"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love", said Alfred Loyd Tennyson. Everyone loves the spring time. It is a time of new hope and fresh plans. It is a time for weddings and proms and mainly for graduations. In just a few weeks young people all over the nation will be graduating from both high school and college. They will, no doubt, be full of hopes and dreams for the future. I'm sure there are many busy making plans for "after graduation." Some are cramming for final exams; others are wondering if they will pass math or English in time to graduate. Very few have anything long term on their minds.
As important as graduation is, there is another date which is far more important. It is a date that all of us must keep and for which very few are truly prepared. The date is not set in stone; it is different for all of us. It is the date on which we will graduate from this life. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgement. You see, that day will truly be a graduation day. Right now is just the school time that is preparing us for where we will spend eternity. We are taking the tests at this very moment. On that day the books will be opened (Revelation 20:12) and the grades will be read. It will be too late to study. Whatever grades we have made will be recorded there for everyone to see.
I don't know about you, but I made a few grades in school that I really would not want anyone to see. Some of my college classes I had to retake because I wasn't as diligent as I could have been the first time around. I'm sure we've all had to take make-up tests because we were absent from school on a certain day. On that day, there will be no make-up tests. The make-ups must be done before one's name is called.
We must all examine ourselves to see if we are ready for that day or not. If not, there is still hope. There is still time to find a place of repentance and let the blood of Jesus wash us clean. There is still time to restore that broken relationship that we messed up. There is still time to right any wrongs that we may have done to someone, whether intentionally or not. But I challenge you not to wait too long thinking that there is plenty of time. Your graduation day may be sooner than you expected.
Thoughtfully Yours,
Sullivan Jones
4/1/13
All Fools Day
The first of April has been referred to for centuries as All Fools' Day and then later as April Fools' Day. The day has its origins in the medieval Feast of Fools celebrated in December. It was a day to masquerade as someone in authority such as the bishop or king in order to mock them. It generally had a festive fair and joke playing was usually themed around making fun of the rich or church leaders. The fool was the object of the ridicule.
The Bible has a different definition for a fool. Psalm 14:1 tells us "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." I recently saw a missions video that captured a sign on a train in Europe. The sign said, "There is probably no God so stop worrying and enjoy your life." I immediately wished I had been there to see the sign. I would want to tell the person responsible that I am enjoying my life BECAUSE I KNOW that there is a God.
It is foolish to believe that this life is all there is. Everything in our world points to a divine creator. It is equally foolish to assume that the God who created all is not interested in how we live our lives. He is very interested in every detail. If it concerns you, it concerns him. He has your well-being at heart.
There will come a day when all the joke playing will cease. On that great day of judgement, in whom will they trust who have denied the existence of our God? Psalm 33:17 says "It is vain to trust in a horse for deliverance." That is trusting in our own strength. In a time of trouble I had rather put my trust in the God who knows all and sees all than to chance life without him. That is why I can say, I truly am enjoying my life.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
The Bible has a different definition for a fool. Psalm 14:1 tells us "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God." I recently saw a missions video that captured a sign on a train in Europe. The sign said, "There is probably no God so stop worrying and enjoy your life." I immediately wished I had been there to see the sign. I would want to tell the person responsible that I am enjoying my life BECAUSE I KNOW that there is a God.
It is foolish to believe that this life is all there is. Everything in our world points to a divine creator. It is equally foolish to assume that the God who created all is not interested in how we live our lives. He is very interested in every detail. If it concerns you, it concerns him. He has your well-being at heart.
There will come a day when all the joke playing will cease. On that great day of judgement, in whom will they trust who have denied the existence of our God? Psalm 33:17 says "It is vain to trust in a horse for deliverance." That is trusting in our own strength. In a time of trouble I had rather put my trust in the God who knows all and sees all than to chance life without him. That is why I can say, I truly am enjoying my life.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
3/28/13
City on a Hill
Psalm 133:2 - Behold how good and how pleasant it it for brethren to dwell together in unity.
A few days ago I heard a song that captured my attention. I downloaded it on my phone and have not been able to stop listening to it. The song is called "City on a Hill" by Casting Crowns. The song tells of a city on hill that once was a light to all around. But something happened: As human nature would have it the inhabitants of the city began to quarrel. The poets accused the dancers of being shallow and the soldiers said the poets were weak. The old wouldn't listen to the young, etc. Before long all of the city's inhabitants ran away.
What captured me most about the song is that it is not particularly religious. It does not identify a church or a secular organization. Why? Because the problem is universal. We all have to contend with our own pride in bowing our wills to another. For most of us it goes against our nature to admit that someone else's idea might be a better one.
I know that we hear a lot about universalism these days. I am the first one to take a stand and say that there are some things I will not compromise on. But the majority or our problems don't come from having to compromise with people from without. We usally have the hardest time within our own circles. That means that the biggest contentions are usually with the ones we love the most such as our family or fellow church members. It may even be those we work around everyday.
You see, just like in the song, it is easy to forget the "why" of what we do. If we are not careful the smallest things become the biggest dividing points. I have seen dear friends become enemies over what color the walls should be painted. I think this is the real message of unity. If it is worth taking a stand over, then by all means be adamant. But if we take a second look, I think we'll find that most of the things we divide over weren't really as big as we thought they were.
Whether it be at church, on my job, or at home, I am important. But I am no more important than the other members. We all have a role to play. If it comes down to it, I'd rather see ugly paint on the walls than close the doors. So I leave you with a question: Is our mission important enough to us to keep going, whatever the cost? If not, maybe we need a fresh look at what we are doing with our lives.
Thoughtfully Yours,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
A few days ago I heard a song that captured my attention. I downloaded it on my phone and have not been able to stop listening to it. The song is called "City on a Hill" by Casting Crowns. The song tells of a city on hill that once was a light to all around. But something happened: As human nature would have it the inhabitants of the city began to quarrel. The poets accused the dancers of being shallow and the soldiers said the poets were weak. The old wouldn't listen to the young, etc. Before long all of the city's inhabitants ran away.
What captured me most about the song is that it is not particularly religious. It does not identify a church or a secular organization. Why? Because the problem is universal. We all have to contend with our own pride in bowing our wills to another. For most of us it goes against our nature to admit that someone else's idea might be a better one.
I know that we hear a lot about universalism these days. I am the first one to take a stand and say that there are some things I will not compromise on. But the majority or our problems don't come from having to compromise with people from without. We usally have the hardest time within our own circles. That means that the biggest contentions are usually with the ones we love the most such as our family or fellow church members. It may even be those we work around everyday.
You see, just like in the song, it is easy to forget the "why" of what we do. If we are not careful the smallest things become the biggest dividing points. I have seen dear friends become enemies over what color the walls should be painted. I think this is the real message of unity. If it is worth taking a stand over, then by all means be adamant. But if we take a second look, I think we'll find that most of the things we divide over weren't really as big as we thought they were.
Whether it be at church, on my job, or at home, I am important. But I am no more important than the other members. We all have a role to play. If it comes down to it, I'd rather see ugly paint on the walls than close the doors. So I leave you with a question: Is our mission important enough to us to keep going, whatever the cost? If not, maybe we need a fresh look at what we are doing with our lives.
Thoughtfully Yours,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
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