ONCE APON A TIME

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Jer. 31:

When a story begins with, “Once upon a time and, ends with, “And they lived happily ever after,” it has universal appeal for the child in all of us. And, for that matter, it has an appeal for the adult in all of us as well.  

I love the classic fairy tales and the old school super heroes. The protagonist (good guy), the antagonist (the bad guy) and the hero (the deliverer) who comes to save the day! I believe every story ever told that becomes a classic is only a type of the true redemption story. Homer’s “Ulysses”, Hugo’s “Les Miserable” or Lucas’s “Star War Trilogy” all hold this in common – in the end the good overcomes the evil. The desire for things to end well is common in the hearts of us all.

I’ll be, Lord willing, threescore and ten in July. 70! The last few years every time I shave I am confronted with my mortality. The travel itinerary is set.  I’m leaving this earth. I am going to die, and, so are you. And I certainly want things to end well for me. And, I assume you feel the same about your eternal future.

“…. it is given unto men once to die, and then the judgment.” Heb. 9:27
So, experiencing the Glory of God, or what most folks call Heaven, or the New Heavens and the New Earth, forever; OR experiencing no hope in the torment of the Lake of Fire, forever, are the only two possible destinies for each of us. That’s it! It will be one or the other.

So, while it is yet today and the final destination of our lives has not yet been set, let’s listen as the Scriptures tell us the true tale of hope. 

Once upon a time, “…God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Gal. 4:4-6

And they lived happily ever after, “…because the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom. 8:16, 17

This happy ending is what I call a very large slice of “The Children’s Bread”!

And what the apostle Peter called the exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature; and so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 1:4

Despite the certainty of death that seems to be rushing towards me, I live each day as one of the beloved characters in this tale of hope we call the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because Jesus made the same promise to me that He also made to all of you.  

He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he was dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jn. 11