I am starting the Book of Isaiah today. My impression is that it is the longest book among the books of the prophets. It is most often quoted in the New Testament (especially by Jesus) and many of its verses were used in the lyrics of the famous Handel's Messiah. Like other prophets of the Bible Isaiah pronounced judgement against the people of Israel and predicted the coming of the messiah. I often think of the Dead Sea Scrolls which offered evidence of the historical authenticity of the book. It is the one book both Jews and Christians can learn from and agree with. So I did a bunch of googling and found some references to support or dispute my initial impression here:
Is the Book of Isaiah the longest book among the prophetic books?
Deafmissions.com: yes it has the most number of chapters (66 chapters - same as the number of books in the entire protestant Bible!) but the book of Jeremiah has more verses (1364 versus 1292 in the book of Isaiah)!
What Old Testament books are most quoted in the New Testament?
Biblestudytools.com: The New Testament does not simply express its dependence on the Old Testament by quoting it. The fourth edition of the United Bible Societies' Greek Testament (1993) lists 343 Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, as well as no fewer than 2, 309 allusions and verbal parallels. The books most used are Psalms (79 quotations, 333 allusions), and Isaiah (66 quotations, 348 allusions). In the Book of Revelation, there are no formal quotations at all, but no fewer than 620 allusions.
So if I add up quotations and allusions the book of Isaiah edges out the book of Psalms by 2 (414 vs 412)!
How many verses of the book of Isaiah appear in the lyrics of Handel's Messiah?
Wheatwilliams.com: Apparently a preacher named Charles Jennens was attributed to have compiled the scriptural verses (Messiah Libretto) which Handel later used for the lyrics. Also of interest is that Handel wrote the Messiah in 21 days! Here is the stats (in sequence of appearance) - Part I of Messiah: Isaiah 40:1-3, 40:4, 40:5; Haggai 2:6,7, Malachi 3:1, 3:2, 3:3; Isaiah 7:14, Matthews 1:23; Isaiah 40:9, 60:1; Isaiah 60:2,3; Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:8,9; Luke 2:10,11; Luke 2:13; Luke 2:14; Zachariah 9:9,10; Isaiah 35:5,6; Isaiah 40:11, Matthews 11:28,29; Matthews 11:30
So at least for Part I of Handel's Messiah Isaiah wins hands down! But Parts II and III of Handel's Messiah contain more verses from the book of Psalms and new testament references.
Enterthebible.org summarizes the book of Isaiah this way: Isaiah is the longest and most important of the prophetic books. It covers a long period of Israel's history (before, during, and after the exile) and offers the full range of God's prophetic message: terrifying words of judgment and comforting words of promise. Isaiah portrays God as the powerful Creator, like no other, and also the gentlest comforter, like an earthly lover or mother. Isaiah is taken up in the New Testament more fully than any other prophet.
Isaiah survived four Kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1):
Uzziah/Azariah (overlap), GOOD mostly, 787—735 BC
Jotham (overlap), GOOD, 749—734 BC
Ahaz, wicked, 741—726 BC
Hezekiah, THE BEST, 726—697 BC
He lived among people who are mostly rebellious to God (verse 1:2). They were not atheists or agnostics. They were religious people! It's just that they practiced a religion that did not honor God. They offered meaningless sacrifices and celebrated meaningless festivities (verse 1:13). Therefore God refused to listen to their prayers (verse 1:15) and would not rescue them from their desolate situations (verses 1:5-8). They were told to repent of their sins - stop the corruptions and blood shed (verses 1:4, 1:15) and turn back to God:
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow. (verse 1:17)
He has promised that:
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool. (verse 1:18)
God's discipline is meant to purify us:
Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty One of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avenge myself on my enemies.
I will turn my hand against you;
I will thoroughly purge away your dross
and remove all your impurities.
I will restore your leaders as in days of old,
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called
the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City.” (verses 1:24-26)
We are living in times of uncertainties and instability. We live among people who mostly do not acknowledge their creator. For me it is important to get to know the God who is like my father and my shepherd (verses 1:2,3). Hold on to his promises for his intention is to recreate in us his perfect kingdom. The day will come when there is lasting peace:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:3-5)
I so look forward to reading through the Book of Isaiah!
Friday 26 September 2014
Friday 19 September 2014
Everything is meaningless - how to make sense of the Book of Ecclesiastes
I have always had strong reaction every time I read the Book of Ecclesiastes. I understand that from King Solomon's perspective, he may feel that despite all the wisdom and riches he was endowed with, and the pleasures and delight he enjoyed throughout his life, he had not discovered (at least he did not articulate it as such in his Book) how knowing God and His purpose for him, should change his perspective about life. Of the 37 times the word "meaningless" appears in the NIV bible, 33 times are from the Book of Ecclesiastes. Here is a sample of it:
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.” (vs 1:2)
I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. (vs 2:1)
Then I said to myself,
“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.” (vs 2:15)
For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. (vs 2:21)
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (vs 2:26)
This last verse really catches me. If I would be talking to someone who holds this perspective about God and life in general, I would become quite angry at him, especially if he claims to be a believer. Should Christian ever feel like his life is meaningless? Do I at times feel the same way about my life? Do I not sometimes feel that God has abandoned His creation and has left it to some random, meaningless, pointless course? What is the point of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible?
So I googled "purpose of the Book of Ecclesiastes" and summarize here a few of my findings:
Biblicaltraining.org has this to say: "Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature in regard to kind of a big picture of life. Does it have meaning or not?… Now of course, this is not the ultimate purpose of Ecclesiastes; its ultimate purpose to cause us not to think that way. But by looking at life as honestly as possible from the point of view of a person who thinks there is not life after death and there is not judgment and that God will not call all things to account and evaluate what we have done, Ecclesiastes really forces us to ask the question, what meaning does life have without God. What meaning does life have if God only watches and does not have a direct activity in our lives?"
Gotquestions.org gives this summary:"Ecclesiastes is a book of perspective. The narrative of “the Preacher” (KJV), or “the Teacher” (NIV) reveals the depression that inevitably results from seeking happiness in worldly things. This book gives Christians a chance to see the world through the eyes of a person who, though very wise, is trying to find meaning in temporary, human things. Most every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the Preacher, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. In the end, the Preacher comes to accept that faith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the fact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The Preacher advises the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure."
From the Bethinking.org site, Peter May (a retired General Practitioner!) has this to say: "Ecclesiastes uses the absurdity of life to point to its meaning." He then focus on four themes in Ecclesiastes:
1. Human Yearning - "Unlike the animals, he is never satisfied. There are yearnings for ambition, fame, wealth and pleasure; for wisdom, knowledge and meaning; for justice, and to know the future."; "This is a major flaw in the atheist slogan for the London bendy buses: it reads “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” For the person who stands back and reflects upon life, it just isn’t that easy! Your philosophy would need to be “eat, drink and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15) and try not to think about it”. The trouble is, when we do this, we wake up the following morning with an emptiness in the pit of our stomachs, yearning for something more fulfilling. For the pleasure-seeker, there is always a fly in the ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1), giving the perfume a bad smell. It is the smell of death for all those who treat the world as an end in itself."
2. Moral Values - "Atheists speak of values evolving, as though there was some relentless moral progress that could be documented. Not only is there no objective standard to evaluate this but some of the most appalling cultures in history have existed within living memory, whether the Nazi holocaust of the Jews, or the brutal regimes and mass killings of Stalin, or Mao Tse Tung or Pol Pot. On what criteria can we distinguish between moral values other than personal preference? Unless moral values lie in the character of God himself, we cannot meaningfully speak about the objective nature of good or evil. So our consciences make it very difficult to stop worrying and enjoy life."
3. Our Fallen Nature - "This is in marked contrast to the Tabloid view that there are good people and evil people. The preacher tells us that that is not the case. We all have the same propensity for doing evil – a very unpopular viewpoint, but history records it on every page."
4. Ultimate Accountability - "Creation and beauty can only take us as far as deism; our consciences tell us further that God is moral. But natural theology cannot show us what God is really like. Unless God himself steps into the picture and reveals himself, our human yearning for transcendence is left in the air. We cannot work it out for ourselves. We remain in a state of profound alienation. It is only as God reveals himself in Scripture, in the Moral law, in consciences and experience, and uniquely in the historic person of Christ, that God can be known. A God who surprises everyone by revealing himself hanging on a cross."
I have never visited the Bethinking.org site before. It is very well written. Will certainly come here again in the future.
So the Book of Ecclesiastes can be an exciting book to read. I have to take the "big picture" with me as I read through the pages of Solomon's struggles. I will constantly remind myself that Jesus has an answer for each of these struggles. Thank you Jesus for all that You have done for me!
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.” (vs 1:2)
I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. (vs 2:1)
Then I said to myself,
“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.” (vs 2:15)
For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. (vs 2:21)
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (vs 2:26)
This last verse really catches me. If I would be talking to someone who holds this perspective about God and life in general, I would become quite angry at him, especially if he claims to be a believer. Should Christian ever feel like his life is meaningless? Do I at times feel the same way about my life? Do I not sometimes feel that God has abandoned His creation and has left it to some random, meaningless, pointless course? What is the point of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible?
So I googled "purpose of the Book of Ecclesiastes" and summarize here a few of my findings:
Biblicaltraining.org has this to say: "Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature in regard to kind of a big picture of life. Does it have meaning or not?… Now of course, this is not the ultimate purpose of Ecclesiastes; its ultimate purpose to cause us not to think that way. But by looking at life as honestly as possible from the point of view of a person who thinks there is not life after death and there is not judgment and that God will not call all things to account and evaluate what we have done, Ecclesiastes really forces us to ask the question, what meaning does life have without God. What meaning does life have if God only watches and does not have a direct activity in our lives?"
Gotquestions.org gives this summary:"Ecclesiastes is a book of perspective. The narrative of “the Preacher” (KJV), or “the Teacher” (NIV) reveals the depression that inevitably results from seeking happiness in worldly things. This book gives Christians a chance to see the world through the eyes of a person who, though very wise, is trying to find meaning in temporary, human things. Most every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the Preacher, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. In the end, the Preacher comes to accept that faith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the fact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The Preacher advises the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure."
From the Bethinking.org site, Peter May (a retired General Practitioner!) has this to say: "Ecclesiastes uses the absurdity of life to point to its meaning." He then focus on four themes in Ecclesiastes:
1. Human Yearning - "Unlike the animals, he is never satisfied. There are yearnings for ambition, fame, wealth and pleasure; for wisdom, knowledge and meaning; for justice, and to know the future."; "This is a major flaw in the atheist slogan for the London bendy buses: it reads “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” For the person who stands back and reflects upon life, it just isn’t that easy! Your philosophy would need to be “eat, drink and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15) and try not to think about it”. The trouble is, when we do this, we wake up the following morning with an emptiness in the pit of our stomachs, yearning for something more fulfilling. For the pleasure-seeker, there is always a fly in the ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1), giving the perfume a bad smell. It is the smell of death for all those who treat the world as an end in itself."
2. Moral Values - "Atheists speak of values evolving, as though there was some relentless moral progress that could be documented. Not only is there no objective standard to evaluate this but some of the most appalling cultures in history have existed within living memory, whether the Nazi holocaust of the Jews, or the brutal regimes and mass killings of Stalin, or Mao Tse Tung or Pol Pot. On what criteria can we distinguish between moral values other than personal preference? Unless moral values lie in the character of God himself, we cannot meaningfully speak about the objective nature of good or evil. So our consciences make it very difficult to stop worrying and enjoy life."
3. Our Fallen Nature - "This is in marked contrast to the Tabloid view that there are good people and evil people. The preacher tells us that that is not the case. We all have the same propensity for doing evil – a very unpopular viewpoint, but history records it on every page."
4. Ultimate Accountability - "Creation and beauty can only take us as far as deism; our consciences tell us further that God is moral. But natural theology cannot show us what God is really like. Unless God himself steps into the picture and reveals himself, our human yearning for transcendence is left in the air. We cannot work it out for ourselves. We remain in a state of profound alienation. It is only as God reveals himself in Scripture, in the Moral law, in consciences and experience, and uniquely in the historic person of Christ, that God can be known. A God who surprises everyone by revealing himself hanging on a cross."
I have never visited the Bethinking.org site before. It is very well written. Will certainly come here again in the future.
So the Book of Ecclesiastes can be an exciting book to read. I have to take the "big picture" with me as I read through the pages of Solomon's struggles. I will constantly remind myself that Jesus has an answer for each of these struggles. Thank you Jesus for all that You have done for me!
Friday 12 September 2014
Awaiting the New Body
I was talking to a couple of older physician friends late last night following a CMDS welcome BBQ for the (much younger) medical students and residents. Both physicians had been believers for some time. One (now age 70) had just gone through a major illness and survived. But his 97 year old mother was currently gravely ill and would unlikely survive. So our conversation naturally turned to the topic of death and what it would be like after death. What would the new heaven and earth look like? What would our bodies be like?
Well this morning's scripture reading is right on topic! In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 the title in the NIV translation says "Awaiting the New Body". Now the title is not part of the original scriptural text but has been added on by the translators. I checked the Message (MSG), King James Version (KJV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and the Revised Standard Version (RSV - my first bible when I became a Christian!), and none of them has a title. Another popular translation the New American Standard Bible (NASB) has the title "The Temporal and Eternal" putting more emphasis on being a comparison of what is now and what will be in the future in relative terms. I think the exact nature of what will be our new body is still not specifically spelt out. But we can safely say this: what will be will be way way better than what it is now!
First I noticed that different metaphors were used for the human body: earthly tent, building from God, eternal house in heaven, and heavenly dwelling (verses 1-2). I take it to mean that we (the embodiment of our person-hood) "live" in this physical, temporary body, much like living in an external physical structure. The word "tent" is derived from the old Hebrew word for "tabernacle". It reminds us of the story of the Israelite traveling through the wilderness before arriving at God's promised land. That tent of wood and canvas were built by human hand and were taken down whenever the Israelite were told to move from one location to another. Paul, being a tent-maker by trade, was using this image to describe the temporal and vulnerable nature of our physical bodies. This, according to Paul, will be torn down and replaced by a new body given to us by God. This new body will be permanent, not subject to deterioration and destruction, for it is built by God and not by human hands. The MSG translation says this nicely:
"..we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!"
This perspective is very important. I know that we sometimes "groan" not because we can't wait to get to our final destination, but we are sad to leave. We think our current situation is good enough. We have good jobs and are surrounded by loved ones. We don't really place much trust on this rather uncertain future. We are not like that prodigal son (see the parable in Luke 15:11-32) who found himself in dire situation and longed to return to his father's house. The sad part of this parable to me is that all he was still longing for was what the father had for him - food! But the point of that parable is about his father's love for him. Oh if only he knew how much his father's love was for him!
So it is really not that important to know what the new resurrected body be like. Will I have a triathlete body and be as handsome as a movie star? It is enough to know that our heavenly father loves us. He is building this new body as we speak, a body filled with his glory to last through all eternity. Let's say as Paul said in Philippians 3:8
"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ."
Let me learn to pray (and mean it): Abba Father, I belong to you!
Well this morning's scripture reading is right on topic! In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 the title in the NIV translation says "Awaiting the New Body". Now the title is not part of the original scriptural text but has been added on by the translators. I checked the Message (MSG), King James Version (KJV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and the Revised Standard Version (RSV - my first bible when I became a Christian!), and none of them has a title. Another popular translation the New American Standard Bible (NASB) has the title "The Temporal and Eternal" putting more emphasis on being a comparison of what is now and what will be in the future in relative terms. I think the exact nature of what will be our new body is still not specifically spelt out. But we can safely say this: what will be will be way way better than what it is now!
First I noticed that different metaphors were used for the human body: earthly tent, building from God, eternal house in heaven, and heavenly dwelling (verses 1-2). I take it to mean that we (the embodiment of our person-hood) "live" in this physical, temporary body, much like living in an external physical structure. The word "tent" is derived from the old Hebrew word for "tabernacle". It reminds us of the story of the Israelite traveling through the wilderness before arriving at God's promised land. That tent of wood and canvas were built by human hand and were taken down whenever the Israelite were told to move from one location to another. Paul, being a tent-maker by trade, was using this image to describe the temporal and vulnerable nature of our physical bodies. This, according to Paul, will be torn down and replaced by a new body given to us by God. This new body will be permanent, not subject to deterioration and destruction, for it is built by God and not by human hands. The MSG translation says this nicely:
"..we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!"
This perspective is very important. I know that we sometimes "groan" not because we can't wait to get to our final destination, but we are sad to leave. We think our current situation is good enough. We have good jobs and are surrounded by loved ones. We don't really place much trust on this rather uncertain future. We are not like that prodigal son (see the parable in Luke 15:11-32) who found himself in dire situation and longed to return to his father's house. The sad part of this parable to me is that all he was still longing for was what the father had for him - food! But the point of that parable is about his father's love for him. Oh if only he knew how much his father's love was for him!
So it is really not that important to know what the new resurrected body be like. Will I have a triathlete body and be as handsome as a movie star? It is enough to know that our heavenly father loves us. He is building this new body as we speak, a body filled with his glory to last through all eternity. Let's say as Paul said in Philippians 3:8
"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ."
Let me learn to pray (and mean it): Abba Father, I belong to you!
Friday 5 September 2014
By the grace of God I am what I am
1 Corinthians 15 is an important chapter on Resurrection. Paul spoke clearly the importance for Christians to believe in Resurrection. In fact, our belief in resurrection is tied to our belief in Christ's resurrection. Without the one resurrection there won't be the other resurrection:
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." (verses 17-19)
Death is NOT the end of things. Spending eternity with our Creator is what offers us hope to live today. Each day I wake up (and still breathing!) I must reaffirm that God has spared me for this day for his eternal purpose. As important as it is, the purpose is not to earn an income to keep my family alive, or to preach the gospel to bring the lost to Christ, or to make disciples of those who already believe, or to live the right life in order to make God happy. The purpose, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism question 1: "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever".
Now how we can bring glory to God and to enjoy him will look different for different persons. Paul spoke of himself as the worse of sinners (1 Timonthy 1:15-16), or as one abnormally born (verse 8), or the least of the apostles (verse 9). "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (verse 10)! God is able to use any one of us to bring glory to him. It is sometimes hard to believe. But I am convinced that the more we believe in it, the more we will appreciate God's soverign choice (why me?!) and his love for me, and the more we will enjoy him, not just now, but for all eternity.
I recently came to know Brennan Manning who passed away on April 12, 2013. First my wife found a Youtube video of him speaking on "The ABBA Experience". 5 minutes into it I found myself full of tears as Brennan explained the first two words of the Lord's prayer: "Our Father" (or ABBA Father). I have never heard of such powerful explanation on who this ABBA Father is. I walked away learning two important things:
1. To pray regularly this simple prayer: "Abba father, I belong to you"
2. To never forget (from the story of the prodigal son) that when I return to him, Abba father is always running towards me, throwing his arms around me, and CANNOT STOP kissing me!! (Luke 15:20)
Now Brennan Manning is no saint. After finish reading his biography "All is Grace: A Regamuffin's Memoir" I marbled at the grace our Abba father has for every one. He demonstrated this by using Brennan Manning to bring so many back to him, to rediscover who he is and how much love he has for us. I look forward to reading two other books by him:
1. The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
2. Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
Now Paul is the worse of sinners; Brennan is an alcoholic; and I am... I am what I am. But by the grace of God I will bring glory to him and to experience his Abba father love both now and forever more. AMEN!
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." (verses 17-19)
Death is NOT the end of things. Spending eternity with our Creator is what offers us hope to live today. Each day I wake up (and still breathing!) I must reaffirm that God has spared me for this day for his eternal purpose. As important as it is, the purpose is not to earn an income to keep my family alive, or to preach the gospel to bring the lost to Christ, or to make disciples of those who already believe, or to live the right life in order to make God happy. The purpose, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism question 1: "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever".
Now how we can bring glory to God and to enjoy him will look different for different persons. Paul spoke of himself as the worse of sinners (1 Timonthy 1:15-16), or as one abnormally born (verse 8), or the least of the apostles (verse 9). "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (verse 10)! God is able to use any one of us to bring glory to him. It is sometimes hard to believe. But I am convinced that the more we believe in it, the more we will appreciate God's soverign choice (why me?!) and his love for me, and the more we will enjoy him, not just now, but for all eternity.
I recently came to know Brennan Manning who passed away on April 12, 2013. First my wife found a Youtube video of him speaking on "The ABBA Experience". 5 minutes into it I found myself full of tears as Brennan explained the first two words of the Lord's prayer: "Our Father" (or ABBA Father). I have never heard of such powerful explanation on who this ABBA Father is. I walked away learning two important things:
1. To pray regularly this simple prayer: "Abba father, I belong to you"
2. To never forget (from the story of the prodigal son) that when I return to him, Abba father is always running towards me, throwing his arms around me, and CANNOT STOP kissing me!! (Luke 15:20)
Now Brennan Manning is no saint. After finish reading his biography "All is Grace: A Regamuffin's Memoir" I marbled at the grace our Abba father has for every one. He demonstrated this by using Brennan Manning to bring so many back to him, to rediscover who he is and how much love he has for us. I look forward to reading two other books by him:
1. The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
2. Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging
Now Paul is the worse of sinners; Brennan is an alcoholic; and I am... I am what I am. But by the grace of God I will bring glory to him and to experience his Abba father love both now and forever more. AMEN!
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