The Hound of Heaven

Readers of English poetry will recall the turbulent life of Francis Thompson. His father wanted him to study at Oxford, but Francis lost his way in drugs and failed to make the grade time and again. This was a slumbering genius, if only his life could be rescued. When Francis finally succumbed to the pursuing Christ, he penned his immortal “Hound of Heaven”:

I fled Him down the nights and down the days.
I fled Him down the arches of the years.
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind:
And in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
Down titanic glooms of chasmed fears
From those strong feet that followed, that followed after.
For though I knew His love that followed
Yet I was sore adread
Lest having Him I have naught else beside.

And he ends:

Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest me.

I am utterly convinced that neither walls nor unfortunate mishaps nor poor decisions can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Perhaps you have noticed footprints of one following closely across your own life. Will you follow them?

-Ravi Zacharias 

Hound of Heaven: A Modern Adaptation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXlgz4aBKt8

A modern skeptic:

“But the new rebel is a skeptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it. . . . As a politician, he will cry out that war is a waste of life, and then, as a philosopher, that all life is waste of time. A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, and then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself. . . . The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite skeptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mines. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for trampling on men. Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything." 

-G.K. Chesterton.

Exclusively Inclusive

Truth, by definition is exclusive. But the Gospel message of Christ Jesus is inclusive of everyone who believes! 

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.  (Ephesians 1:11-14)

When we consider this world we live in, with all of its pains, and sorrows, losses, shortcomings, and failures. It can be overwhelming!  It might even feel as though God who has created all of this, has somehow remained distant from human suffering. One must ask ...has He?  When we look at the evidence we see that Jesus, who said the things He said, and who claimed to be whom He claimed to be ...God. We might ask "...if that is God, then what’s He doing on a cross?" In His great love, we see that on the cross, God has NOT remained distant from human suffering, but has become part of it!

3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[a] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[b] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

-Romans 8:3-4

Christ has encoded Himself into our world, and was born into this world, and has spoken, and He has made the way for us back to Himself. Back to His Eternal Kingdom. Along with the Cross of Christ, comes the Resurrection of Christ. The two most pivotal points in history. The cross of Christ brings together the Judgment, and Justice of God, at the same time, and space is demonstrated, the forgiveness, and the Love of God. The Resurrection confirms His victory over death, and hell. If those who were opposed to the work of Christ, wanted to kill the movement, all they had to do was produce His body.

This quote is a story told by Billy Graham about his conversation, and meeting with the first post-war Chancellor of Germany; Konrad Adenauer...

"I was invited to have coffee one morning with Konrad Adenauer before he retired as the Chancellor of Germany. When I walked in, I expected to meet a tall, stiff, formal man who might even be embarrassed if I brought up the subject of religion. After the greeting, the Chancellor suddenly turned to me and said, “Mr. Graham, what is the most important thing in the world?” Before I could answer, he had answered his own question. He said, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is alive, then there is hope for the world. If Jesus Christ is in the grave, then I don’t see the slightest glimmer of hope on the horizon.” Then he amazed me by saying that he believed that the resurrection of Christ was one of the best-attested facts of history. He said, “When I leave office, I intend to spend the rest of my life gathering scientific proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It was the fact of the resurrection of Christ that called the disciples to go out as burning young revolutionaries to change the world of their day. They preached that Christ is alive. This should be our message, not only on Easter, but on every day of the year."

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,"

-John 11:25