It came as quite a shock. I rode my bike back and forth to elementary school each day. When I would come home, as I was putting my bicycle away, I liked to bounce the front tire off the garage wall. It was fun to do that with a bit of speed, giving me a nice satisfying jolt.

One day, however, I hit the wall with a bit too much speed. To my dismay, the sheetrock gave way, leaving a jagged hole in the wall. I had broken the wall.

As an adult, that’s not that big of a surprise. Sheetrock has a breaking point. But to a kid, that was a shocking discovery. Walls were solid. Solid things didn’t break. You could rely on walls and doors and counters to always support you.

My understanding of the world changed that day. I don’t want to be too overdramatic, but it’s true. I’m sure it wasn’t the first such discovery nor was it the last, but it’s one that stands out in my mind. Something that I thought I could depend on turned out to be more fragile than I thought.

So what are you depending on? What is solid in your world? Are you depending on yourself, on your own strength? On your health? On your ability to provide for your family?

Do you depend on the government? Is your confidence resting on military forces and police forces that protect you? Are you counting on politicians to look out for your every need?

What is solid in your world? Relationships? Money? Work? Almost all of us have learned that these things have a breaking point, like the sheetrock in our garage wall when I was a kid. Solid is relative.

Unless, of course, your life is built around God. God neither bends nor breaks. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t disappear. He doesn’t fail.

God is the only “solid” that is truly solid. All other things will let us down; the unchanging God will be there until the end of time.

Build your life on a solid foundation. Base your future on God and His promises.

On a trip to Las Vegas, Hughes had a disagreement with the owner of one casino. His answer? He bought the casino and several around it. Money was his answer for everything.

Hughes was also nicknamed the world’s greatest womanizer. He dated various beautiful Hollywood actresses, including Ginger Rogers, Olivia de Havilland, and Katherine Hepburn.

In his prime, Hughes was a daring aviator and tireless tinkerer who spurred science to new heights. He was an industrialist, entrepreneur, and world record setter. His wooden plane, the Spruce Goose, was the largest amphibious plane ever built, and was taller and wider than any aircraft in history.

Surely this was a man who had it all. Despite all of that, Hughes lived his last twenty years in reclusion. He refused to appear in public or to be photographed. He became an extreme hypochondriac, with an unnatural fear of germs. He was only seen by his doctors and his personal servants. He refused to cut his hair, his beard or his nails.

It was a miserable life. When he died, he was a wretched skeleton of a man, who died outside the presence of family or friends.

Money is not the answer to everything. It can’t purchase happiness. It can’t bring us peace. It can’t even prolong our lives.

Jesus said, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).

The apostle Paul said something similar when he wrote:

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Howard Hughes had money, but he didn’t have what Paul calls “the life that is truly life.” He had a dismal imitation of life that no one would choose for themselves.

If your life is built around money and the things it can obtain, you’ll never know what true life is. If your treasure isn’t being stored up in heaven, it will come to be worthless to you one day. You need God and the riches he can give. You need to build your life around the things that will never lose value, that will never fail to satisfy.

You need God.

I remember the 1990 World Cup. I was living in Córdoba, Argentina. My colleagues and I had an office downtown where we would talk to people about the Bible and Christianity. Like good foreigners, we chose to keep the office open during the World Cup games, even though the streets were virtually empty of traffic.

On July 3, Argentina played Italy in a semifinal match. Since no one was coming to the office, I decided to slip into the coffee shop next door to watch the game. The tiny shop was packed with people, but I managed to find an empty chair. We watched as the two teams battled back and forth, ending regulation in a 1-1 tie and neither team scoring in the extra periods.

Then came the penalty kicks to decide the winner. The teams traded shot after shot, until the Argentine goalie came up with the stop that ended the game. The coffee shop exploded in cheers. I found myself hugging everyone around me, even though I didn’t know anyone. We weren’t strangers… we were part of the team that was in the World Cup final!

It’s interesting to see the bonds that sports can create. People who have never met treat one another as long lost friends because of their common loyalties.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus spoke to his disciples about something similar. He told them: “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age” (Mark 10:29-30)

I’ve found that to be true. God has given me the chance to travel widely, and around the world I’ve found that I had a home and I had family. People who hadn’t met me before have offered me a bed to sleep in, given me a place at their table, and made me to feel like family.

The sense of community I felt in that Argentine coffee shop was short lived. The euphoria faded, and we went our separate ways. The family ties among God’s people never goes away. Christians aren’t perfect, and our dealings with one another aren’t either. But we are family.

You’ve been invited to be a part of this community. God wants to adopt you as his child, making you a member of his family.

Despite its great size, the house can be considered unfinished in many ways. There are dozens of doors that open on blank walls, others with knobs on only one side and inside doors with screens on them. There are stairways that reach no destination, chimneys with no stoves, and floors that you can see through.

The construction shows a fascination with the number 13. All the stairways are constructed in series of 13 steps. The chandeliers all have 13 lights. Every wall has 13 panels. Each glass door has 13 pieces.

Who would build such a house?

The mansion was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester (of the Winchester family that owned the famous rifle company). The June 1937 issue of Modern Mechanix states that, after the death of her husband and infant daughter, Winchester was told by a medium that she must build a house that was never completed; if the house were ever completed, Sarah Winchester would die.

Because of this, the fearful widow maintained her house in a constant state of construction. Her attempt to avoid death failed, of course. On September 5, 1922, Sarah Winchester died. Work immediately stopped on the house, and it remains as a monument to one woman’s fear of death.

Was Sarah Winchester the only person afraid of dying? How many others would do whatever it takes to avoid the inevitable?

A favorite passage of mine is found in Hebrews, and it talks about that very fear: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14-15) Jesus came to free everyone held captive by the fear of death.

Jesus has defeated death, and he invites us to share in his victory. There is no need to live fearing death. We have a champion who can rescue us from that fear.

Building a house can’t free us from death. Building a relationship with Jesus will do just that.

At one point, David asks, “Is this gonna be forever?” Children don’t realize that anesthesia is only temporary. They don’t have enough experience to have proper perspective on many things. Children don’t know that common illnesses won’t stay with them the rest of their lives. They haven’t had enough headaches or toothaches to realize that these things usually go away with time.

It’s not only children that lack perspective. To one degree or another, we all suffer from that same problem. When we are facing a crisis, it’s hard to know just how important that crisis will turn out to be in the grand scheme of things. What seems so critical today may have been forgotten five years from now.

What if we were to look at things not in terms of years or decades but in terms of eternity? How would that affect our perspective? The highs and lows of life may not seem quite so high nor quite so low. Problems would lose their power. An eternal perspective would certainly change things.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) Paul was a man who had been beaten, imprisoned, and shipwrecked. Once a mob threw stones at him until they thought he was dead. He lived a very difficult life, yet felt that his hard times couldn’t begin to compare with the eternity that was waiting for him.

Imagine if we could paint a stripe to represent eternity. A stripe with no beginning or end, stretching for miles and miles. If we were to then draw the span of our lives on that never-ending stripe, how big would it be? If we were to make the smallest possible dot, it would be too large. Our lives are nothing compared to eternity.

In another letter, Paul wrote, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) That’s the perspective we need. That’s what can help us handle whatever this life can throw at us. No matter how big it is, no problem is as big as eternity.

Is this gonna be forever? No, it’s not. Unless you’re talking about your relationship with God, whatever it is, it’s not going to be forever. Problems will come and go, but God will be with us forever. If you’re not in a good relationship with Him, I’d love to try and help. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or visit our blog on www.hopeforlife.org.

Swinburne, living in Victorian England, felt that Christian piety had sucked the joy out of life, forbidding the very things that bring pleasure to life. He longed for the days of unbridled paganism.

Sadly, Swinburne wasn’t the first person to feel that way about Christianity, nor was he the last. Many look at Christians and see a somber lot, living a life filled with prohibitions. As the old line says, “Everything enjoyable is either illegal, immoral or fattening.”

When you look at Jesus Christ himself, you see something very different. People looked at him and complained that he didn’t follow enough rules. He went to parties with the wrong kind of people. Where other religious men lived ascetic lives, Jesus lived in a way that people accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard. The first recorded miracle that he performed involved providing wine for a marriage feast! Does that sound like a “pale Galilean”?

No! It’s we Christians who have misunderstood what we’re supposed to be. It’s easy to think that saying no to everything is the best way to be holy. Even back in Bible times, this was a problem. The apostle Paul wrote to one church: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?” (Colossians 2:20-21) Even then, some thought that Christians were following a pale Galilean.

In his book A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanuaken wrote:

“The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians—when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.”

If you think that Christianity is about living like a pale Galilean, you haven’t been exposed to real Christianity. The Christian life is a life of joy, not sadness. It is a life of victory, not defeat. It is a life full of passion, not boredom.

Like Swinburne, I have no interest in following a pale Galilean. Unlike Swinburne, I know that Jesus Christ offers abundant life, colorful life, zestful life. Isn’t that what we’d all like to have?

On one occasion, the physician went to the home of a man with a terminal disease who didn’t seem to have much time to live. The man confessed to the doctor his fears about death and said, “What’s it like when you die?”

The doctor thought for a moment, then got up and opened the front door. His loyal canine friend, who had been waiting patiently on the porch, gleefully bounded in to join his master.

The doctor turned to the dying man and said, “Do you see this dog? He didn’t have any idea what was on this side of that door. All he knew was that his master was there, and he wanted to be with him.”

“That’s how I feel about death,” the physician continued. “I don’t really know all the whats and hows about dying. I’m not totally sure what’s on the other side of that door. But I know who is there, and that’s enough for me. I’m looking forward to being with my Master.”

Death can be a frightening thing. There is so much uncertainty. There are a lot of things I just don’t know.

Some claim to be able to explain everything that will happen when we die. I’m not one of those people. I don’t know a lot of things about death.

Some debate what life after death will be like. I don’t join those discussions. I don’t know all the details about what will happen when I die.

I do know who is waiting for me. I do know that I will leave this world to be with Jesus. That’s enough knowledge for me.

The apostle John wrote: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) We don’t know what we will be, but we will be like him. And we will be with him.

You don’t have to be afraid of what’s on the other side of the door. You can focus on who is on the other side of the door. Isn’t that a better way to approach the end of our life here on earth?

In a general sense, peace is the absence of conflict.

On a personal level, it can mean many things…

• Peace can be paying off this month’s credit card bill.
• Peace can be finishing that report for work.
• Peace can be arriving home after fighting rush hour traffic.
• Peace can be not fighting with your spouse for at least one night.
• Peace can be not hearing gunfire when you turn off the lights.

When Jewish people greet one another, they say “shalom.” Peace. In Arabic, the greeting is “salam,” with the same meaning. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul frequently used the phrase “grace and peace” when beginning his letters. Peace is something that we desire for ourselves and should desire for others.

What about peace with God? For some, that’s a distant concept. Maybe we’ve never really tried to establish a relationship with God. Or we’ve tried, but have never felt like we were quite good enough.

Some of us used to feel good about our standing with God, but now we’re filled with doubt. We don’t have the feeling we used to have. Maybe sin has gotten in the way, the big kind of sin that leaves us feeling guilty for years. Or maybe it’s just a general disenchantment with God, being disappointed by Him time and again. Or it could just be that we’ve grown a bit cold, not turning our backs on God, but just drifting away from Him.

All of those things can steal our peace. To overcome those kinds of feelings, we need to take the focus off of ourselves. We need to recognize that we aren’t trying to earn our salvation. We’re not trying to be “good enough” for God. We need to focus on Jesus Christ and what He has done to make us “good enough.”

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Peace with God comes through trusting in Jesus, trusting in His love and His care for us. When our faith led us to submit to Jesus in baptism, we entered into a relationship with Him that will provide us with the peace that only God can give. It’s not about us… it’s about Jesus and what He did for us.

If you don’t feel at peace with God, you are probably still focused on yourself. You may even be trying to make yourself good enough for God. It’s time to trust in Jesus and His power to save. Only He can put you at peace with God.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Behold I stand at the door and knock …

It’s a process, you know. Rarely does a person move away from God all at once. Like an ember dying slowly in a fireplace, faith slowly disappears and is replaced by cynicism or, even worse, apathy. Instead of deciding to stop believing in God, most people just give up caring.

I stand at the door and knock …

Sin is often a gradual process as well. It starts with a temptation, like money left out at the store or an attractive co-worker who shows too much attention. Our thoughts focus on that temptation until desire takes over. A small sin leads to a bigger sin which eventually leads to a lifestyle. We look up one day and don’t recognize the person we’ve become.

If anyone hears my voice …

Even as we begin to give up on ourselves, God never does. He knocks. He calls. He seeks us out. Remember, this passage in Revelation was written to Christians. People who knew God, but had wandered away from Him. Like the shepherd looking for the lost lamb, God goes looking for His people.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door …

God wants to get back into our lives, but He won’t force His way in. We have to open the door. We have to respond to His call. We have to say, “Yes, I want you back in my life.” God is the Almighty Creator, yet He cares enough about His children to go looking for them. He also cares enough for them to allow them the right to choose. He knocks. He calls. We have to open the door.

I will come in to him …

It’s what God wants. He wants to be in relationship with us, even when we’ve wandered away, even when we’ve done things that we’re ashamed to remember. No sin is too great. No distance is too far. There is no door that cannot be opened. All we have to do is turn back to Him and open the door.

I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

There is something deeply personal about sharing a meal together. The Lord of the Universe wants to come to us, sit down and eat with us. He wants a loving relationship with us. So He knocks. And calls. And waits for us to open the door.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Open the door. Let Him come to you. Let Him wipe away your past and give you a fresh start with Him.

In addition, there was a world-famous medical school in Laodicea, famous for the treatment of optical diseases. At the school, a salve for the eyes was prepared and shipped to distant lands in the form of tablets.

Laodiceans had every right to be proud, and apparently they were. That’s why Jesus’ words to Christians in that city had a sharp sting: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” (Revelation 3:17-18)

Wow! Though Laodicea was famous for its wealth, Jesus tells the Laodiceans they are in direst poverty. He declares these producers of beautiful dark clothing to be naked, needing white clothes he can provide. Despite Laodicea’s fame in treating eye diseases, Jesus says they are blind, needing the treatment only he can give.

What would he say about me? What points of pride would he address, showing the flaws in my perceived strengths? What would he say of my possessions, my accomplishments, my boasting? What would he say of my self-sufficiency?

I know what he would say. The truth. Jesus can see the real me. Not the facade I present to the world, not the image I build up around myself. Jesus sees me. Jesus knows me.

He knows you too. You can fool everyone around you, but Jesus sees the real you. He sees what you really need. I may not know you, but I can tell you that Jesus has what you need. He can eliminate your spiritual poverty, clothe your emotional nakedness and heal your inner blindness.

The Laodiceans needed Jesus. They needed what he had to offer, even though they didn’t realize it. Whether you know it or not, you need him too. As do I. Let’s seek him together.