John 11:25-26 Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who
believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by
believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NIV)
Most of the stories that I read or heard as a child ended
up with this unforgettable line: ‘And they all lived happily together.’
No matter how scary the wicked witch was in ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ or how
terrifying the Giant was in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ or how cruel the villain
was in ‘Aladdin,’ everything turned out well and the heroes of the story ended
up being blessed and happy. I guess that because most of those stories were
told to me at bedtime, it was far better to go to sleep on a blissful note than
to have nightmares about the villains. We all like good stories and prefer
those that have happy endings, even if they are all contrived just to make us
feel secure.
Throughout my sixty years on Earth, I have watched folks
go about their lives expecting a happy ending. I guess they figure that God
will somehow work that out for them, granting them a blissful everlasting life
no matter who they are, what they believe, or what they’ve done. Jesus has
taken care of everything, so there’s no need to worship or serve Him; all we
need is to acknowledge that Christ will do it for us, no questions asked. If
only it was as simple as that – we could close our churches forever, stop
printing the Bible, and put a halt to praying. After all, if Jesus understands
how busy we are, how wise we have become, and how important we’ve made
ourselves, He will give us a happy ending. We can get on with life and Christ
will be there at its conclusion as our personal Caretaker, Assistant, and Guide
into the next life.
I wonder if it really is that simple, and if so, then why
was Christ crucified? I wonder if eternal bliss is waiting for us somewhere
beyond the rainbow just because we want a happy ending? In my heart, I may want
to believe this, but I feel as though it would just be wishful thinking. If Jesus
is the Resurrection and Life that we truly want, doesn’t actually obtaining it
involve some sort of allegiance to Him?
There’s much more to Christianity than just thinking
happy thoughts and taking Jesus for granted. Wishing for a happy ending is not
the same as truly hoping for eternal life. At some critical point in our lives,
we need to connect the dots between Christ and us – without that full and final
connection, we’re just whistling in the dark and deluding ourselves.
Point to ponder
Am I truly connected to Christ? Am I ready to receive
everlasting life?
Prayer: Lord
Jesus, keep us from deceiving ourselves that everything will turn out okay just
because we want it to be that way. Help us to reflect on our commitment to You
and enable us to serve You faithfully throughout all that is left in our lives.
In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church
website at www.erinpresbyterian.org.
If you would like to ask questions or make a comment about today’s devotional,
please send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s image is one of
John’s latest drawings called ‘Iconic King.’ If you would like to view a larger
version, please click this link: King.
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