Transitions: Triplets of Change from Death to Life

Photo by Graham Crumb 2009

As we are made in the image of the Triune God (Genesis 1:26-27), it is not surprising that our physical and spiritual being, our relationships, and our life path reflect His three-part nature. Our lives unfold and transform according to His perfect plan, with triplets of change marking our transitions along that path (Jeremiah 29:11).

Solomon speaks of God making everything beautiful in His time. He speaks of the times and seasons of life, beginning with a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,11). Yet sandwiched between these two events is the span of our time here on earth. In 1966, Linda Elllis wrote a poem called “The Dash,” referring to that tiny line on the grave stone between the birth year and the year of death – that tiny line that represents all we do with our allotted time in this life (Psalm 90:10). In the scheme of eternity, that time is like a vapor, disappearing like the puff of air we exhale on a frosty day (James 4:14).

So life on earth is the transition from birth to death, and even before that is gestation, during which the baby lives in its mother’s womb in the transition from conception to birth. When we are born, we as children depend on others to provide for our physical needs; then we are self-sufficient as mature adults; but then we become elderly and begin to deteriorate physically, once again requiring support from others. God therefore commands us to honor our parents, not only when we are children and their care prolongs our life (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16), but also as adults when the tables are turned and we provide for them (Mark 7:10-12).

Since Adam and Eve fell and sin and death entered this world (Genesis 2:17; 3), our bodies have been doomed to age. The process of physical maturation and decay is marked by transitions in posture and stance – horizontal in infancy as the baby spends most of its time sleeping and then crawling; upright in adolescence and adulthood; then stooped and ultimately bedridden due to the ravages of old age. Yet physical aging need not mean the end of our usefulness to others and service to God, as was the case with Caleb (Joshua 14:9-14), Moses (Deuteronomy 34:7), Naomi (Ruth 4:14-17) and others.

Before puberty we cannot have children; then we become sexually mature and capable of parenting; but as we age, we become infertile and lose our reproductive potential. (Of course, nothing is impossible with God, and He blessed Sarah (Genesis 17:15-19) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:13-18) with children at a very old age even though they had been barren).  

Even more important than the physical transitions every person must undergo are the spiritual transitions God freely offers to whosoever desires them (Revelation 22:17). When we seek God, and search for Him with all our heart, we shall find Him. Then we can call upon Him, and pray to Him, and He will listen to our prayers (Jeremiah 29:12-13). Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, later paraphrased this by saying, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3).

Jesus Himself promised us the greatest possible life changes if we are willing to undergo three transitions or steps of obedience: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7).

Sadly, many reject Christ’s offer of eternal life. These unsaved people must transition from life to three kinds of death: not only physical death (Hebrews 9:27) that all of us face (unless we are still alive at the Rapture; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54) but also spiritual death, or separation from God during their earthly life (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13), and eternal death with everlasting punishment in Hell (Mark 3:29; John 5:29).

By calling on the Name of Jesus, we can go from death in sin to being born again (John 3:3-8), followed by spiritual growth as we are progressively conformed to His image (Philippians 3:10-14). When we are born again, we are transformed from a natural man (unsaved), ideally to a spiritual Christian yielded to the Holy Spirit, but sometimes to a carnal Christian when the old sin nature wins the daily battle against the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:13-23; 8:6; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16).

One of the most important transitions of our life involves how we deal with sin, for all of us are sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23). First we must ask His forgiveness of our sins (1 John 1:8-10), then we must repent or turn away from willful sin (1 John 2:1-6), and then we must forgive those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:14-15; Luke 17:4). All of our sins nailed Jesus to the tree, yet He forgave us (Colossians 2:13), so how much more should we be willing to forgive others? (Matthew 18:21-35) To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).   

Praise God that He allows whosoever will to transition from death to abundant life (John 10:10) here and now and to eternal life in His presence! May we place our faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and spend our short time here on earth by praising, worshipping and following Him!

© 2014 Laurie Collett

 

Remembering His Faithfulness

Photo of forget-me-not by bc anna 2006

God is so faithful! (Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 89:8; Isaiah 25:1; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19; Revelation 3:14). He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and reminders of His loving presence surround us, from the true blue of forget-me-nots on our path, to tender bird songs, to butterflies dancing around us on a gentle breeze.   

 
Yet so many times this past year I hesitated to step out in faith, hindered by fear or doubt, tempted to trust in my own sorry flesh (Romans 7:18), yet realizing how totally inadequate I am.  But the constant cure was and is to remember that He is unchanging (James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8) and faithful, even when we are not. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

Not only is His grace sufficient, but His supreme power is most evident in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). There are no limits to what He can accomplish through us if we simply step out of His way (Genesis 18:14; Ephesians 1:19). If we surrender the reins of our life to Him (Luke 22:42), if we empty ourselves of our prideful self-justification (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6) and the foolish constraints our minds place on His unlimited resources, He can work miracles through us! (Jeremiah 32:17,27; Hebrews 13:21). If we do not, His will and His work will still be done, but we lose the opportunity, blessing and reward of fulfilling His perfect plan for our lives (Jeremiah 33:3).

But if we die daily to self (1 Corinthians 15:31) and offer ourselves to Him as an empty vessel, the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) can and will release His love and living water to flow through us (1 John 4:7-13); His fire to consume us (Hebrews 12:29); and His light to burn brightly in us for all to see (Matthew 5:14-16), for their blessing and His glory!

Just as Samuel commemorated the Ebenezer stone to remind him of God’s deliverance of Israel from her enemies (1 Samuel 7:9-14), it is good for us to review God’s blessings, mercies, and opportunities so that we can face the future with the blessed, living hope only He can offer (Jeremiah 17:7; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3). 

Sometimes we can look back on events from even before we were saved and see His hand at work in preparing us for future ministry (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13). Often we won’t understand the significance of past events until we see Him in glory. But we can always be confident that He is working all things together for our good and His glory! (Romans 8:28)

As I remember the highlights of 2013, I am so blessed to see His faithfulness in action, equipping us for the ministries He has entrusted to us. Certainly there have been trials and obstacles to overcome, but each time He proved that He Who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), and if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) These trials test our obedience, trust and faith, and ultimately strengthen our relationship with Him as we realize that He alone is the Source of all blessing (James 1:17), the Solution to every problem (Matthew 6:8).

A milestone for us in 2013 was a new direction in our ministry. This began as the pastor of the church where we served since 2002 preached on Acts 1:8 – on the importance of witnessing and serving first in your own Jerusalem, or your immediate neighborhood; then in Judaea and Samaria, or regions nearby; and finally to the furthest reaches of the earth.

Each day as we passed by a church very close to our home, we began to wonder if God could be calling us to serve there, practically in our own backyard. We learned that there was a need there, and with the blessing of both pastors, we transferred our membership to help fill that need. Since October, I have been singing special music regularly on Sunday mornings in our new church home; my husband Richard is the new sound man; and I started and have been teaching Sisters-in-Grace, a new ladies’ Bible study class.

Christmas Music Service, Fowler Ave. Baptist Church, 2013

 We had prayed that God would make His will regarding our church service very clear, and He was so faithful and swift to answer that prayer! On the first Sunday morning we visited, He showed us before we even entered the church building that there were two very specific needs we could fill. And as we walked into the sanctuary for the first time, we were stunned to see the full text of Acts 1:8 in huge letters adorning the wall behind the altar:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

So our new church home and its ministries are now our Jerusalem! For some years, our dance ministry has been like Judaea and Samaria for us – involving some, yet not too distant, travel, and sometimes in venues where the audience may prefer not to hear the message we bring. In 2013, God continued to bless our dance ministry, enabling us to spread His Word through dancing to Christian music and themes. Despite the limits of growing older, we continue to use physically demanding Theatre Arts and adagio choreography, by His grace alone.

This art form is traditionally reserved for young people in peak physical condition, and we have reached the age that many of our competitors could be our children or even our grandchildren! But the Bible does not speak of retirement. At 85 years of age, Caleb acknowledged that God was the source of his strength and asked God to give him victory over the Anakims occupying Mount Hebron (Joshua 14:9-14). May all of us rely on His grace to empower us in the unique ministry where He has placed us, for as long as it is His will to do so!

And finally, God has blessed this blog in 2013 by allowing it to grow and by giving it visitors from the uttermost part of the earth! Praise God for the Internet that allows believers around the globe to encourage and uplift one another! All of you are such a blessing to me, and I am thankful for your readership, for your input on this blog, and for your own inspiring posts.

As part of this year-in-review, I am including links to the top 10 most viewed posts of 2013 (most viewed post listed first, and then in descending order):

Triplets of Faith: Were Adam and Eve Saved?

Rebellion & Redemption: Cain and Abel                 

Rapture to Heaven: Triplets of Eternity                    

How Does God Love Me? Let Me Count Three Ways

Rebellion & Redemption: Expulsion from Eden

Salvation’s Eternal Blessings                              

Remembering “Baba”: A Proverbs 31 Woman

Water and Oil: Physical and Spiritual Milk                   

“Let’s Do Church” -- NOT!                                                  

Who is the Proverbs 31 Woman?                              

Happy New Year! May this be the year that we are all emboldened to tell the unsaved in our sphere of influence of faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6). May God bless all of you, your families, and your ministries richly in 2014 and until He comes again!

© 2014 Laurie Collett