"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away”. Mark 13:31

                                                                                    Paula
Blessed assurance. Straight from Jesus’ heart, that’s the gift we are given from this wonderful scripture. Jesus spoke these encouraging words after explaining to four of his disciples how to recognize the signs of the end times.

The signs Jesus described were ominous: severe earthquakes, vicious wars and civil unrest, devastating famines, ugly discord within families even unto death, deception by way of false prophets, and severe persecutions. Kind of sounds like what’s happening in the world right now, doesn’t it? Yet, Jesus instructed His followers to take courage. He said, “...Do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Mark 13: 7).

The apostle John wrote of Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1: 1-4). Through this scripture we come to understand that Jesus the Word, like God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is eternal. Jesus the Word has been in existence from far beyond the beginning of all things, and He has no end. All physical objects (heaven and earth) will one day pass away, but Jesus’ words, Jesus Who is the Word Himself, will never pass away.

I take tremendous comfort from this scripture, especially when I watch the evening news, read about disastrous world events on the Internet, or hear disturbing murmurings over the radio. Jesus persistently abides with us who love Him as we struggle through difficulties here on earth, and He will abide with us throughout eternity when we have at last shed our struggles and left them behind.

Jesus, our blessed assurance. Jesus, our eternal Word.


Pam

It’s tax time again – oh joy. I don’t resent having to pay taxes. It’s not just the money involved that makes tax time such a dread. It’s doing the taxes. What an awful chore. I’d rather have a bus run over my foot than do taxes. So, like many Americans, my husband and I hire it done. We need a professional, someone who can spend eight hours a day keeping up with the ever-changing tax code. Every year the tax laws are different. That is the main reason we don’t do our own taxes. We don’t have the time or inclination to keep up with all the modifications.

One would think I’d be used to constantly changing rules and regs. I work for a Medicare provider. Every month or so I get new forms or have to change how I do things because Medicare guidelines have changed. Don’t get me wrong, I think Medicare is a good program that helps millions of people. But it is a system in constant flux. There is always a tweak here and there.

We live in a world of  ever-changing information. Every morning the newspaper brings the latest news, always different than the day before. The Internet is a steady stream of new ideas, thoughts, philosophies, and values. Entertainment trumps context. We make up “what’s hot and what’s not” lists. There is a huge demand for the fresh, different, hip, and fashionable. The pressure is on the Internet magazine and blog writers to come up with a novel take on any and all subjects. The words of the world are written in sand. Most hold very little value past the present moment.

This is why the world desperately needs scripture. The Bible may get a new translation from time to time to keep up with current language, but its essence stays the same. Scripture is God’s word, everlasting, never changing. I hunger for words that will last. Words that last are a bedrock foundation, solid ground on which to build a life. They are earthquake proof and safe from any flood or fire.

As desperately needed as it is, the Bible is not a quick fix for all our woes. In our instant-access world, scripture can seem frustrating. God’s word is not prepackaged, microwavable, ready-in-five minutes. Truth cannot be flashed into the brain but must be grown in the heart. And Truth does not always go down as easy as pudding-in-a-cup. Scripture not only shows us God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but it also reveals our humanity, as unpalatable as that can be. Bible study is just that, a study, a pondering, and a questioning. I often have to stop reading and ask myself, what does this scripture have to do with me? What is its relevance in my life? What is God wanting to tell me? Yet, I always find the Bible worth the effort. It brings what is true and what is real into my life. This why I read scripture almost every day; I want and need a touch of the eternal.