Glory & Misery

Thursday, 24 February, 2011

Blaise Pascal was a philosopher, mathematician and an inventor. He also was a man with exceptional reasoning powers and strong Christian faith. In his Penses he speaks about the 'glory' and the 'misery'.
The context is that life is never one or the other but both. The 'glory' experiences of people speaks to us of what God intended for us before the Fall and the 'misery' of people reminds us of something in all of us that was lost. It's the human condition we live every day of our lives. And it's the condition we work on to deny, hide and overcome.

The Bible, God's story, is essentially a three part act. Creation that reveals what God ultimately intended for us as His creation, the Fall which recounts something that went horribly wrong and which we live and face everyday in ourselves and world, and the Redemption which tells of God's plan to restore His ultimate intention. This being the greatest expression of unconditional love when God became man and died on the cross to reinstate us into right relationship with Him and secure an eternal future.

Are you, like Blaise Pascal's observation, in a season of 'glory' or 'misery'? You are in good company with all of creation experiencing what you could become or are experiencing how broken we are.

Recently in my small group study we discussed how individuals came to a personal relationship with Jesus. Everyone has such a fascinating story and journey! My unique experience was that God 'rained on my party!'. Unlike many others I was living a life of 'glory'. No money concerns, not yet at a totally self destructive point with alcohol or drug problems, no dreary depressive outlook on my future. It was all good! Money, great friend,s promising educational future, secure business future! A great place to be in to refuse religion.

But I was faced with an opportunity for a personal relationship with God. That was a hard one. But the 'glory' I was enjoying had a shelf life. It wasn't going to last forever and payday was coming. The converted Scholar and Rabbi Saul of Tarus wrote to Roman citizens that, 'the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life'.

Whatever your present condition a free gift is available. Not care free, not free for all but free to receive at a great cost of Jesus' death on the cross.