Jesus, Our Coveralls

How to books are very popular, e.g.

• Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (Paperback) , 
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity 
• How to Win Friends and Influence People (Paperback)

The list goes on and on. We're dealing with a question 1000x more important than any of the above. We ask, How can the Image of God be restored within us? Jesus, the very Image of the immortal God and Father of us all, is doing this for and in us. We continue our study of that how, borrowing from our venerable father in the faith, Athanasius of Alexandria .

We've learned in previous blogs that only Jesus, the Image of the Father, can re-create the likeness of the Image in us men. He alone can give us mortals immortality. The more we study what He did and continues to do, the more that Image is restored. Paul writes, 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Cor 3:17-18 ESV

And again, 

"The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. - 1 Cor 15:45 ESV

The freedom we have in Christ is freedom from the fear of being punished for our sins by eternal death. In Christ we are adopted into the Father's family. The Spirit of Christ in our hearts constantly bears witness to that truth. In our joy we are empowered to cry out in our hearts, "I am a child of my heavenly Papa, my Father! (Isa. 61:1; Rom. 8:2, 15-16; Gal. 4:6). The Spirit of Christ is power within us. He gives us power to love as He loves. He enables us to bring even this sin-filled body under control. He is at work to restore the image of God within us. 

The Spirit of Christ within us is life itself. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, points this out as He says to us and to all, 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - Jhn 10:10 ESV

Since we are alive in Christ we are unafraid of death. We despise it, because it cannot threaten or harm us any longer. It has no strength. Death is our enemy completely conquered by the rightful monarch. Death is now bound hand and foot, locked safely up in God's federal prison. TV cameras are constantly scanning everything death does. We sneer at it and mock it. "Hey Death, where is your victory now? Hello Mr. Grave, where is your sting now? Hah!" 

To illustrate, consider that some people must work in conditions where their clothing might catch on fire. To protect themselves they wear fire resistant coveralls, as pictured above. Both the outward and the inward lining of such clothing is flame resistant. With such coveralls on the worker's fear of being burned alive is largely gone. 

In the same way, clothed with Christ, we walk confidently about in this world, unafraid of what the so-called god of it may do to us. Satan cannot harm us. The power to condemn us to death is gone. For millions death remains strong and terrible. But Christ by His coming, by His death and the resurrection of His body, has destroyed it. He is our coverall. We walk about unafraid. Death and the devil cannot harm us. 

Yesterday I read a book that tries to analyze why Christianity is losing influence among so many here in America. The author's point is that we no longer proclaim the depth and power of our faith. We have settled for things like the prosperity gospel or the social gospel. This is bad religion. No wonder that unbelievers mock and despise us.

It is high time that we returned to the only religion that is not religion at all, but the Word of God. Consider this Word, take it again into your heart and share it wherever you can. We are in Christ. He is our very clothing and when we take off the clothing that is this body we will be clothed forever with Him who is our life. Here's how the Apostle puts it. 

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. - 2Cr 5:1-7 ESV

Ponder this fact. Live in Christ who is your coverall. Do that and you will be changed—today and forever!  

Pet Names For God's People

In one of the Bible verses Jesus referred to in his promise to pour out his Spirit upon those who believe in and trust him (John 7:37-38) the LORD calls Israel by a sort of pet name, Jeshuran.

Did your parents or siblings give you a pet or nick name when you were a child? Sometimes parents simply shorten a child's name. Nathan becomes Nate and Jeffrey becomes Jeff, William is Billy and James is Jimmy. At other times they use endearing terms like Sweetie, Snookums, Honey or Blossom. My mother called her twin Little Lally although her given name was Elma.

That's what the LORD did when he called Israel Jeshuran, "the righteous or straight ones" (Isa. 44:2-3). Greek speaking Jews translated the name into their language as Epagamenos, meaning "most beloved". One English speaking translator tried to pick up the sense of the Hebrew by calling them the righteous little people. What I sense the Heavenly Father does in this verse is simply to say, "I want you guys to know that I really, really love you!"

So having used that pet name for the Children of Israel, He promises,

I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my 
Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.This one will say, ‘I am the Lord's,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's and name himself by the name of Israel. - Isa. 44:3-5

Willows by the river

This is a beautiful image of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. People so blessed will be like willows by flowing streams of water. Willows love water. They flourish and grow beside rivers and streams. That's how Psalm 1 describes the man who delights in God's Word.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. - Ps. 1:3 ESV

Of such men and women Psalm 92 says,

They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, - Psa 92:14 ESV

No matter how old their bodies get to be, they still have that fresh, invigorating stream of God's Spirit flowing through them, filling them with new hope and power to praise God. That's what Jesus was getting at on the final day of the Feast of Booths as he cried out to the people in the temple.

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. - Jhn 7:37-39 ESV

The feast was technically only seven days. But on the eighth and final day, the Great Day, Jesus promised to give God's people the Holy Spirit. John says this proclamation pointed forward to what was to happen after Jesus was glorified. What great honor and praise was bestowed upon him by his heavenly Father? Why was the Father so pleased with him? Because he freely offered himself as the sacrifice for the sins of all men. And then on the Great Day, the eighth day, the heavenly Father honored Jesus and confirmed the sacrifice by raising Jesus from the dead. The sacrifice was complete. Forgiveness and life were now available to all (John 19:28-30; Acts 3:13-15).

Now the Holy Spirit is freely poured out like a flowing stream, speaking to the hearts of God's people, saying, "You are My beloved, forgiven and righteous children, My sweet little ones. I love you, dear ones, and will never ever let you go." These words invigorate and renew like no others can. They fill even old people with peace and hope.

May it ever be so for you no matter what your age.

The Abundant Life

Never say that Jesus does not want us to have an abundant life. This is not at all why I object to the proclamations of the so-called prosperity preachers. Its just that they don't seem to realize what the abundant life is all about. Lets go to the words of Jesus Himself.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - Jhn 10:10-11 ESV

What life is Jesus talking about? It appears that in the days Jesus walked about teaching and healing lots of folks were interested in something called eternal life. Take the young theologian who asked, "Rabbi, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus responded by asking the young man what was written in the Torah.

He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (cf. Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18).

Jesus told him he had answered correctly and added, "Do this, and you will live."

With the tables turned back upon him, the young theological expert began to feel a bit guilty. You can even hear him starting to stutter as he asks, "Uh, and who is my neighbor?"

This gave Jesus the opportunity to tell the well known story of the good Samaritan who showed mercy to a Jewish man, robbed, beaten and thrown into the ditch on the way down from Jerusalem to Jericho. The story hit home and the young teacher was forced to admit that the hated Samaritan was the one who showed mercy. So in answer to the previous question Jesus simply said, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:25-37).

There is a very special quality to this life that Jesus points to. For one thing it is eternal. It will not end, because it is a life completely tuned to the LORD God. The one with such life is emotionally, spiritually and intellectually bonded to the LORD. His only thought, word and desire is to submit to this God and obey Him. He is of one mind, one heart and one soul with his eternal Creator. As a result, his Creator's life fills him and he too has eternal life. Further, he loves those around him, as does the Creator. This living one is equally as concerned about the well-being of his neighbor as he is about himself. This is his life!

Know anyone like that? I certainly do not. In fact there has been but one who lived such a life. His name is Jesus! He came into this world so that we who do not in fact have life, might indeed gain it—through Him! As He said, "I come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Jesus made an end to the judgment resting upon us all because of our failures to live the life of God. He was the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. We who embrace and accept that wondrous personal sacrifice receive, in turn, life abundant. This life of God is within us who believe. It is a never-ending gift of God's Spirit. And it never stops. It is like an endless, bubbling, flowing stream, ever and always pouring into us. In our hearts we always hear our Father telling us that we are forgiven, redeemed and rescued from judgment. As a result this life overflows from us with praise and thanksgiving to God and love, care and concern for others. This is the life that Jesus alone brings. And we who live and believe in Him will never die, even though these earthly bodies must be put aside so that we may be clothed again with eternal bodies like His.

As Jesus explained to the two grieving sisters,

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" - Jhn 11:25-26 ESV

This is the abundant life. It has to do with a life filled with love for God and for our neighbors. It has nothing to do with how many possessions, land, bank accounts, fancy houses and cars, jewels and fine wines you have. It is the fool who makes this the aim of his life. Jesus speaks pointedly about such foolishness.

And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luk 12:15 ESV

Let Joel Osteen and all like him learn these lessons and let those among us who are drawn to their empty words run as do sheep who recognize wolves, thieves and robbers who come only to steal, kill, devour and destroy (John 10:7-15).

Man—A Bodied Spirit

The writings of Ray Kurzweil got me started into re-examining what the Bible has to say about mankind, that is Biblical anthropology. Of course I'm not about to tackle everything there is to say. Instead I continue to focus upon the issue of the soul and the body. Some like to suggest that the soul is immaterial—whatever that means—and the body is material. I want to point out that the Scriptures never approach man in those categories. The issue of matter vs. non-matter, etc. comes along a couple thousand years after the Bible was written.

Last time I addressed the matter of soul/body I pointed out that the Hebrew has three words to describe a living human being: Nephesh, Ruach, and Nashamah. English translators have used the words creature, life, soul, person, mind, heart, appetite and body to tell us what the Hebrew writers meant by Nephesh. In other words the word describes a living human person from the outside in or the inside out, depending on the context. He is alive because God has breathed into him the breath of life. There is never a separation of the body from the soul, as if they are two entities. A man is a whole, a unity. He is Nephesh. 

Ruach, on the other hand, is never translated as body or life. The word stands for what we call wind, breath or spirit. It is what man has when he is alive. He breathes the wind. God is Ruach and He breathes life into man, as well as the other creatures. Further, when the LORD wants to reveal Himself, He sends His Ruach upon a prophet. So even Saul, Israel's first king, temporarily received the Ruach of God and prophesied (1 Samuel 10:6-12). Ruach describes man's inner life. From the inside out he is spirit. Because he is spirit, he is capable of communicating with God, the almighty and eternal Ruach.  So Pharaoh's spirit (Ruach) was troubled by his dreams (Genesis 41:8). That's why he called for his wise men to tell him what he had dreamed and what those inner events meant. Animals also are Nephesh, but they never have God's Ruach poured out upon them. 

Nashamah is similar to Ruach. The word describes what a living man does, he breathes, he has breath. It is what the Almighty gives to animate a man.

The Old Testament was translated, as you know, into Greek. sometime between 300 and 100 years before Christ. It was necessary because many Jews were scattered in the Greek speaking world and could no longer understand the O.T. Hebrew. The Septuagint (LXX), as this translation was known, was the preferred Bible of the New Testament writers.

The LXX translates Nephesh with the Greek Psyche. So if you want to speak in English about a living human being, you might use the word soul. In that sense, animals are souls as well as humans (Genesis 1:20,24,30). You might say that the soul (Nephesh or Psyche) is the life of a person or animal. A soul is nothing more than a whole person. It can even refer to a dead person or body from which the life has gone (Numbers 6:6; Haggai 2:13).

Man as Nephesh or Psyche, has an inner life. He becomes sad, grieved, happy, troubled. He hates and loves. When looked at from within, a man longs for God's presence in his life. He needs God (Psalm 42:1; 63:1; 84:2, etc.). Thus a man seen from the inside out has needs, desires, feelings. He thinks, remembers, makes moral decisions and has consciousness. This soul does not exist without a body. The blood coursing through the person's vein carries his life (Nephesh or Psyche)—Deuteronomy 12:23.

When the LXX translated Ruach it used the Greek Pneuma. Once again, the Pneuma is a human viewed from the inside. In English we find the word spirit. It is in his Pneuma also that a person searches for communion with God (Isaiah 26:9).

OK. What do we have so far?

• Man does not have two separate entities, soul and body
• Man does not have something that is eternal, a soul that comes to occupy a body and departs when the body dies. Man's soul certainly does not migrate from some lower form of bodily life to something higher, as suggested by Hindu teaching. 
• Rather man is a created being, given life by God. He is completely dependent upon God for his life.
• This man, is the highest of all God's created beings. He bears God's Image and is intended by His Creator to be in communion with Him. When man disobeys his Creator and breaks the communion, when he worships other gods, he dies.
• Man may be viewed from the outside in or from the inside out. He has a bodily existence and an inner life or spiritual existence. However, the two sides of his life are integrated and inseparable. He is a whole person, a unity. 
• When his breath, his life, leaves he continues to exist, but in a weakened condition. He was not created to die. He was created to live and breathe the breath or life God grants. And to live means that he must be a body, a child of Adam who was made from the dust of the earth. Man is created to be a bodied spirit if you will. 

Next time I shall take these concepts along with us as we move into the writings of the New Testament where the Greek words for body (Sarx and Soma) and soul (Psyche) and spirit (Pneuma) are used in ways that reflect their true source, the LXX or Greek Old Testament. Stay tuned. 

Do We Humans Really Have A Soul As Well As A Body?

Some years back I attended a lecture given to a gathering of mental therapists by a prominent neurologist from California. In his lecture he emphasized that all mental illnesses are a result of chemical disruptions in our neural systems. From his viewpoint there is no such thing as a soul. About the same time as that lecture Nancey Murphy served as one of the editors of the book  Whatever Happened to the Soul? In the book Murphy defends what she calls "nonreductive physicalism." She rejects any kind of nonmaterial entity such as mind or soul. The seat of consciousness and all mental activities is the human neural system. We are aware of what's going on and of what is happening only and always because of our chemistry and our nerves. That position agrees with what I heard from the Californian neurologist. As a believer in Christ Murphy believes humans are also creatures made by God and that God will resurrect them in the coming age. However, she believes that human identity is totally bodily identity. We are bodies—nothing more and nothing less. Human life has no existence independent of the body.

In previous blogs I wrote about Kevin Kelly and Ray Kurzweil. For them the day is coming in about 35 years when human identity will be completely identified with computer software. They call this day the Singularity, a day comparable to the beginning of the universe itself. Kurzweil coined this use of the term in his 1995 book, The Singularity is Near. In other words, though our bodies (hardware) may be destroyed, our consciousness, our minds will continue to reside and exist in the realm of mathematical abstraction (software). Thus humans will transcend, go beyond what is called human existence today. They will be immune to destruction. By means of that same computer software humans will be able to reconstruct bodies in any manner they choose. In what Kelly calls the technium, humans will exist, but in a radically new and unimaginable manner. Kurzweil wrote about this in The Age of Spiritual Machines, published a year after Murphey's book.

Let's take a look at this issue. Does the soul exist? Are we both spirit and body? Are we humans composed of two parts, a material body and a nonmaterial soul? To answer those questions I turn to the Scriptures, the Bible and the revelation given to us by our Creator himself. By the way, if you'd like to read a rejection of the positions of Murphy, Kurzweil, Kelly and others by a Christian scientist and philosopher read William Demski's article Are We Spiritual Machines?

Turn with me to the Scriptures. To begin with we will study the Hebrew Old Testament. On another day we'll go to the New Testament to see how all the promises about man are to be fulfilled in Christ.

The Hebrew which has three words relating to this issue: Nephesh, Ruach  Neshamah.


The KJV translates Nephesh with a wide variety of English words. Other translations will vary in the translations into English. For now I stay with the KJV to illustrate:

• Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 2:19 - creature
• Genesis 1:30 - life
• Genesis 2:7; Joshua 10:35 - soul
• Genesis 14:21 - persons
• Genesis 23:8 - mind - dead
• Exodus 4:19 - life
• Exodus 15:9 - lust
• Exodus 23:9 - heart
• Leviticus 11:10, 46 - living thing or creature
• Leviticus 21:11 - body
• Leviticus 22:4,11 - dead body
• Ecclesiastes 6:7 - appetite
• Isaiah 19:10 - fish (even fish are alive)

Ruach also has a variety of translations.

• Genesis 1:2 - Spirit (of God)
• Genesis 3:8 - cool (of the day)
• Genesis 6:17 - breath (of life)
• Genesis 8:1 - wind
• Genesis 26:35 - mind
• Genesis 41:8 - spirit (of Pharaoh)
• Isaiah 25:4 - blast
• Ezekiel 37:8 - breath
• Ezekiel 42:16-19 - side

Neshamah is translated with several words as well:

• Genesis 2:7 - breath (of life)
• Job 33:4 - breath (of the Almighty)
• Joshua 11:11 - (any left to) breathe
• 2 Samuel 22:16 - blast (of God's breath - Ruach)
• Job 26:4 - spirit

What shall we make of all this? Notice that we find no carefully outlined definition of man as body and soul. In the Hebrew view man is flesh like all other kinds of creatures given life by God's breath (Ruach). Nephesh is not a part of man. No, Nephesh is man, man with life, alive as are all creatures of God. Man as a living creature of God is a person, an individual. What distinguishes him from the other creatures that have breath and life is the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 5:1; 9:6). He is the highest of God's creatures, made to be in fellowship with God, made to rule over all the rest of the living creatures. He is, however, a creature, made from the matter, the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). 

This person has appetites and desires, emotions and thoughts. Since Nephesh is man's life, it departs at death (Genesis 35:18) or returns if a person revives (1 Kings 17:22). After death the Old Testament does not see souls in the underworld as did the Greeks. Rather the O.T. sees shades (rephaim), a weak, pale replica of man from whom breath has gone (Proverbs 9:18; Isaiah 14:9-10) confined to the pit called Sheol. To be fully human again that shade must be given bodily life. His body must be restored and he must again begin to breathe, eat, drink, laugh and rejoice in God's presence (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

Will this happen? Will complete and full life be restored? Yes indeed. The Psalmists rejoice that the fellowship with God enjoyed while yet breathing will continue even beyond death. God will not abandon His child, but show him the path of life and eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:10-11). He will ransom the believer from the power of Sheol and receive him into glory (Psalm 49:15; 73:24).

Thus the Hebrew man is not a combination of a material body and a non-material soul. He is rather a whole, unified creature of God, made in God's image. He is not divided. He is a unity. In that sense the Hebrew man is close to what Murphy wrote about in the book quoted above. What must be emphasized, however, is that this man continues to exist after death, albeit in a weakened form. And he is always before God and answerable to Him even in the pit of Sheol. 

Whether alive or dead then we who trust in the Lord and all His promises are His and with the dead we await His promise of  a resurrected body in the renewal of all things created. But more of this the next time as we look at the New Testament and the fulfillment of all God's promises in Christ. 

We Never Go Alone

I started today thinking about angels. I got into this when I read Psalm 72:6 describing our Lord Jesus, the ultimate Son of David, both God and Man, as rain that falls on the mown grass. Since I grew up on a farm the smell of newly mown hay, especially when a soft rain falls upon it, came at once to mind. As I write the sweet, fresh smell of mown grass remains with me.


Anyway, that got me to thinking about growing things and especially now that the trees, grasses and flowers around me are all coming back to life. Springtime has come to Spring, Texas where I live. I love this time of the year. Not only are the plants coming alive, but many of the animals are giving birth. Life is springing forth.


What part do the angels, those unseen spirit-messengers, play in all this wonder? Several Bible verses come to mind, but I focus upon but one today:  Psalm 104:4 - He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.


The Hebrew for wind is ruakh, a word that can indeed refer to wind or air, but also to the inner impulses or dispositions of one's ruakh or spirit, resulting in courage, anger or patience. So Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us not to be hasty in our ruakh to be angry. Does that also mean that angels who are ruakh, can influence our ruakh?


There's an interesting story told by the prophet Micaiah in 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 about the Lord sending a spirit (ruakh) from the host of heaven to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Israel's King Ahab's prophets. As a result, his prophets told him to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, a city controlled by the Aramean kingdom of Damascus. Ahab died in that battle from an arrow wound. Thus God's judgment came upon him because of his unbelief, but the deception was carried out by an angelic spirit influencing the spirits of Ahab's advisors.


That makes me wonder about the multitudinous and many faceted tasks of God's angelic messengers. How deeply they are involved in the goings on of this world. Ponder it yourself. They can—and do—influence and control the thoughts of men, both evil and good. They shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den (Daniel 6:22). An angel brought the enslaved children of Israel out of Egypt (Numbers 20:16).


How comforting and empowering it is to know that as we walk in the paths laid out for us by our Lord, He gives his angels the command to guard us in all our ways (Psalm 91:11-13). Our ways refers not only to the outward journeys we take, but also to the decisions we make to go on those journeys, inward or outward. So we join the psalmist to pray "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth" (Psalm 86:11). As we go, we each have a guardian angel commanded by our Lord to accompany us. We walk not alone.  

Questions On The Journey

We arrived at our beautiful vacation home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado yesterday. A second grandson arrived during the night. Two grandsons have already hit the slopes. Wolf Creek has a ten foot packed powder base. Other members of our family will soon begin their journeys to arrive here for the Christmas holidays. This is the tenth year we've been celebrating these family times in this house.

During the drive up I had a conversation with grandson Patrick who was along for the ride. Among other things, we talked about education, goals and making money. He has a year to go in college and is naturally concerned about such things. For that matter, aren't we all?

While I was pondering what sage advice this grandfather might give to his maturing grandson, I recalled something about life being a journey, not a destination.



Who first said that? I had no idea so I checked out Think/Exist and found some interesting quotes.

18th century Irish essayist, poet and dramatist Oliver Goldsmith wrote, “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.”

20th century novelist Don Williams Jr. writes, “The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”

Greg Anderson (American best-selling Author and founder of the American Wellness Project., b.1964), writes, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

German born American social Philosopher and Psychoanalyst, 1900-1980, Eric Fromm wrote, “Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”

One of my favorite authors, Ursula K LeGuin wrote, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

I liked the Japanese proverb: "When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there.”

Matsuo Bashō (1644 – 1694) the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan, said, “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

I also discovered a study Bible titled "The Journey: The Study Bible for Spiritual Seekers." I haven't read it, so I cannot vouch for it, but the concept is interesting, because the Bible does have the answer to the most significant questions about life. And we don't know how to ask many of them until we get some distance down that journey.

Here's some questions that I'm dealing with in this my 70th decade of my journey:

+ How long will I continue on this journey?

+ Does it matter to anyone but me?

+ How will my journey end?

+ What's happening to all the people I've met and served on my journey?

+ How many of them will continue the endless journey with me in that country called Heaven?

+ What contributions may I yet make before this part of my journey ends?

Oh yes, I'm certain of arriving one day in Heaven. My Lord has guaranteed that. That's one of the great reasons why I delight to celebrate Christmas.

What about you? What questions are you dealing with as you continue on your journey?