Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Man of sorrows what a name,
For the Son of God who came...
It is hard to understand why Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh, would take on the sorrows and grief of this life. It is deeply comforting, but it is also a mystery. But as the old hymn clearly shows us, there was a purpose.
Ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Philip P. Bliss
One question that I am trying to ask myself more is, "To what end?" In this context "end" means the result or purpose, but with a more permanent thought behind it. The means to an end reflects the idea of a plan or method that arrives at a desired goal. "To what end?" is a question that applies right across the length and breadth of life. If we will ask ourselves this and answer honestly, it can help us in determining the value of many things in life. It can direct our efforts and priorities, and it can help us "delete" things from our lives or thoughts that simply don't matter. Basically, it comes down to this: If the end result is not useful or beneficial in some way, if it does not take us further in the path God has laid before us, then it probably isn't something we should be spending our precious life on.
I read through this quickly. It brought to mind a verse in Ecclesiastes that says better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.
ReplyDeleteExcellent addition! I will try to remember to go back and add that. I don't know why I didn't remember that verse since I think of it sometimes. I'm glad you did and that you reminded me! Thank you. :-)
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