Tips for Life
by Alan Bailey
EVERY now and then we hear of expectant mothers rushing to hospital for delivery but not getting there in time. So many gripping stories are told of how a policeman helped deliver the baby on the side of the road, or perhaps a taxi driver. Sometimes a husband is left with no alternative but to do what he would never choose to do.
However, under more normal conditions, a woman would never call a policeman or a taxi driver to do the work of a mid-wife or a doctor. Nor would any of us ring a plumber if we had a medical problem. If the car plays up we would not think of getting anyone but a mechanic to fix it.
Simple. Special knowledge is required for certain tasks. At times, a word of authority is needed, not just something instinctive. This is especially so when a good deal is at stake. No point in taking risks when it’s unnecessary. Nevertheless, we all have opinions and we like to express them. How often we hear people begin with “I like to think of it this way…” or “In my humble opinion…..” and they are talking about the big questions of life! Such as; Is there a God? What is He like? What is my relationship with Him? Will I meet Him when I die?
Of course we are all entitled to have and express opinions. But these questions call for some word of authority, not uninformed speculation. We must find truth we can trust. Which really means someone we can trust. Opinions are not enough.
Someone has given us answers to the above questions and many more. No, we don’t have answers to all the questions but we have enough to meet our needs in this life. There has been no greater authority on Earth than Jesus Christ. He gave us great truths and insights, telling us that “Heaven and Earth may pass away but My words shall never pass away”.
Further, He showed by His life that He was more than just a man, more than just a religious leader. He claimed to be equal with God the Father, to be the Saviour of the world and its final judge. On one occasion God spoke from heaven saying “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”
It pays to listen. And to realize that He gave His life on a cross in order to pay sin’s price and make a way for us to be in a right relationship with God. It pays to be certain. ●
What person would have been able to invent a religion where paradox is paramount? Where the more you give, the more you gain? Where the rich are poor and the poor are rich? Where dying (to yourself) is living and living (to yourself) is dying? Where you have to give everything up to gain the whole world? Where you treat your enemies like your friends, instead of exacting revenge on them? Where you love those who hate you and hate those who love you? (The last in the context of loving Christ Jesus so much that you are willing to disregard or abandon those you love to follow His will.)