Daily Thoughts about God Posts

By John Grant
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“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.â€? Isaiah 62:1

It’s been on my calendar for months lest I schedule any conflicts. There’s nothing quite like the opening of the Olympics and it only happens every four years. This year’s was the most spectacular ever. For four hours I, along with nearly three billion other people around the world sat with my eyes glued to the screen. It was the largest viewing audience in the history of television.

The first ninety minutes was a non-stop display of electronic, pyrotechnic and human engineering, followed by a parade of sixteen thousand athletes ranging from teenagers to age sixty-seven. The represented more than two hundred countries, including eighty-four that had never won a medal in any Olympics and who all shared a common enthusiasm that this would be the year. Many were just happy to be there.

But, to me, the highlight of any Olympic Games opening is the lighting of the torch and the declaration of: “Let the Games Begin.�Since its inception in 1936, the Olympic torch has come to represent the history and culture of its host country and city. It also represents the universal spirit of the Olympic Games.

Olympic champion Li Ning ignited the Olympic cauldron at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, concluding the 129-day world trip of the Olympic flame billed as a journey of harmony and peace. It concluded a trip that began in Athens, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games and passed through five continents. The relay covered 85,000 miles and was the longest ever trip of the sacred flame.

As I have followed with interest the flame’s journey over the past few months, I could not but help think of a significant spiritual parallel. It was Jesus who said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.â€?

Like the athletes who carry the torch of harmony and peace, as Christians, our torch is the Word of God. Our message is the Gospel, our mission is to carry it every day and our mandate was given to us by Jesus himself: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.�  As Christians, we are all called to be torch bearers.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/11/jg_carry-the-torch/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

By John Grant
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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.� John 14:27

Randy Pausch, a terminally ill professor whose earnest farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon University became an Internet phenomenon and best-selling book that turned him into a symbol for living and dying well, died this week of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called “The Last Lecture,” where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk. Only in Pausch’s case, the popular professor really was facing death – and he talked about what his childhood dreams had taught him about life in a 76-minute speech titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” He said he had recently been told he had no more than six months of good health left.

In April, the book “The Last Lecture” was published and leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists, where it remained this week. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.

I have been following this story for several months and often thought how I would react to such an opportunity. What would I say? Who would I call? How would I spend my limited time left on earth?

If a doctor told you that you had two months to live, how would you live those two months……. fearing and questioning eternity, getting mad a God? Would you cower in fear and regret, or would you be like Dr. Pausch and make your mark in your final year? Let’s face it, we are all terminal. No one gets out of this world alive, none can escape death. All of our life is a legacy. What do we want to leave, to be remembered for?

John’s Gospel tells us Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27). We are to fear neither life nor death, for as Christians, each can be a joyful experience.

None of us know how many years, months, days, hours we have left, but we do know that they are limited and we should not have to receive a medical verdict like Dr. Pausch did to kick into high gear. Live all of life to the fullest, leave a legacy and celebrate life as we await the glory of eternity. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your live, short or long, Live it to the fullest.
(a thought on life from John Grant)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/06/jg_last-lecture/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net