living with the end in mind

Here are some notes and quotes from Don Emerson's message on Sunday...

“A wise person always lives with the end in mind”

“'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you will be right.' When I was 17, I read this quote and for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself; ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I have ever encountered to help me make the big choices of life.” (--Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005)

We leave lasting footprints after we’re gone by...

--Demonstrating how to handle failure.

--Investing in the lives of others around us.

--By modeling the good life of loving and obeying God.

--By showing how to die with confidence and hope.

We leave lasting footprints after we’re gone by...

1) Demonstrating how to handle failure.

“ … I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.” (Deut. 34:4)

“The realism of the Bible is that God does not excuse sin, but neither is he finished with us when He finds sin in us …the leadership of biblical men was not in every case ended because they sinned. God knew from the beginning who Moses was. God had no illusions that here was a perfect man … God is the sovereign God who is never taken by surprise … God is not romantic concerning men.” (Francis Schaeffer, No Little People)

2) Investing in the lives of others around us.

“ … Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people obeyed him, doing just as the LORD had commanded Moses” (Deut. 34:9)

3) Living a life of loving and obeying God.

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster … O that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! …This is the key to your life.” (Deut. 30:11, 19, 20)

4) Showing how to die with confidence and hope.

“ … Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever.” (Deut. 34:7)

“I once scorned every fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath.
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world waiting to be claimed.

Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.
But dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.”

(Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony)

“Half the places at the round table were empty and among those missing were many of the best who used to sit there. And of those that were there, many had wounds and scars, and most were changed in some way from what they had been before. And he thought that the high adventure of the Grail had been a costly one.” (King Arthur and the Quest for the Holy Gail)

“A wise person always lives with the end in mind”

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90. This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3. Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I. Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews. Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews. Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches. Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos. The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90: CHAPTER 36 ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ, the High Prie...

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...

a brief history of bcf

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, or BCF as it is popularly known, was founded in November 1969. Prior to this time several families had been meeting for Bible study and prayer, with a particular concern that the Lord raise up an effective biblical ministry to the students of the Virginia Tech campus. Growing from these meetings, the Lord led them to begin a public ministry on Sunday mornings. The Wesley Foundation agreed to the rental of their facilities, and the first meeting was held in November 1969, with about 30 people in attendance. Since the first meeting BCF has been greatly blessed by the Lord and has seen a steady growth in ministry and in numbers. Two other local churches were formed in part from BCF. In 1974 the Lord led Houston Couch, who at that time was an Elder in BCF, to leave and start Dayspring Christian Fellowship. In 1980 Max Harris, who was a regular attender at BCF, was encouraged by the Elders and members to start a ministry which has now become Grace Cov...

my burg

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