The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” 
   says the Teacher. 
“Utterly meaningless! 
   Everything is meaningless.”

What do people gain from all their labors 
   at which they toil under the sun? 
Generations come and generations go, 
   but the earth remains forever. 
The sun rises and the sun sets, 
   and hurries back to where it rises. 
The wind blows to the south 
   and turns to the north; 
round and round it goes, 
   ever returning on its course. 
All streams flow into the sea, 
   yet the sea is never full. 
To the place the streams come from, 
   there they return again. 
All things are wearisome, 
   more than one can say. 
The eye never has enough of seeing, 
   nor the ear its fill of hearing. 
What has been will be again, 
   what has been done will be done again; 
   there is nothing new under the sun. 
Is there anything of which one can say, 
   “Look! This is something new”? 
It was here already, long ago; 
   it was here before our time. 

Ecclesiastes 1:1-10

I am listening to the 2011 Laing Lectures from Regent College about the Lure of Technology. The first lecture explored the boundaries of cyberspace and asked if there is room for grace within this space. The speaker meant grace as in the presence of God mediated by such things as communion or worship.

A long time ago, the Teacher said in Ecclesiastes that “there is nothing new under the sun.” He then went on to enumerate all the things he did to fill his days. I often imagined, if he had been born in our day and age, the Teacher exploring cyberspace and being the first to buy an iPad. But his conclusion that it was all “meaningless, a chasing after the wind” would probably have been the same.

We live in an age so immersed in virtual reality, we no longer notice it. The CD we listen to in our cars is a virtual re-presentation of a past musical performance. The character in a movie we laugh and cry with does not really exist. The family member we Skype is not really present in our living room. Which leads to the question: where is our very real God in all this?

One of the respondents to the lectures said that the Kingdom of God encompasses all space, including cyberspace. There is really no place where He is not. We, who bear His image, represent  Him in virtual reality which makes this space very real for us. He went on to speak about his Facebook friends, most of whom he knows personally and some of whom are people who heard him speak and wanted to be his friends. He cannot divorce this aspect of friendship from his real world interactions. They are closely tied and enhance each other.

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes concludes (after many weary chapters of crying, Meaningless! Meaningless!) “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: 
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” 

It is a good motto for the start of a new year.

C. Wong

Waimea Canyon on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai is the largest canyon in the Pacific and is certainly on the long list of God’s amazing creations. It’s been carved over thousands of years and measures approx. 17 km in length, just under 2 km wide and is 6,000 km deep. It is smaller than the Grand Canyon of Arizona but said to rival its beauty.

My wife and I had an opportunity recently to view this dramatic wonder. With a very early morning start, we drove up a winding road to find a lookout point on the upper area of the canyon. The two of us were alone at a lookout over the canyon, simply taking in God’s beautiful creation with all its majesty – perfectly still and peaceful. I caught movement below us out of the corner of my eye – a lone mountain goat passing 20 meters below on the edge of the slope. We watched with awe in the total silence as it travelled its daily path with complete confidence and sure footedness, despite the fact that one misstep could prove disastrous with a sheer drop inches away to the bottom of the canyon.

The activity in each of our personal daily walks is certainly not as dramatic as that which we witnessed with this mountain goat in the canyon. However, there may be times in our life when we lack confidence in the future and fear we may lose our footing and stumble. Perhaps we’re not at all sure of the path where God is leading us or why certain things have occurred in our life.

Psalm 119:105 reminds us that during times of insecurity or uncertainty, we can turn to God’s Holy Word as provided in the Bible for direction, clarity and comfort. It says: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”. This verse takes on greater significance to me as I think of how dangerous it would be to traverse that canyon ledge in the dark – without any light to show the safe & true path, disaster could be inches away.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and  lean not  on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Events in our lives may leave us bewildered and totally confused. During times like these, we are reminded to maintain our trust in God. He is working out a special plan for each of our lives despite our human feelings that say things may be swinging wildly out of control. It is difficult, if not impossible to rationalize certain events in our lives with human reasoning. However, we can be assured that God loves us and will provide us with everything we need to deal with life events.

One of my favorite scripture passages is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. During times of turmoil or uncertainty in my life when the path ahead looks uncertain and I’m worried about stumbling along the way, verses 6-7 of chapter 4 speak to me and assure me of my direct prayer pipeline to God through my Saviour Jesus Christ: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,  by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

May God provide His blessing to you.

R. Roth

 Read Genesis 5:21–31

 In our last reading from Genesis we encountered Lamech, a descendant of Seth and the father of those responsible for the greatest technological advances of his era. In parallel to this, however, Lamech drew the conclusion that his status set him above others. He concluded that he was more than justified in killing a boy who had injured him. In this, Lamech stands as one in whom the sin of the Garden of Eden has come to full bloom. The sin of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was to give in to the temptation to “be like God, knowing good and evil.” God alone, however, is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. Humans work from God’s moral standard—they do not get to decide independently what is sin and what is not. Lamech rejected this thinking and fully embraced the tempting words of the serpent. As a result, the world he inhabited was increasingly characterised by murder and strife.

Today’s reading sketches out a way that stands in marked contrast to the path of Lamech. In Genesis 5, the author presents a genealogy that runs from Adam to Noah. Genealogies can be tedious to read, but they are in the Bible for a reason. In this case, a careful reading shows that two names (Enoch and Lamech) appear in both lists, but clearly refer to different people. Other names in chapter five are quite similar, though not identical, with ones from chapter 4. For example, the names Muhujael, Methushael, and Irad, of chapter 4 are very similar to the names Mehalalel, Methuselah, and Jared from chapter 5. Some scholars have suggested that these similarities are evidence of textual confusion, but a better case can be made that they draw attention to a path other than the one chosen by the Lamech of chapter 4.

In chapter 5, the author is sketching out a parallel pathway for the human race—one in which humans do not try to replace God as moral authority, but who rather commit themselves to following God. In 5:21–24, we read of the “other” Enoch. This Enoch is distinguished not because of some great human achievement, but because “he walked with God.” In a world going downhill as high achievers pursued their own way, the sum total of this Enoch’s achievement is that he followed God. Enoch is rewarded when God “takes him”—unlike all other humans before him, Enoch does not die and go to Sheol or the Underworld, he goes to be with God. This is the first indication we have in the Bible that there is a way out of the curse of death.

Chapter 5 is connected to the previous chapter by the mention of a second Lamech. Both are connected by the number seven. The Lamech of chapter 4 boasts that he will be avenged 77 times in comparison to Cain’s seven times while the Lamech of chapter 5 lives for 777 years. The first Lamech lives out the sin of the Garden mentioned above by justifying murder. The second Lamech gives birth to Noah and names him as one who would bring comfort to the human race suffering under the curse.

The paths taken by the lines described in chapters 4 and 5 lead to dramatically different destinations. When humans take it upon themselves to decide morality, things end badly. It is this kind of thinking that in the past has led to forced sterilizations and gas chambers. By contrast, the kind of thinking that “walks with God” and relies on him for its standard of morality is the kind of thinking that produces people who care for others. It is the kind of thinking that has characterised the church at its very best.

In the early days of the twentieth century those in the Social Gospel Movement rallied under the slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?”—a saying that has recently been revived by evangelicals. While sometimes criticised as simplistic, this slogan is nonetheless helpful 

in calling us to measure our everyday actions against God’s standard. In doing this we will be walking the “other path”—God’s way that leads to compassion and peace.

B. Irwin

 A few weeks ago during the sermon, Pastor Ian referred to the nativity story told in the gospel of Luke as though looking at the events through the zoom lens on a camera.  As a camera enthusiast, this formed an image in my mind as I was leaving church that morning.  In recent years zoom capabilities for digital cameras has reached levels of 25 – 35 times magnification.  At first glance this seems a major advantage to have available, especially if you like to photograph animal life in nature or even at the zoo.  But there are drawbacks to this powerful feature, especially the major issue of normal hand shake.  If you have ever tried to take photographs with a 3 or 5 times zoom, the results will be pretty good as hand shake should hardly be evident in the final photograph.  Now go up to 10 times zoom and you will see blurry images, and even more so at 20 times zoom and higher. 

I wonder whether there is a parallel phenomenon when conducting Bible study either individually or as a group.  Can you zoom in to the detail so much that the final outcome becomes somewhat “blurry” and therefore unclear to you?  After all, the reason for Bible study is clarifying our understanding of God’s word to us.  Going back to the photography example for a moment, have you ever tried to adjust the zoom lens to its maximum magnification then bring your eye to the viewfinder or display and search for, say, a bright red cardinal in a tree?  It would be almost impossible to find the subject of your photograph.  Instead you should look through the viewfinder at the general area, then zoom in until you see the subject clearly.  In the same way you can’t really dive into the detail of a passage of Scripture and expect to get a really clear “picture” of what God is teaching through His word.  What to do?  Once again photography has something to teach.  Newer digital cameras have a feature called “optical stabilization “ to correct for hand shake and this works quite well.  However, to get a really clear image at high magnification, the photographer needs to use a tripod.  This essentially eliminates all movement from the camera as the three legs of the tripod provide a stable platform for the camera.  There is a kind of “trinity” at work here.  The photographer also needs to view the general area before zooming in to the subject.

To get the most from Bible study also involves another Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before beginning a bible study it is useful to have a basic understanding of God as creator of all things; knowledge of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection; and trust in the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. This trinity will be the platform (the tripod) that supports you when you look deeply into the detail of scripture.  For instance, when studying a book or a major section of a book of the Bible, you need to read the whole portion and understand the general theme or big picture first.  This may take some time and possibly more than one reading.  Only then can you really start to zoom in on the detail.  Even then, you need to always keep in mind what the big picture is all about.  In our Wednesday morning Bible study of Paul’s letter to the Romans, Pastor Ian follows this process in having the group understand the big picture initially and also reminding the group of the big picture in weekly reviews before probing into the detail.  If you have never studied Scripture in detail, then consider attending one of Pastor Ian’s Bible studies.  It comes with a guarantee similar to that which comes with your digital ultra zoom camera – You will be well rewarded with the outcome, but you need to put in the effort.

 G. Ryder

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16 NIV)

Here we are at the start of a brand new year.  By now the Christmas gifts have been opened, played with or used.  Some of the excitement at the newness and novelty  is fading.  Perhaps some of us have even re-gifted some presents as they don’t suit our interests or needs.

I am saddened that “gift-giving” is seen as a chore or an obligation by many people today.  For some, gifts are used to buy favour, to demonstrate wealth,  or to fulfill others’ expectations.  “Gift cards” are really an oxymoron as all we are really doing is financing someone’s ability to choose and buy their own gift.

Convenience and expediency have replaced love and intimacy. Perhaps we no longer see someone regularly to know their hobbies and interests or to see their day-to-day needs.  For my mother, who lives 2,000 miles away, a cheque for her granddaughters is both practical and economical:  no need to pay Canada Post a small fortune to mail a parcel or to try and discern the latest fashion desires of teenagers. Gift cards or cash may have their place.  But too often today, gifts are seen as commodities – something to be opened, evaluated, and, if not to your taste, traded or re-gifted.

So what makes the perfect gift?  We have only to look to God’s example as set out in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God’s gift was borne out of love.  God’s gift was personal, precious and sacrificial.  God’s gift has lasting (external!) benefits!  It is truly the gift that keeps on giving!

The question for us all now, as we begin this new year, is how will we honour His gift?  Will we pack it up along with the rest of our Christmas decorations as the season draws to a close?  Or will we remember what Christ stands for and what he commands us to do?  Will we respond with faithfulness, perseverance, patience and love as we share the news of His gift with others?  Let’s open this gift, cherish it and share it with others in 2012.  It will satisfy every need and every desire. No need to re-gift!

D. Lim

“The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you; To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”    (Micah 6:8)

 Sometimes when a coach or a player is being interviewed before a game, they will be asked “What is your game plan?”  In some cases the coach or the player will give a somewhat detailed answer of what the plan is, and yet careful enough not to divulge the whole plan. In other cases there is a cliché answer that “We need to go out there and give 110%”  or  “We need to stay hungry”. 

 In Micah 6:8, the Lord God gives his game plan, through the prophet Micah, to the people of Israel. No cliché answer here. Briefly stated, the Lord was not happy with the way the religious and political authorities and elites were treating those who were poor and marginalized. The Lord God had given the initial requirements in the Torah, to be followed for the good of the Israelite nation, and how everyone was to be treated for the good of the whole community. In Micah’s time this was not happening.        

So The Lord speaks through Micah…”What does the Lord require of you; to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”                   

Call it a game plan with three plays. The first play was to act justly. The idea here was to practice the requirements of God’s law when it comes to other people, to give what is their due, to bring freedom to the oppressed, to be socially responsible for others.  The second play was to love mercy. The people were called to exercise mercy, not so much from a sense of duty, but because love motivated them to do so. The third play was to walk humbly with God. Not just to follow through with the rituals of religion, but to live in relationship with God, seeing all of life as an act of worship to the Lord.

Three plays…and the goal is to give glory to God. Were they successful? Did they follow the game plan? Did they meet these requirements? They tried but more often than not failed. Could we meet these requirements? Could we play according to this plan? We too have tried but have fallen short. 

However, when Jesus came and fulfilled these requirements, through his perfect obedience, living a life of justice, love and humility, we now have been given the opportunity “to play” and participate in God’s game plan for the whole world.  In Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are not spectators. We can get in the game of life, and follow through on God’s game plan to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God…and God is given all the glory.

What is your game plan?    

 Pastor Ian McWhinnie

“On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude…Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” [Daniel 10: 4-6, 12-14]

The Senior Youth at Glenbrook is studying the book of Daniel. It is a book filled with visions and dreams, with heroic action and with signs and wonders. There are the familiar stories of Daniel in the lions’ den and his three friends in the furnace. There are the not-so-familiar stories of a king who lost and then found his humanity and a disembodied hand writing omens on a wall.

In chapter 10, Daniel saw a vision so frightening, his companions fled and he fainted. I asked the kids, “who were these three persons described in the verses above?” They could not figure it out even though they are very bright kids who have grown up in churches and who have been studying the fantastic scenes and themes in Daniel for two months. It was that different from their modern world of Mississauga 2011.

The huge, glorious person Daniel saw standing by the river was an angel sent by God to answer Daniel on the day he started praying. The angel told Daniel his mission was opposed by another mighty angel, the Prince of Persia and he was stuck until the Archangel Michael came and helped him.

The previous chapters in Daniel revealed God’s sovereignty over history but these verses highlighted the spiritual battle surrounding world events. It is why we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Christmas is the pivotal point when God Himself steps into our space-time continuum and into the flow of our history – as a human infant. The baby Jesus is where heaven and earth meets. That night, angels lit the heavens with their glorias while unwashed shepherds wandered in.

We who have Christ in our hearts are also points where heaven and earth meets and, yes, sometimes an unseen battle rages around us when we pray. This is our hope and prayer as we tilt toward 2012: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

C. Wong

Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. ¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. ²² Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of^[a] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
²⁴ If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

²⁵ Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,^[b] saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” ²⁶ Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.

At that time people began to call on^[c] the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:17-26 NIV)

Today’s text follows close on the story of Cain and Abel. In that passage, an act of worship goes horribly wrong and a rejected Cain lashes out and kills his brother. Now we encounter a dry series of names. It is one of those passages of scripture that we like to skip over. The list is an accounting of the descendants of the banished Cain and is what scholars call a “technogony”—a catalogue of ancient figures responsible for the major scientific and cultural advances that moved civilisation forward. Lamech, who is the major character in the passage, is singled out as being the first recorded polygamist. Here and elsewhere, it is worth noting that while the Bible records the fact that polygamy existed, it never endorses it. In fact, polygamy is almost always connected with something negative. Lamech had a remarkable family. His son Jabal, was the father of a long line of nomadic herdsmen. From another son, Jubal, there emanated a line of talented musicians. Yet another son, Tubal-cain, gave rise to a line of metal-smiths skilled at fashioning tools of bronze and iron. In human terms, Lamech could count himself as quite successful. Through his family, he was the father of the major technological advances of his day.

The tremendous and laudable advances made by the line of Cain might lead us to believe that humanity as a whole was moving in the right direction. Such was not the case, however, for the standard by which humans measure success is not always the standard by which God measures it. Morally, humanity was on a downward slide. For all the genius found in his family, Lamech failed to learn from the warning given to his ancestor Cain generations earlier. Then, God had told Cain, “sin is crouching at the door. Its’ desire is to have you, but you must control it.” We need to remember this when we hear Lamech proudly announce to his wives, “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times” (Genesis 4:23–24). Here, Lamech mistakes God’s mercy toward Cain in the aftermath of Cain’s sin as licence for his own disproportionate act of violence. Lamech thinks that killing a “boy” (Hebrew: yeled) for injuring him is a perfectly justifiable act. His statement is his affirmation that all men are not created equal and that he deserves special treatment—his achievement and status means that he is able to be judge, jury, and executioner. In the case of Cain, however, God was the one who was judge.

Given the distorted moral reasoning that the powerful Lamech displays, there cannot be much hope for humanity. In fact, all would have been lost were it not for what we read in vv. 25­–26. There, the text reverts to Adam and Eve as they rebuild their family. At the end of this brief account, we read that, “At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.” Over the next chapter of Genesis, the distorted moral thinking of Lamech and those like him will lead to a downward spiral that results in the destruction of the world by flood. In this context of violence, however, some people choose to defy this trend and turn to God. This trajectory leads to the righteous Noah and a new beginning for the human race.

Highly-educated atheists and powerful captains of industry do not change the world—at least not in ways that truly matter. In his 2006 study of philanthropy entitled, Who Really Cares, social scientist Arthur C. Brooks discovered that the group that gives the most in time and money to charitable causes is the religious and within that group the most generous are the religious working poor. We need to resist the temptation to judge ourselves by the standards that the world would impose on us. In 1 Corinthians 3:18–19, the Apostle Paul says that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” and that to be truly wise, we may need to toss over the world’s standards and adopt values and actions that it may consider “foolish.” This willingness to reject accepted “wisdom” is what has always led Christians to change the world in radical ways. When a small group of British Christians met in a downscale part of London to plan the end of slavery, they were derisively referred to as the “Clapham Sect.” In their foolishness, they challenged the elites of business, politics, and even their own church to argue for an end to an inhumane practise. Ridiculed as foolish, over time they were proved to be wise. We may not have the dramatic impact on our world that those Victorian Christians did, but remembering whose standard we follow will help us order our priorities in a way that will keep us grounded and faithful in a world that is lost.

B. Irwin

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

We used to sing this chorus at Glenbrook quite often many years ago, but it seems to me that we haven’t for a while.  In the busyness of our lives how often do we take time to reflect on these words?  We live in an instant society where we indulge in fast-food, expect instant communication and have lost our capacity to wait.  I recall many years ago during the very early days of personal computers, a relatively simple program (by today’s standards) would take several minutes to load into memory and be ready to run.  Today if this takes more than a few seconds then we assume that the computer is not working properly or needs to be replaced.  Why are we in such a rush?  Is it because it is actually hard work and quite difficult to sit still and reflect on our lives; or more importantly to reflect on God’s presence in our lives.

What does Scripture teach us about taking time out?  God created the universe in six days and then rested on the seventh day. (Gen 2:2-3)  Was the rest needed because God was tired?  No, I don’t think so.  This was to teach people that periods of rest from our daily work are needed for a healthy life.  I think that we sometimes forget that God created time as well as creating the universe.  That is quite a thought to grasp.  Taking time apart from our normal activities helps us gain perspective in our lives.  Doctors write prescriptions to help us recover from sickness and poor health, and generally, in addition to medicines, also recommend rest.

What else does Scripture teach?  After Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, He went out into the wilderness in preparation for His earthly ministry.  Jesus also instructed His disciples to go into a quiet place to pray.  Jesus knew the value of these moments of quiet and reflection and so should we.  Not so long ago, Sunday was considered the day of rest from the everyday world.  In Abraham Heschel’s book “The Sabbath” he writes “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space.  Six days a week we live under the tyranny of the things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time.” It is also a time “to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation” i.e. the Creator.  Heschel also writes that the seventh day was also an act of creation for people to enjoy.  What was created?  “Tranquility, serenity, peace and repose”.  The words of Psalm 23 (King James translation ) come to mind.  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul”. Doesn’t that paint a beautiful picture of tranquility and serenity?  Take time out and practice Sabbath living.  It may take some effort initially, but the benefits will be great.

G. Ryder

“… Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14: 1-3 NIV)

The human mind is one of those intricate gifts that God hot-wired into each one of us. Recently my mind has not been so hot and on one specific occasion, a lapse in memory resulted in me missing an important deadline. I had let people down through my forgetfulness.

On November 11th of each year, we never forget the ultimate sacrifices made by so many members of our armed forces who died in the line of duty during World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the conflict in Afghanistan plus other missions throughout the world. These personal sacrifices were made during missions that ensured we may continue to enjoy the freedoms we now experience in our daily lives.

My recent memory lapse reminded me how awesome our loving God is because He promises to never let us down nor forget about us. Hebrews 13, verse 5 reminds us that: “God has said: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”. In other words, no memory lapses for our God – He will never, EVER forget about you and me!

In the 14^th chapter of John’s Gospel, knowing of His upcoming death and physical separation from His followers, Jesus comforts His disciples in verses 1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Jesus promised His followers that He would not let them down nor forget about them despite the fact they will be separated from each other. To drive the point home, He says he’ll be back to get them and take them with Him to live together for eternity. Now that is one special memory and one very special promise!

We all know our human minds are far from being perfect. However, there’s one thing we must never forget and that’s the promise Jesus himself made to all of us as revealed in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

R.Roth