You have reached your destination

I attended a funeral this week. I hadn't been to the particular funeral home, so I put the address in my phone's GPS app.  It dutifully routed me through the various turns.  At last I pulled up at Church and Chapel Funeral Home.  As I did so, the pleasant voice of the app said, "You have reached your destination."

It struck me how accurate the GPS was. My destination, your destination, every person's destination...

Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment

Every person on this earth has an appointment, a destination.  Unless Jesus returns first, all will die. And the judgement awaits.

Thank God that 9:27 is not the last verse of Hebrews.

Hebrews 9:27-28
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

The funeral home may be my destination, but not my final destination. For those that look to Jesus, it is just a brief stop along the way to the real destination. Our destination is at the side of Jesus, in his presence forever.

Grace, Mercy and Peace

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:2b)

Becky and I read this verse this morning as a part of our Bible reading. The words are familiar, comfortable. Reflecting further, perhaps they are too familiar - part of an opening greeting of a letter from Paul, brushed past in our hurry to get to the real message of what is being said.

But wait! This is the real message. This is God's word, spoken to our hearts and lives. This is God himself addressing the deepest longings of our souls.

Where can humanity hope to find peace? Where can we hope to glimpse grace and mercy? These will be found only as we look to our God who calls us his children and who invites us to call him "Father". They are found when we recognize the anointed One, the Messiah, Jesus.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

His name means forgiveness, grace, mercy, and peace. He is the Prince of Peace. And he is Lord.

And what of those three words? How rich, how full of God's heart toward you!

Grace

Mercy

Peace

These words are pulled from dusty storage where they have been packed away with the lights and tinsel, tree stands and ornaments.  "Peace on earth. Good will toward men."

In the next weeks and days, let take these three gifts from the hand and heart of God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Let's unwrap these gifts. Le't stop in our rush to pack away the ornaments and thoughts of the Christmas season. Let's discover afresh the grace, mercy, and peace that our Father intends to fill our lives.