Bible Baptist Church

The year was 1998, and the day was December 18th. Something would happen that John Maxwell would call his pivotal, life-altering moment. What happened that would forever change his life and direction in life? He had a near fatal heart attack. Heart surgeon, Dr. Jeff Marshall, did emergency surgery to remove a blood clot. To this day, John Maxwell's credits this life-changing event as helping him make necessary movements in his life for the better.

Unsure if John would make it or not, his wife and children came into the room so John could say his final words to each one of them. You can only imagine the emotions that ran in that room during this time. I don't know what was said, but it got me thinking about something Michael Hyatt said to do when creating a life-plan.

A life-plan is a sort of road map that helps navigate our decisions and life. Heath says for the life-plan to work you have to start at the end. In fact, not to be morbid, you have to attend your own funeral and imagine what people would say about you. For example:

1. Spouse
2. Kids
3. Coworkers
4. Acquaintances

You have to be honest and consider what each person would say as they walked up to your casket. Here's the catch, if you don't like what someone would say make it part of your life-plan to make the necessary changes. I cannot say John Maxwell had any regrets that night when he was speaking with his family, but it prompted a question that I would like to ask you.

QUESTION: in your final moments do the things that irritate you today really matter?

Allow me to expand on this.

1. The person who owes you money but hasn't paid it yet
2. The person who hurt you that you struggle to forgive
3. The event that was life-changing but in a negative way

I could go on, but the point is would these things really matter in my final minutes? Is the stuff I would be thinking about or would be...
1. The love for my spouse
2. The love for my kids
3. The appreciation of my friends
4. The letting go of past grievances

It is hard for us in the moment to consider navigating our lives around the streams of chaotic waters. Chaotic waters that splash pain, betrayal, disappointments, and every other ill feeling that can happen in our life span. Yet, there is a biblical concept that God introduces to us from the very beginning. It is the idea of light and darkness coexisting at the same time.

Bottom Line: Faith is Seeing Light When All Your Eyes See is Darkness!

h is Seeing Light When All Your Eyes See is Darkness!
In our world light and darkness are two different identities that cannot coexist with one another. But it seems that may not have been the case at the beginning of God creating the world (cf. Genesis 1:1-5).

We can advance this thought on faith into Eden where God had many trees but two specifically:

1. Tree of Life
2. Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

We know that both trees existed in the same garden (cf. Genesis 2:9), but had differences:

1. Both were part of God's creation that was called "Good"
2. Both were in the middle of Eden
3. One could be eaten from freely while the other was forbidden (cf.
Genesis 2:16, 17)
4. One points to God and the other points to self
5. One gives life while the other takes away life

What do two trees and faith have to do with one another? It seems to me that light and darkness has been part of our world since the beginning, but it is sin that has caused corruption. The corruption has caused people to cast their eyes on the darkness and lose faith in the light. I think when Adam and Eve were at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil it really boiled down to one of two choices:

1. Do I trust God?
2. Do I trust myself?

Obviously they choose themselves. It is these exact questions that continue to be asked of us today.

1. Do I trust God?
2. Do I trust myself?