8/26/15

From Gary... Life is like a camera

Life is short- just a "few" years ago I became a father and then a grandfather and perhaps in October I will become a great-grandfather. Time passes so quickly and I find myself looking at old photos more and more as the years pass by. And so, I found myself looking at the above picture this lovely morning.  I thought- how true!!!  Then I remembered that a passage from the book of Hebrews linked with this picture. After a bit of searching, I finally found it...

Hebrews, Chapter 12 (WEB)
  1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

We do NOT live alone, others see us throughout our lives. God sees everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) that we do. It seems reasonable that others in heaven do as well (perhaps verse 1 above MAY teach this). What I am sure is that this passage from Hebrews teaches is that we are to lay aside sin and look to Jesus for help.  I like the way the GodsWord translation puts the beginning of verse 2.

GodsWord, Chapter 12
 2 We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith... 

Its like we stop looking at all the things this world has to offer and picture Jesus (focus on Jesus, if you will).  And, like the picture above, we choose our shots (both what we do and what we make a priority) and start over when our life becomes "blurred" by sin. If we do things right, we will make a beautiful "picture show" in heaven. If not, well- I can only hope that Jesus will edit out the "bad pictures" (that is why he shed his blood, after all) and make us a movie worth watching.  

One more thing- 
its not the fancy camera that is important; it the amount of the light of God that you allow in that matters!!!