Set up for life

You often hear this saying; usually spoken in a wishful tone of voice. It is something to aspire to; to be set up for life. I guess most people who are thinking along these lines are hoping to have a life of ease and luxury.

"If I win the lottery..." "If I get my dream job..." "If my business is a huge success..." "If I marry into a wealthy family..." "If I attain fame and fortune..."

If...If...If...; the Ifs depend on a certain set of circumstances falling into place. OK let's assume it happens for you. You have achieved your goal and now you are set up for life. What next?

We will assume you will live out the rest of your days enjoying the fruits of your endeavours.

Wait a minute, you are set up for life but now we are talking about your death. So being set up for life is only a temporary situation.

The rich man in Luke chapter 16 was set up for life but ended up in Hell. Another rich man in Luke chapter 12 gives us further insight into this problem.

Luke 12:16-20

(16) "...the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

(17) and he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no more room to store my crops?'

(18) So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and goods.

(19) And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry."

(20) "but God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?"

This is the result of leaving God out of your life! You can plan all you want; and you may be granted it. However, if God decides it is time your soul is required; you cannot reverse His decision!

So, being set up for life in this scene is only temporary and it can be terminated at any moment. Our tenure on life is fragile, it can be easily broken.

How much better it is to be set up for eternal life. That well known verse in John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." What a difference! By believing in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving Him as your Lord and Saviour you will immediately have eternal life!

1 Peter 1:3, 4 tells us, (3) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you."

What a difference! Eternal life and an eternal inheritance are the rights of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are you set for eternal life?

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted]

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The 5 R's Checklist

When I was nursing, and administering medications to patients we used a check list to ensure we did the right thing each time. This procedure was necessary to make sure the right patient got the right medication.

The 5 R's are:

1. The right patient

2. The right medication

3. The right dose

4. The right time

5. The right route.

Let's look at each of these in turn.

The right patient, this is obvious, we need to correctly identify the patient for whom the medication is intended. The patient's medical officer has written up a medication sheet detailing what medications the patient requires. In a hospital situation the patient is given an identity wrist band upon admission to hospital. So even if the patient is asleep, or delirious, or unconscious he/she can be identified.

The right medication, care is needed here to identify that the medications written for the patient are correctly administered. An error here could cause serious side effects or could even be fatal.

The right dose, we have identified the patient and have the correct medications. Now we need the correct amount of medication the medical officer has ordered. Any mistakes here could have major consequences.

The right time, the medical officer orders the medications to be given to the patient at a certain time or times. The usual times are daily, twice daily, 3 times daily or 4 times daily. Administering the medications at the correct time is very important for the patient's well-being.

The right route, the correct route is extremely important. It is often dependent on the type of medication the patient requires. The medications can be in tablet form, or liquid, or ointment, or suppository, or in a patch form. So the correct route is also extremely important. Is the medication to be given orally (by mouth), or by injection (needle), or intravenously? Perhaps it is an ointment or a cream, or ear drops or eye drops, or perhaps a suppository.

As we can see the check list needs to be followed in full to ensure we follow the medical officer's instructions for the patient. Inherent in this is our duty of care to the patient. The patient's well-being must be the focus and the outcome.

Most of my nursing career I worked in small regional hospitals, within General Wards. The patients would be admitted with a variety of medical conditions, requiring different medications and treatments. Our duty of care had to be the same to each individual patient; regardless of race, skin colour, ethnicity, whether they were rich or poor, or whether they were criminals or law abiding citizens.

Whilst reflecting on these matters I could see a similar situation with the True and Living God and us. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden they became sinners against God. Their sinful nature has been passed down throughout the race of mankind via Adam.

God could have abandoned mankind but He had an overriding duty of care towards His creatures. His focus and outcome for them is their eternal well-being. "All have sinned..." (Romans 3:23) and all need salvation. Mankind's sorry history is a continual turning away from God, however, in His duty of care towards you and me He sent His Son to rectify matters. Galatians 4:4, 5, (4)"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoptions of sons."

The right patient is you and me.

The right medication for our sin sick souls is salvation and redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The right dose, God knows the correct dose needed for each individual.

The right time is now!

The right route, God knows the best way to bring salvation to each individual.

In a hospital situation there are always patients who are non-compliant with their medications' regime and their treatment. Some discharge themselves, some are belligerent and cause trouble; others go absent without leave.

Don't be like them, God has your eternal best interests in mind; however, you need salvation to enjoy them.

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted]

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Eternal Life - Are you in the book?

The Book of Life I am referring to is not a lifestyle book. Actually you can't purchase it or read it for yourself.

Intrigued? What use is this book to me if I can't read it or purchase it?

What type of book is it? Well I can tell you it has not been written by any great men, or philosophers, or academics. Perhaps, we need to look at where in the world we can find references to this book.

The answer to this puzzle is found in God's words in the Holy Bible. The first mention of the Book of Life is found in Philippians 4:3, "...and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life." The apostle Paul mentions the Book of Life. It is a book that records all the names of those who will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ and the holy angels.

Revelation 20:11-15

(11) "Then I saw a great white throne and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

(13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works.

(14) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

(15) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

The scene before us takes place at the end of time. It takes place in eternity. Note these facts: (a) everything we ever do is and will be recorded in Heaven; (b) if our name is not recorded in the Book of Life we will be cast into the lake of fire - the second final death.

I am not going to focus on the lake of fire because the Book of Life is the focus of this blog post. How can I get my name in the Book of Life? By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, that's how! His salvation is an eternal salvation; good for time and eternity.

If we read on into Revelation chapter 21 we come to the heavenly city - "...the holy city, New Jerusalem..." Verse 27, "But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes abomination, or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. The Book of Life is a gigantic record of every true believer from the time of Adam and Eve right up to the end of the 1,000 years of the Millennium when Christ reigns on the earth.

Let's get down to the crux of this matter; if your name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

What will you do about it? It is so easy to be saved by the Lord Jesus if you will let Him save you. He has never turned anyone away.

John 6:37, "all that the Father gives Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."  That decision needs to be now, this side of the grave. Once you die it will be too late!

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted]

[You are welcome to comment on this post, by clicking on the comments section below]