In October, 2021, the New York Public Library's main office instituted a "forgiveness of late fees for all returned overdue books in all its 200 branches." The goal was to increase visits to the libraries after being on limited schedules due to Covid-19. The promise exceeded their expectation. With the increase of 9% - 15% of personal visits came 21,000 overdue or lost books in three boroughs and 16,000 in a fourth.
The explanations given for keeping the books offer at least three spiritual lessons. First, humanity doesn't return novels, histories or cassettes to God. They are things. We must return the made-in-God's-Image OURSELVES. Second, humanity can never say, as one person claimed, the books she kept helped her get through her personal life and career; they were so important they became her family. No human can ever say, "I've done as well without God by keeping life under my control." Since God created humans to find eternal life, II Corinthians 5:1-5, and Jesus alone not only gives a present life full and pressed-down to overflowing, John 10:10, but eternal life, we must have God in our life! Grizzly bears, mountain lions and Great White sharks do very well without God, but humans MUST SUBMIT to HIM to reach their full potential here and eternal life hereafter. Third, God presently offers to all who accept Christ: forgiveness of sins—removed and obliterated; and daily peace with God, an inestimable pleasure. Now is the Day of Salvation, while we live, think and can repent and be baptized. Come while we may. Forgiveness for each is for a limited time. We can die any day. We can get too old to want to change. Repent while we can. For remaining unforgiven in this world means we face Christ's wrath at Judgment, not his forgiveness. Now he's our Savior. If rejected, he's then our Judge. Savior means he forgives. Judge means he's Just—and Just means he punishes, for all unforgiven sinners deserve Hell.
0 Comments
Finally, 160 years after being an unidentified jurist in the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and the Chief Justice 1830-1860, Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw has a name to go with his pleasant-looking face. Question: did he die, not only intestate, but without family and friends who could have identified him? As of 4/1/2018, two court employees determined a face-name nexus.
That's a fate no saved-by-grace disciple ever has to fear. No matter how long dead, or ashes scattered hither and yon. By the power that enables Jesus to do whatever he pleases, he pleases to bring every faithful disciple alive from the dead, fully named and renewed, and every faithful disciple still alive fully named and changed. IF...those disciples have perseveringly fulfilled Paul's teaching in Colossians 3:2-4. IF Christians now make it their purpose to deny self so Jesus can be seen in them on earth, he will let them be seen as Glorified persons THEN. Note the qualifying condition: "...you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God". No such person will ever have to wonder, "Who am I?" And no one will ever have to ask, "Who are you?" Our entire self-awareness will be Restored IF we now let our lives be HIDDEN with Christ. Not awareness now and greater self-awareness then, but non-existent self now by being hidden with Christ in God. Remember, Christians. Our entire purpose now is to live in such intimacy with Jesus that people will see HIM in us, not US in him. We can claim the promise only by accepting the challenge. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|