Archive for January 26th, 2019
The Ultimate Acronym
Saturday, January 26th, 2019
On Sunday morning before New Year’s Day, my wife Yvonne and I attended church service at the nursing home where her mother resides. Being late arrivals at nearly the end of the sermon, we quietly seated ourselves toward the rear of the chapel. From our vantage point, two things were immediately apparent. 95 percent of the congregation was seated in wheelchairs, and an unmistakable spirit of joy permeated the room.
Arriving late for the minister’s sermon presents a challenge, it’s hard to get the full impact of the message. But in the minister’s few closing sentences, he held up his Bible and asked the question, “You know what this is, don’t you?” Then he spelled it out “B-I-B-L-E – Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!” Wow! I never knew Bible as an acronym. The ultimate acronym! It caught my attention and four weeks later it’s still ringing in the core of my spirit.
If you have never held a Bible in your hand, this post is for you. Most people who are unfamiliar with the Bible go to the front – the book of Genesis and turn right. May I be so bold as to suggest you turn to the New Testament and start with the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark was the first of the Gospels written, the shortest account of the ministry of Jesus Christ, as told to him by the apostle Peter. Mark cuts to the chase by getting right into the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus. Compassion and love describes the ministry of Jesus to the poor, the sick and the multitudes. You will quickly notice Jesus had little tolerance for the hypocrites and religious leaders of the time. Then come the parables, the instruction for living. Compassion is a word used in the four gospels 14 times. Love is a word used 46 times in the gospels, and another 133 times by the followers of Christ who wrote the Epistles. Compassion and Love – attributes that we could use more of in our world today.
Mark compresses three years of Jesus’ ministry and sacrificial death into 16 short chapters. Jesus died so we would all have the opportunity of a greater life after leaving earth. Skip forward now to the Epistles and the book of Romans written by the apostle Paul. In chapter 8 verses 38-39, you will find that word love again.
“For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s Love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” NLT
Is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Invite him in! Take the journey. I recommend continuing on to the book of Acts, the remaining three gospels, the book of Romans, then explore the rest of the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Now go back to the beginning of the Bible, it truly will be the journey of your life.
Create a memorable day.
Stephen
Stephen M. Hannamann – © 2019. All rights reserved.
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