A Starting Point

Romans 14:7-12

“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.  Why do you pass judgment on your brother?  Or you, why do you despise your brother?   For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

To arrive at the end of a journey is it possible to not have a starting point, even your GPS wants a starting point in order to map out your destination, map quest wants a beginning point so as to map out your travel destination, and the Bible has that same plan.  It begins in Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”  If it has been awhile since reading this account of God’s creation keep reading, but let’s also move over to the New Testament in the book of John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  As you stay on this journey you will learn that the Word and Jesus are the same, Jesus is the Word, He also is the Light, the Truth, the Messiah, Redeemer, King of Kings and LORD of lords.
I was blessed to be part of a small group of men at my workplace who had a new goal, we were to go anywhere in the world, no boundaries and our V.P. gave us the title “Global Market Creators” and I was the one that said, ”Henry, only God can Create, the best we can do is find the project and do our best to earn their business.”  The all things were made through him, and are still happening and will continue until we are taken out of this world.

So if there is a beginning does the Bible make reference to an end?  Yes, but before we arrive there, we have many stops and I will refer to them as rest stops on the highway of life.  If we were to look at the personal GPS of our life, it begins at birth, and so to keep it simple, lets look at your first word, the first haircut, the first day at school, the first time you heard the name of Jesus, maybe in honor or as a curse word, and the first time you heard about Jesus stepping out of heaven, as a baby born to a Virgin named Mary.  It was not long till you, for the first time heard about this same Jesus being sold out by a guy named Judas and being nailed to a cross for the sins of everyone who ever lived, and you came to understand you were included.  It was also the first day you made a decision, will I place my life and hope in Jesus or will I reject and be my own authority, will I do it my way or will I agree with Jesus that I need a Savior?

If you thought earth was a neat place, you need to see heaven, and the new earth without sin, without death, without sickness, or hate, it is not the end but it is eternity.   Listen to these words in Revelation 22:12-13, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  It is very clear Jesus desires for you to choose to have Him as your life, the world and it pleasures are passing away, but not Jesus, listen and ponder on these verses in Revelation 22:16-17, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

It matters not where you find yourself on this day, let it be the first time you bow your knee to Holy God, and confess you have been getting your needs met outside of Christ, and by faith you believe Jesus is Lord, and you will confess to others with your mouth that your hope for life now and for eternity is found only in Jesus.  May the end of this journey be the beginning of a life full of joy, peace, and hope in Christ.   That is my prayer for you!

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice