Why are there stars?

When I took my dog out last night, I looked up into the clear March sky. There were a great many stars out. I saw Orion, the dippers, and other constellations only my dad would be able to recognize or spell correctly. I couldn't help but ask myself, "Why are there stars?"

I think the prevailing school of thought is that the universe likely just keeps on going and going on to infinity. That is a very heavy thought indeed. To think that all the thousands of stars we can see from Earth and have identified are just a relative few compared to the billions we cannot see, but probably exist is truly incredible.

I got a forwarded e-mail last year from my boss. It was the kind of thing I'd normally look at once and then delete, but this was sooooo cool I had to keep it. I wish I could incorporate it into this blog. It shows the Earth in comparison to the other planets in our solar system and in comparison to the sun. Then, it showed our sun in comparison to other stars. Whoa. We are tiny, my friends. Tiny. Really, really tiny.

So what's with all these other stars? Do they have planets just like our solar system. I kinda think they must. Is there life out there? I think there might be.

I got to thinking...Are we the only ones God created? If not, at the end of times...will all God's people be gathered at once? Or is the same thing going to happen over and over on other worlds? I don't mean to wax too Joseph Smith, here, but what if we aren't the only ones to receive God's invitation and the Good News of Jesus Christ?


I'm not suggesting that I agree with the teachings of Joseph Smith or Mormon philosophy. Nor am I in a position to refute Mormonism. But, if I may quote Ferris Bueller: "Isms, in my opinion, are not good." I know people in a church founded by Emmanuel Swedenborg, who had some very interesting prophetic(?) "visions" of his own. Some, I understand, involved life on other planets. Not to get any further off on a tangent, but since I'm on the subject of denominations, I don't believe any particular "brand" of Christianity is a good thing. I have to think the Master is probably shaking His head at all of us and perhaps thinking: "You don't have it right, yet, my children." Still, those who preach Christ, the Son of the Most High crucified for the remission of our sins, to allow us back into the presence of the Lord God Almighty and resurrected from the dead and is now seated at the Father's right hand and who will come again to judge mankind are at least partly right-if they mean it.

I was reading passages from Revelation recently and I'm struggling with identifying false prophets in the end times. It isn't easy. The enemy is a master deceiver, he is a liar and the father of lies. Still Christ assures us in Matthew 7:16 that "Ye shall know them by their fruits."

We are told that the a third of the stars will be smitten along with a third of the sun and the moon when the fourth angel sounds his trumpet (Rev.8:12.) That the dragon will sweep a third of the stars from the sky. (Rev. 12:4) Yet we are given hope. Those whose faith in God and Christ is true will be gathered to Him. We shall have no need of the Sun and the moon (Rev. 21:23) when God's Holy city, the New Jerusalem is opened to those who believe.

I think maybe there are stars in the night sky to serve as reminders to us of the light that is in Christ and that is Christ.


Amen

It's good to be back.

Well, it's good to be back. After a too-long hiatus, I've decided it's time to start blogging again. A lot has happened and yet not much at all. Some of it very important and some of it not at all. At any rate, it's time for me to get back into the swing of things for the Master.

In my hometown, we recently lost a young firefighter who died from injuries he sustained while trying to help someone escape a fire in her home. Sadly, the woman he was trying to rescue also died in the fire.

Many people in our town have been calling this young man a hero. I have to agree he was. So, too, was another firefighter who was also injured at the scene. Fortunately, this second man survived, though he will have scars for the rest of his life, both seen and unseen. Still, the tragic death of this young man and the woman he was trying to save got me thinking about what a hero really is.

I started thinking about the greatest hero of all, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray they both knew Him in life, and now know Him better still.

Webster's Dictionary defines a hero and heroic in several ways:

• a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
• a man admired for his achievement and noble qualities
• one that shows great courage
• the central figure in an event, period, or movement
• an object of extreme admiration and devotion
• supremely noble or self-sacrificing

Christ fits the bill. The Bible evidences:

Divine descent: Jesus was the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. He performed many miracles, healed the sick. Raised the dead. He, Himself, rose from the dead.

A man admired for his achievement and noble qualities: He lived a sinless life. He was tempted to the utmost, and remained blameless.

One that shows great courage: Christ knew he would be tortured and killed, yet remained in steadfast submission to The Father's will.

The central figure in an event, period, or movement: Christ's time on Earth ushered in a new era, and established a new covenant between God and man, providing us a bridge back to fellowship with The Father, and setting the stage for the coming of His Kingdom.

An object of extreme admiration and devotion: Well, He had better be. No one in history was nor will any one in the future be as worthy of our admiration and devotion.

Supremely noble or self-sacrificing: The Lamb of God without blemish, Christ provided the ultimate sacrifice to save us all from our sins. He died horribly on the Cross that we might be saved and once again be accepted by The Father.

A hero? Jesus Christ is THE hero.

He is my hero. He saved my life.

If you ask Him to, He will save your life, too. That's what a hero does.

With Easter only a week away, now is as good a time as any, better than most, to pray to the Lord for salvation. Please invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life or renew your commitment to Him today.

Amen.