For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:27

I’m not so sure any more when this event will happen. It sounds like an official closing out of history, with Jesus sorting everything out and judging those of us who are still standing on That Day.

I’m less concerned about the when and where as I am about the what. What kind of reward will it be? What do I have to do to get one? What happens to me if I don’t merit a reward? Why are most Christians down on works, when this certainly seems like the basis on which we get the rewards?

What I can get from the verse, however, is that he wants us to be found doing good. His Spirit (Christ/God) within us reminds us daily what is good and what we can personally do about it. This is called obedience. God doesn’t want a disobedient child. Nor does he want an apathetic child. He wants an active child, who goes about doing his Father’s business.

It seems to me that the active Christian life consists of three things. First, we must have an open line to God. Along with brief “Thank You’s” and “Help Me’s” throughout the day, we should consciously plan a quiet time to be with Him and to share whatever is laid upon our heart. If there is nothing to share, then we should just listen. His Spirit will pray for us.

Secondly, we should obey. God is constantly telling us what we should embrace and what we should avoid. We must always be aware that Pride is the greatest enemy of perfect obedience.

Overall, we must love. We are to look upon creation as He sees it. What he has made is very good, even though it is often tainted with evil. He plans the redemption of everything. We must help Him in this work. That’s what obedient children do.

Until the mad scientists figure out how to create humans without need of opposite gender participants, each of us owes our existence to the consummation of a “loving” relationship between father and mother.  And because we are not only physical beings, but spiritual, we are taught to assign a gender to heavenly (or devilish) beings, be it gods, angels or demons.  These are necessary pronouns to complete our dialogue, such as “He loves me” or “She tempted me.”

So unless we are Greek god/goddess worshipers or feminists, we are likely to regard God as “he,” along with his son, Jesus and the only angels mentioned in the Bible as guys.  That being said, if we are to speak of God in the third person, how do we address him/her?  Or do we just never use the pronoun?  Does any of it make any difference to God?

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Being older has its ups and downs. I will be eligible for early social security income this year, but it’s not like I have one foot in the grave. For one thing, having grandchildren is God’s way of saying, “Thanks for sticking around.” Also seeing your children display some of your traits is both heartwarming and scary.

Running out of breath while I’m down there tying my shoes is a little annoying, and looking at something on the bottom shelf at Walmart, then having to find another shelf that will support you while pulling yourself up is embarrassing. But all in all, life is good. My mind is younger than ever; it’s where I live a lot of time these days.

There are a lot of people, however, young and old, who are just not at home with themselves.

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How true. But as I drove past that particular church, seeing the sign, and knowing something of the doctrine of that particular denomination, I could only shake my head and say, “But they don’t really believe it.”

How could I possibly make that claim? Because their reference to “no one” is, at best, limited, and, at worst, conditional. No one applies only to those who are living in this world. Does God still love any who have rejected him? Sure, they say; God will continue to love them, up until they draw their last breath. But, what happens when they die with rejection still on their lips and unbelief still in their hearts?

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I’m using my imagination here.  So if you expect me to prove my points with scriptural references or quotes from respected Bible scholars, you will be disappointed.  If, however, you will join me in speculating on what might happen after death, you may be surprised how much God will use your own imagination as you focus on his love and your sanctification.

Rather than asking what happens after death, what if we considered what should happen after death.  I know, we must be careful not to act like little gods.  One ground rule should be that we are ever conscious of the fact that God is always present; therefore, we are imagining how He would orchestrate this journey that we’re on, especially that portion of the journey following our last breath in this mortal existence.

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Most people would agree that we seem to be on a journey in this life.  The old gospel song, Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad, gives the image of our trip “from the cradle to the grave.”  Being conscious of the concept of time, we see the world around us changing, ourselves and our families aging, and have encountered numerous births and funerals over our lifetime.  We who are seniors look back and wonder where the time went, wishing, at times, for some do-overs.

In various religious circles a perfecting process is recognized.  Through our encounter with God we see where we have failed and where we need to improve.  Some often can see a clear progression in themselves and others.  But we also can see those who seem to be moving backwards; their bodies are aging, but their minds are deteriorating, as evidenced by their behavior.  What should be obvious, however, is that a great many exit this life as “unfinished business.”

I believe that we were all created by God, and that there is no one accurate, true religion.

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

From my youth, and for several years after, John 3:16 has been the cornerstone verse for all of Christianity.  However, today, if you ask an acknowledged Christian to recite it, many can’t.  It still is a foundational verse for me, and I would like to share some thoughts about it.  To do so, let’s break it down:

For God so loved the world …     Year after year, throughout the ages, human beings have wondered about the existence of God, let alone whether or not he cared for them.  What makes John 3:16 so special is that it was spoken by someone who knew firsthand about God’s love.  Jesus was well aware that his Father loved all that he had created.  But they weren’t getting it.  At this point in history the only people left who believed in the one true God were being oppressed by the government, and their own religious leaders were making matters worse.  

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I was on my way to work and listening to the radio.  I like to spin the dial, give each station a few minutes, regardless of whether it’s music, news or talk radio.  Or preaching.  If something in my variety show keeps my attention, I’ll stay with it until a station break, or until my attention dwindles.  Today it was preaching.

I don’t remember the speaker’s name, but he was one of the more popular ones, like Swindoll or Stanley.  I also noted that he was one of the more educated ones, a proven Biblical scholar, it seemed.  He was outlining the afterlife, heaven or hell, based upon one’s decision for Christ.  From my church background I know this means accepting God’s son as your personal savior, realizing that he died for our sins, and has gone before us to heaven to prepare a place for us.  Non-believers are destined for an eternity in hell.

That’s when it hit me.  How could intelligent men accept such statements, let alone teach them!

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