Day 4 "The Tale of Two Men"

For over the past week, the sports world and most of the country has been mourning the death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and 7 others, all of whom died in the same tragic helicopter crash. Tributes and memorials have been pouring in from everywhere testifying to the profound impact that this legendary basketball player of 5 NBA titles and 18 All-Star appearances has had upon a multitude of people. Of all the accolades that Bryant received, he himself would testify that his greatest achievement in life was being the father of his four daughters- a crowning reinforcement of the character of a person who many would say was one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.

But as great of a player that Kobe Bryant was, it behooves us to keep things in perspective. He was a key personality in the field of entertainment, albeit sports. Paid handsomely, surrounded with endorsements, many would say that Kobe's mainstay of inspiration for them was his dedication and hard work ethic to his craft and his ability to play the game, along with being a great example for them as a father. In a society where we seem to lavish wealth and attention upon those who entertain us, we have a tendency at the same time to minimize the value of those whose contribute greatly to our overall sense of well-being like teachers and first responders. It is easy to take people whose job positions them in front of television cameras to invite them into our homes making them household names and make them somewhat a part of our extended families. And with such fame and notoriety, ascribe to them a higher-than-others homage, having a somewhat cult-like following. Don't get me wrong. I wholeheartedly agree that Bryant was one of the greats to play the game of basketball, for which he is expected to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame next year. And, tragically, his life ended much too soon- like so many others who have died too early in their lives but who had little fanfare to mark their passing. But a question I would like to propose to you is what real impact and long-lasting affect did Kobe Bryant's life bring to your life personally other than for entertainment? How did Kobe Bryant's life change your life forever?

In contrast, I present before you a man who

surrendered his previous glory in order to be spit upon, despised, forsaken, flogged, betrayed, publicly humiliated, used, cast aside, scorned, ridiculed, abandoned, and crucified, all that was endured to benefit you and I. And all accomplished with little fanfare to mark his passing! His name is Jesus Christ. Allow me to introduce him to you if you do not know him already. And if you do know him already, please allow me to refresh your awareness of him and what he made possible for you. By faith, I trust the following concepts and information will be manifested in your spirit and bear witness to their validity as they are presented.

In the Gospel of John, it is written that the "Word"- numerous times showing up throughout the New Testament of the Bible was identified as Jesus Christ. In the beginning, the Word was with God and was responsible for all things made. In the book of Hebrews, we read that Jesus, the Son of God, was instrumental in the creation of the universe, (I realize that this statement is offensive and dismissed as merely nonsense to believers of the big bang theory for the existence of the universe. Yet, their belief and understanding also requires faith to support their position for they hold that at a certain point in time, all the matter of the universe was in one mass from which the big bang exploded. Given how huge and mind-boggling this collective mass may have been- given the belief that there are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand to be found on all the beaches on Earth, it still begs the question, "Where did all that mass come from?"). Jesus is the appointed heir of all things, the radiance of God's glory, and the exact representation of God's being. Given all this, Jesus laid it down, relinquishing his glory in the spiritual realm and became flesh and made his dwelling among us- being fully divine and fully human at the same time.

Throughout the New Testament, we see Christ described from different perspectives: his heart, his love, his mission, his death, his resurrection, his lordship and his savior-ship, and his ultimate authority as being king of all kings. I invite you to explore for yourself who Jesus claimed to be and not depend on hearsay of others. The stakes are too high and blessing too great to miss out by what others might say. Concerning life after this one and of all eternity, what if...what if the things Jesus said are really true?

"But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ

died for us."

Romans 5:8

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which

the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus

Christ to all who believe

Romans 3: 21-22

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through me."

John 14:6

"For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law."

Romans 3:28

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1

"Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone

who believes. "

Romans 10:4

"He set aside the first( covenant) to establish the second. And by that will, we have

been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Hebrews 10:9-10

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made

you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of legal

indebtedness which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing

that it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13-14

"For God so loved the world the He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in

him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world

to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

John :16-17

Although it has been over 2,000 years ago that Jesus walked among us and was crucified on the cross, his resurrection from the death stakes a claim that Jesus was who he claimed to be and that He is alive today actively interceding before the Heavenly Father on our behalf. Some of you may simply dismiss this notion as fantasy and make believe. For you, then, you may simply have concluded by your own belief system that the spiritual world is nonexistent and that this life is all that we experience and that everything within it is temporary in nature. That being the case, welcome to the age of relativism. But on the other hand, if Jesus is truly alive today, proving who he claimed to be, then the spiritual implications for what He has provided for you are far greater than you can imagine. God sent Jesus to do for us what we could not do for ourselves- to reconcile us back into a loving relationship with our creator.

Kobe Bryant was a great legend of our time- he entertained and inspired us. But in another 50 to 100 years, his life may have little or not impact on the living.

Jesus Christ is a man for all seasons and for all generations that were and for those to come. He life laid down and sacrificed himself so that each of us has the opportunity to be spiritually reborn and reconciled the the God who created us.

The Tale of Two Men: One temporary, the other eternal. Who do you choose to follow?

Until next time...