Articles

Imagine that you’re waiting at the gates of heaven, and you’re asked, “Why should we let you in?”

What would you say?

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Some days in the Christian life can feel like episodes of a soap opera, with twists and turns, changing allegiances, and a cliffhanger leaving us wondering what will happen next: “I know that Jesus has loved me to the end, but can I do that for Him? Will I persevere?”

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In the opening verses of Ruth, we read about the tragic triple bereavement of one of the book’s central figures, Naomi: “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land” (v. 1). And in that famine, both Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, and her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, die.

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In his epistle, after a barbed warning against false teachers amid the congregation, Jude suddenly takes a gentler tone: “Have mercy on those who doubt” (v. 22). This is not so different from the Pauline admonitions about sinners: that for the fallen, we ought to “restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal. 6:1), and that “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone …,  correcting his opponents with gentleness” (2 Tim. 2:24–25).

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In the business world, flashiness or virality may lead to short-term success, but it’s not a recipe for long-term flourishing. The companies that succeed in the long run are the ones that do the basics well most of the time.

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The book of Jude, as it nears its conclusion, includes a pair of apparently paradoxical statements. First, Jude encourages the Christians to whom he writes, “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (v. 21), exhorting them to do the practical work that it takes to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, in his great doxological conclusion, Jude praises God as the one “who is able to keep you from stumbling” (v. 24). We keep ourselves, and God also keeps us.

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By its very nature, life confronts us with the question of our meaning. We ask ourselves, as the famous piece by Gauguin puts it, “Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?” We urgently need to know the answers to these questions.

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For a short time in the first century—between the events of Matthew 4:11 and those of Matthew 4:12—Jesus and John the Baptist were both ministering, each in his own way. The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing in Judea and that John’s disciples noticed the growing impact of Jesus’ ministry, leading them to feel curious and perhaps even envious (3:25–26; 4:1–2).

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Christians have sometimes been described as “so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good”—that is, focused overmuch on the life to come and not concerned enough with the here and now. Some believers, reacting to that accusation, have instead sought to emphasize the here and now, becoming uninterested or even agnostic about the life to come.

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If we’re not careful, it can be all too easy to give no thought to how we start our day. Some men and women rise from bed essentially in a daze and stumble into action, directed by instinct and entrenched habits. Those wishing to be more thoughtful may take special care with a routine to launch off with purpose and energy. Some will even prepare the night before to make the morning as smooth as possible.

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