Whimsical Wednesdays

“Years of Love have been forgotten in the hatred of a moment.”

• Edgar Allen Poe

The ever-famous poet Edgar Allen Poe shows great insight and knowledge in this profound statement that has endured the barriers of time and remained relevant in our culture today. A moment of passion, can lead to a casualty of circumstance, the lives of the innocent sacrificed at the feet of convenience, the survivors left to endure a lifetime of regret. A moment of hatred paves the path for the mistake of a lifetime, a singular action left to haunt the soul for an eternity. Throughout history lands have been conquered, relationships forfeited, and lives lost, in the span of a moment.

On this principle, dynasty’s have fallen and innocence has been lost. In a moment of weakness King David of Israel determined the destruction of his legacy when he lusted after Bathsheba, it was then that the downfall of Israel began. It was a moment of doubting, when Eve questioned the integrity of God, and sealed the fate of the entirety of the human race. And, it was a moment of triumph when Jesus Christ hung from the cross and released with his final breath the all freeing words, “It is Finished.”The barrier between man and God that had been built in a moment was torn down in a lifetime so that man could be united with God for eternity. In so many cases a lifetime, even an eternity hinges on the decision of a moment. Throughout the gospels there are countless times that Jesus could have fallen into temptation. A plethora of situations are supplied in which he could have reacted instead of responded, and given into the wishes of the enemy. He could have let the passion, the anger, the power, or the pride of a moment doom the salvation of the world, but He didn’t. Why? I submit to you that Jesus kept his whole life so focused and centered in on the mission and the love of the father that there was simply no room for anything else. When “in the moment” Jesus saw eternity. When faced with mangled and wicked humanity, he saw a masterpiece. When set before the torture of the cross and with it the unavoidable separation between the Father and the Son, He saw the only hope of reuniting the relationship between God and man that had been lost centuries before in the decision of a moment. Love was the answer to His success. A pure love, a true love, a God love. The God of the universe stepped down from the throne of Heaven, to show us the way, to show us truth, to show us life, and to show us love. In return He asks that we simply do the same. Jesus said in John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” This may seem like a tall order, or an unattainable dream, but let me assure you, it is a love worth dying for, but even more importantly it’s a love worth living for.

As you set out to live today I plead with you to heed Edgar Allen Poe’s warning. Don’t let your relationships, lifetime, or eternity be determined in the emotion of a moment.

- Riley Rose

Whimsical Wednesdays

“As a child I received instruction in both the Bible and the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled in the luminous figure of the Nazarene… No one can read the Gospel without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

• Albert Einstein

Recently, I was asked what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means in my life. At first this seemed a simple and rather easy question to answer, but after a moment of reflection I realized how important the resurrection truly is. So many times we focus on the life and death of Jesus, and rightfully so. His ministry and mission are more miraculous than the stars, but so many times the resurrection gets placed on the back burner of Christianity. I was once in a training that taught teachers how to properly teach the gospel to children, and one of the jokes that we were always reminded of was, “Don’t leave Jesus dead.” We all laughed, but the truth is that the joke was necessary in order to remind us not to forget the resurrection. So often teachers (myself included) would speak about the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and would forget to include the resurrection, essentially leaving Jesus dead to the children. Albert Einstein with all of his knowledge and genius pinpointed the power of Christianity and the difference between it and other world religions with his statement, “No myth is filled with such life.” As beautiful, powerful, and freeing as the crucifixion is, Christianity would not have the life changing impact on the human soul today without the resurrection of Jesus. Einstein would not be able to feel the presence of Jesus if He were still dead. His personality would not pulsate through every word if He were still in the grave. Without the resurrection Jesus would be just another dead prophet. Without his life He would join the legions of other men that have died for a cause. Without his rising we would serve a God that could be conquered by death, and if that were so what kind of God would that be? We should not make the mistake of taking for granted that we serve a living God. Go out today with the assurance of the truth of the Gospel, “No myth is filled with such life!”