What an interesting week this has turned out to be.  Politically, we saw the field of candidates shrink appreciably.  The Democratic race is down to a 2-horse situation.  It is Hillary vs. Obama.  What a shootout that should be come Tuesday.  I just read this morning that rumors are flying around about creating a super ticket with both Hillary and Obama.  Whether that happens or not will depend upon the delegate count as the weeks come and go.  On the Republican side, it basically is also a 2-horse race, although the presence of Mike Huckabee will keep it interesting, at least from the evangelical, conservative point of view.  I am still uncommitted...still looking for a leader that inspires me.  Perhaps I am looking for someone who simply does not exist anymore.  If that is the case, and it probably is, then I am saddened both for myself and for my country. 

Focusing this week upon the Middle East, the much-anticipated final Winograd Committee Report concerning the Second Lebanon War was released.  It was received without a lot of fanfare.  And the anticipated attack upon Prime Minister Olmert simply did not materialize.  Although the report had its criticisms of Israeli leadership during the Summer 2006 war, it stopped short of making direct accusations.  So, it appears that the Olmert government, although still on very shaky ground, will survive a little longer.  A recent poll in Israel indicated that 58% of the people think that Olmert should step down and new elections be called.  So, the pressure will continue to mount...but, for the moment, the Prime Minister has dodged another bullet.  Stay tuned...as Paul Harvey would say.

Aside from politics, the weather has been a "hot" topic worldwide.  Blizzards - the first in recorded history - hit Baghdad.  Snowstorms buried entire villages in China.  Even Jerusalem received snow...up to 10 inches.  In fact, snow was forecast for as far south as Eilat, down on the Red Sea.  And, here in Minnesota...it was just bitter cold.  The last half of January was one of the coldest on record.  Where is this global warming everyone keeps talking about?  At least they should not have to worry about snow in Phoenix for the Super Bowl on Sunday.  I am sure both the Giants and Patriots are thankful for that.  It should be a great game.

Now, let's turn our attention to the Gospel of John.  We are in chapter 5, coming now to an important text that helps us to understand the relationship that existed between the Father and the Son.  Take a few moments and read John 5:16-30.  Okay...let's see what God wants to say to us.  First, because of the opposition of the religious leaders over the healing of the lame man on the Sabbath, Jesus addresses the issue of work.  He states, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (verse 17).  Now the vocal threats increased because Jesus declared that He had a relationship with God, even calling God Father.  In verses 19-23, I see Jesus relating two significant truths concerning His relationship with the Father.  First, Jesus states categorically that the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing (verse 19).  What does that mean?  Some scholars interpret this to mean that Jesus merely copies what God does.  But Jesus never copied God...He was God.  Better, I think, to say that in Jesus we see God.  God is omnipotent...Jesus is omnipotent with even the winds obeying Him.  God is love...Jesus is love, stating that there was no greater love than that man should lay down his life for his friends.  God creates...Jesus also creates, for the Apostle Paul tells us that "in Him all things were created" (Colossians 1:16).  God forgives sins...Jesus forgives sins as illustrated with His conversation with the woman caught in adultery (we will get to John 8 shortly).  For a picture of what God looks like and for what God does, all we need do is to look at Jesus Christ.

The second truth is that the Father loves the Son (verse 20).  To put it plainly, the Father never ceases to love the Son.  It was this ceaseless love that motivated Jesus in His ministry.  He was compelled by God's love.  He was encouraged by God's love.  Jesus never acted on His own whims or desires.  He always acted in accordance with His Father's wishes.  Why?  Because He was motivated by His Father's love.  Do you think that Jesus truly wanted to die upon a cross?  We know the answer: Jesus prayed that that cup might be removed.  But Jesus was obedient in going to the cross because of the love the Father had for Him.  And that is the kind of love the Father has for you and for me.  It is a ceaseless love.  It is an encouraging love.  It is a compelling love. 

Finally, in verses 24-30 Jesus speaks about the existence of two ways.  The first is the way of life.  I believe everyday we live here on this earth is a gift to us from God.  As Creator, God is the author of life.  From the beating of my heart to the exercise of my lungs, from the movements guided by my brain to the expression of the emotions that represent who I am...all these remind me that life is precious and is a gift from God.  But Jesus takes this a step further.  He talks about an eternal life...a life that never ends...a life that frees us from death.  Later, in John 10, Jesus will describe this as the abundant life.  It is a life that not only gives us a hope for tomorrow, but the capacity to better enjoy today.  Remember those words from the Apostle Paul: for me, living is Christ (Philippians 1:21).  Sadly, too many people still refuse to accept that gift of life.  Instead they continue in the way of death.  In this text Jesus talks about those who are spiritually dead.  Those who are in that state have lost all sensitivity toward sin.  They have lost all sense of wonderment about God.  They have lost all desire to know the Bible.  And they have lost all feeling about the need for repentance.  Instead they choose to make excuses for their sins and continue in their present state. 

Friends, I believe Jesus is strongly declaring that our eternal destination is predicated upon the choices we make in this life.  Do we continue in our present state of sin resulting in facing a second death - a spiritual one, an eternal one - after we have experienced physical death?  Or do we make a decision to accept the life Jesus came to give resulting in our facing a wonderful life - not just a spiritual one, but a physical one as well - after we have experienced physical death?  The Father stands ready to give...are we ready to receive?

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.  (Confucius)