Living

So it's been a crazy few months since I last blogged, and one of these reasons is 'cause a very dear friend of mine went in for a much-needed liver transplant. Now my casual mention of this should not deceive you into thinking that this is an ordinary I'm-just-going-to-pop-into-the-shops-for-milk-quickly kinda event. It is indeed what they call A Big Deal. [Praise God, the operation went smoothly and he is now recovering at home. Albeit with a little bit of cabin fever.] [For those unfamiliar with that term, no need to worry: cabin fever isn't a terminal illness ;)]

Anyway, having someone so close to me come so close to death, has really made me think about the role God plays right now in running this world. As I read various bits and pieces of the Bible, I came to realize that in my head I had this picture that God had created the world, and now it kinda runs with momentum from that one moment.

Wrong!

The Bible makes it very clear that the world can not run at all without God's power!

for example:

[Christ] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)

When I learned that my friend had to go on to a lung machine on and off throughout the day just to be able to breathe, a function we take for granted, I realized that my friend actually had the amazing opportunity to realize how weak and fragile our bodies are. And quite often we are tempted to think that we will be fine with our modern technology and medicines, but that's actually quite arrogant! As the writer of Psalm 3 wrote:

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

I woke up the other morning and really got it for the first time: the only reason I didn't pass away during the night was cause God was sustaining me! And that meant that He had something for me to do that day :) How amazing! So let's not live our lives as if every day is our last (as though that day could be taken away from us) but rather as if every day is our first - as though that day were specially given to us :)