I enjoy superhero movies.  As a kid I watched the Spiderman cartoon, and was enthralled when they made that first live-action Spiderman movie a few years ago.  I love seeing the hero win the day...and, well, I like the action too :)  I say this, because it seems common these days for superhero movies to have a hidden scene at the end of the credits that wets your appetite for the next big blockbuster.  Several years ago I watched one of the "Iron Man" movies and we left the theatre when the credits came up.  Of course, as you can imagine, I was asked soon after "what did you think of that scene after the credits?"  Oh no!  I had skipped out early.  I had missed something great.  I didn't think there was anything more, and quit the movie too early.

In the big picture of life, it doesn't matter whether I missed a hidden scene in a superhero movie.  But in the big picture of life, especially as followers of Jesus, I do think sometimes we quit early and miss out on something great.

As often happens with me, the lyrics of a song sparked this thought.  I've been enjoying a new song by Bethel Music called "Shine On Us".  There's a lyric that says, "You're waking us to life.  You've only begun".  We believe when you invite Jesus into your life as your personal saviour, he "wakes us to life" (Ephesians 2:4-5).  But how many times do we stop there.  We've received an incredible gift from God, but we think that's all there is.  But life in Christ is only the beginning! 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

We are being transformed to be more like Jesus.  With "ever-increasing glory".  We aren't supposed to just be woken to life (although that's awesome), and that's it.  It's just the beginning.  But sometimes we're just satisfied with the bare minimum.  And we don't really let God transform us into his image...increasingly reflecting His glory.

My encouragement to you and me today is; don't stop.  Philippians 3:12 says it well, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."  Keep seeking.  Keep praying.  Keeping believing.  Keeping confessing.  Keep on...or you'll miss out on something great!

Have you ever been stung by a bee?  I remember once doing something outside, looking down and there was a big bumble bee on my shirt...and fear swept over me.  I didn't want to get stung.  Now, thankfully I'm not allergic or anything, but who wants to get stung by a bee?  It hurts.  Thankfully I managed to stay calm, and the bee flew away.  You probably were hoping this story had a more dramatic ending...sorry to disappoint.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 says, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Certainly, death does sting.  It hurts to lose someone you love.  But it's interesting that this verse doesn't say that death is the sting, but sin.  Physical death is a time of hope for those who are believers in Jesus.  We talk about "losing our loved one", but really, when we die in Christ, we have not lost them.  We know where they are...we just have lost their physical presence for a time.  Philipians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  Don't get me wrong, I don't want to diminish how difficult it when someone we love passes away, even if we know we'll see them again.  But the sting is gone.  Why?  Because sin has been dealt with.  We've been forgiven.  The thing that separates us from a loving God are gone.  The Law, or just trying to do it ourselves, couldn't do it.  "He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).
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I recently heard a nice song, talking about our spirit going home.  It was well done and brought a tear to many an eye.  But it wasn't centred around the hope of Jesus.  It's Jesus that will take us home.  John 14:2 says, "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"

"It is quite another matter where sin has not been dealt with" (Tyndale Commentary).  Some people are ashamed of their past.  Ashamed of their sin.  They don't want to come to church because they think we'll focus on what they've done wrong.  I love what pastor Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands in Alabama said, "God doesn't want to talk about your past, He wants to settle your past."  Isn't that awesome.  Certainly, sometimes there's stuff in our past we have to deal with, but from an eternal perspective, God wants to settle it.  Help us move on.  Give us a hope and a future.  I'm thankful we serve a merciful God, and I'm not the judge of a person at the end of their life.  God is.  But I'm even more thankful that the sting can be taken away, today.

So are you afraid of being stung?  Let Jesus take the stinger out :)

I welcome your comments.
-Jason

There was a premier of the province of Ontario who was elected with the slogan, "The Common-sense Revolution".  I suspect you know who.  Whether you agreed with his politics are not, that slogan resonated with a lot of people.  In a world out of control, we just need some common sense, right?

I'll bet you've used (or thought) that phrase without even realizing it.  I think of it often when I hear about the school system today and some of the challenges faced by students, teachers and parents.  "What happened to common sense?" I think.  The problem is, of course, whose "sense" are we talking about.  I have found myself in arguments with people when I realized we had different definitions of what the common sense solution would be to this or that situation.  Sense didn't seem to be "common" between us.

Webster's defines common sense as "the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions".  Think before you say or do something.  Look at all the options and choices, weighing the pros and cons, and then make a decision.  Good advice, certainly.  But there's a problem when it comes to applying this to our faith in Jesus too strictly.  

Faith is sometimes unreasonable.

Faith sometimes doesn't make sense at all, let-a-lone common sense.  Oh, don't get me wrong, we don't throw our minds out as Christians.  Reading, studying, critical thought...those things are welcome and encouraged.  God's Word is powerful, and rich.  "..who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV).  But ultimately, faith is what makes the real difference.  "And without faith it is impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6a, NIV).

Faith sometimes doesn't make sense.

Why would God ask that person to leave their well paying job to serve others?  Faith.
Why would that church step out and build that new building?  Isn't the status quo safer?  Faith.
Why does that person seem at peace...didn't they just hear what the doctor said?  Faith.
How can I trust a God who says crazy things like he'll forgive everything I've ever done and give me a full life both today and tomorrow?  It doesn't quite make sense.  Common sense would say I deserve what's coming to me...but God says I'll get what I don't deserve.

It sure doesn't make sense, but I'll take faith please.
-Jason