has come close to proclaiming accurately the secret things of God like Jesus did. No other prophet has come close to fulfilling prophecy like Jesus has.

Jesus is a prophet. But he is much more. He is the Savior of the world. He has freed us from the punishment of sin and hell. Jesus is our Savior. You can count on it!

I am the way and truth and life

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 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

The Cure

A doctor says to his patient, “The bad news is you have a terminal illness. Here’s the good news: this disease is easily cured. You only need to spend time in the sun.”

The patient responds, “That sounds too simplistic. I read on the internet that people with my symptoms improved after taking this expensive medication. Another website mentioned a surgical procedure that helped. One online expert suggested a strenuous routine of diet and exercise.”

The doctor replies, “Sir, I studied this illness in medical school. I specialize in treating it. Look at my credentials. I’ve successfully treated hundreds of patients. There is only one cure—the sun. Without it you will suffer a horrible end.”

The patient remains unconvinced. “That may be your truth, but it’s not mine. I sincerely believe that if I go on living my life in the dark, I’ll get better eventually.”

Which individual is misguided and narrow-minded—the patient or the practitioner?
Everyone is born with a terminal disease called “sin.” It is futile to think we can diagnose and cure sin ourselves. It is dangerous to believe we can go on living as if nothing is wrong. No matter how sincerely we trust popular ways of dealing with sin, they lead to a dead end. They cannot give us the sinless life that God desires. Neither can they deliver us from death.

The only cure for sin is the Son. Only Jesus has the credentials to offer mankind a cure. As our substitute, he lived and died under God’s holy demands. As a man who is also God, he offered his sinless life and innocent death as the universal remedy for sin. This remedy’s power is certified by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” His words are not arrogant, misguided or narrow-minded. They are a gracious invitation to all. The cure is yours. It’s free. Enjoy forgiveness for your sins and the guarantee of a future—unending life free of sin and all its side-effects. Trust in Jesus! You won’t regret it.