Are You Still Going Down?

When we lived on the east coast I once read about a serious coal mining accident that occurred in the Allegheny mountains many years ago. Although most of the miners escaped, three remained trapped somewhere deep in the earth. No one knew whether they were alive or dead. As the hours passed, intense heat and noxious gases filled the subterranean passageways. Two days elapsed before a search expedition was finally allowed to enter the mine. Members of the local news media interviewed the three-man rescue team as they prepared to enter what could become their grave. A reporter asked one of the men if he was aware of the deadly fumes and the extreme danger of their expedition. The man said, "yes." The reporter then followed up. "Are you still going down?" The man replied, "YES, OF COURSE!" Then without another word of explanation, he put on his gas mask, climbed into the elevator and descended into the mine.

As I read that story I couldn't help but wonder if a similar discussion took place in heaven before the first Christmas, when our Lord was still in His exalted position with the Father. Perhaps there was an angel who may have asked Him, "Are You still going down? Knowing that You will be despised, rejected and will finally die the most cruel of deaths, skewered on a Roman cross with nails in Your hands and feet, and with a Centurion's sword thrust into your side, are you still going down?"

And His answer? "YES, OF COURSE!" And what took place on that star-spangled night some twenty centuries ago, on into the wee hours when the sun would rise on a Bethlehem morn, is now history - and has literally changed the course of humanity. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light," the prophet Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 9:2). "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:6). And the Apostle John adds, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). He came down! Then and there, in time and space, Almighty God invaded and penetrated our world in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, a tiny babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid to rest in a feeding trough in an innkeeper's stable. He came down!

Incredible as it may seem, He came down! The Apostle Paul describes the miracle of the incarnation and the spectacle of God's humiliation with these words, "Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:6-8). He came down! He came down to save us from our sin. To lift us from the pit, as it were, and to set our feet on solid ground. He came down to give to us eternal life.

"Are You still going down?" That question may or may not have provoked a good deal of discussion in heavenly hallways. But Christ's answer was certainly direct and clear: "YES, OF COURSE!"

He came down. And now, some 2000 years later, the most important question that remains is this one: Are YOU going up? In other words, have you received from God the gift of eternal life that is offered to you through faith in Jesus Christ His Son? I hope you can say, without a question and without any hesitation, "YES, OF COURSE!"

Win and I hope that you will have a wonderful holiday as you CELEBRATE the "coming down" of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the good news of God’s free grace in Jesus shine through every part of your Christmas celebration this year. And, from our hearts and home to yours, may the Lord bless you and yours with the light of His love and grace in 2009. We pray for God's richest blessing on you and yours as we ANTICIPATE a new year of knowing, loving and serving the Lord here on earth - if He doesn't call us up first! Maranatha! Even so, quickly come, Lord Jesus!

It's Just What the Doctor Ordered!

A few years ago I read an article in our local paper that had the following headline: "Bad thoughts bring bad health." The piece was all about a study conducted by Daniel Mark of Duke University. Dr. Mark concluded that OPTIMISM can be a powerful predictor of who will live and who will die after the diagnosis of heart disease. He based his findings on a follow-up study of some 1,719 men and women who had undergone heart catheterization. "The mind is a tremendous tool or weapon," Mark said, "depending on your point of view."

When I read that quote I could not help but think about the emphasis that the Word of God places on the mind. For example, the Apostle Paul tells us to "set (our) minds on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). In Philippians 2:5 he said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And in Philippians 4:8 we read, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report - if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things."

What sort of things? Well, in Ephesians 1:3 the Apostle Paul exclaims that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." So, just what are those "spiritual blessings" upon which I should be thinking / meditating as I set my mind on things above?

Some time ago - as I recall it was one of those typically soaking-wet Oregon days - when I felt about as “gray” as the sky, I thought I would take just a few moments to pick up my paper and pen, and, in the words of the old gospel song, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one."

Here is my list of just some of those many blessings upon which I knew I needed to be thinking . . .

1. I have been saved by His grace from the death penalty of sin. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9).

2. I have "around-the-clock" access to my Heavenly Father. (Ephesians 2:18, Hebrews 4:16).

3. I am NEVER alone because He is ALWAYS with me. (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5).

4. Through His Word and by His Spirit He has provided me with EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3-4).

5. My Heavenly Father is constantly watching over me and always thinking about me. (Psalm 121, Psalm 139).

6. My Lord, who is both loving and strong, and whose ways are always just and right, will work in every circumstance of my life to bring about that which will result in my greatest good and His greatest glory. (Psalm 25:10, Psalm 62:11-12, Romans 8:28).

7. I have the promise and prospect that someday I will be just like Him and will live forever with Him (John 14:1-3, 1 John 3:1-2).

Now, like the little bunny powered by the Energizer battery, I could have kept going and going. But suddenly I realized that I wasn't feeling so down any more. In fact, I was starting to feel pretty good!

That Associated Press article went on to state that OUTLOOK is a "crucial factor in survival." Which reminded me of something that Dr. Warren Wiersbe once said: "Outlook determines outcome. Therefore, when your OUTLOOK is the UPLOOK, then the outcome will be all right!"

So, the next time you're feeling down physically, go to your doctor, by all means. But, don't forget to take at least two of the above! You may feel better in the morning! Remember, one of the wisest men who ever lived said, "A merry heart does good, LIKE MEDICINE!" (Proverbs 17:22).

And the next time you're feeling down emotionally or spiritually, then I would prescribe a double dose of all of the above! (That is just what The Doctor - The Great Physician - has ordered!). And you will discover, in the words of Isaiah, that "those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31); and in the words of Nehemiah, that "the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).

Inasmuch as in just a few days (on August 5) I will be observing the fourth "anniversary" of my "massive and extensive" heart attack(my cardiologist's own words), I have decided by God's grace, today and every day I am keeping my OUTLOOK the UPLOOK!

Have a BLESSED day!