Heaven

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THE BEST POSSIBLE ROAD TO TAKE

(John 3:16&17) For God so loved the world that 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.

We have just celebrated the birth of Jesus. This is the beginning of the greatest event that has ever occurred on the earth.  John clarifies for us just what happened on that night when Mary gave birth to a son in the town of Bethlehem.  God gave his one and only Son to save the world.  Why would God do this?  Because he so loved the world.  And who can receive this saving grace?  Whoever believes in Jesus the Son. 

Our creator has offered us an open invitation to reconcile with him and spend eternity with him in a perfectly sin free new world.  What can possibly stand in the way of us jumping at this invitation?  I like to be reminded of these words from Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your way submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  A relationship with God doesn’t depend on our ability to figure out God; it depends on our ability to believe that he exists.  We call this faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  The writer of Hebrews continues in verse 6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  God is inviting us to receive the greatest gift ever offered, eternal life. We waste our time seeking everything that in the long run has no eternal significance. In Matthew 6:31-33 Jesus said, So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The promise found in God’s Son is not only for eternity.  It is even for right now.  When we put our faith in God our Father and believe in Jesus as our savior, we begin a new life.  Considering what is offered and how much can be lost; Think about it, seeking God seems to be the best possible road to take.

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THE MYSTERY REVEALED

(1 Corinthians 2:9&10) However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

In these verses, the Apostle Paul refers to the great mystery that had been hidden from the beginning of time and now revealed by his Spirit.  The advent of Jesus the Christ is the beginning of this great reveal.  God in his wisdom, that is far beyond what we can conceive, has always had a plan for our redemption. A baby, born to a common family, lying in a manger made for feeding animals, is the beginning of this astonishing miracle.  Jesus came that we might have new life, eternal life.

The great love of our Creator did not allow him to abandon us.  He would give his one and only son unto a torturous death, allowing him to take on the sins of the whole world.  But Jesus did not Just come and go; he grew up like a regular human child, and he spent his adult years teaching us a new way to live. For those of us who have received him, we have been given new life guided by the infilling of his Holy Spirit.

Christmas is a celebration of the reveal. A mystery that was long hidden until the time was ready for its release.  We are all given invitations to what God’s love accomplished for us in his redemption plan.  Don’t miss out! Receive this great gift that our creator has offered us and join in on the everlasting celebration!

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SEEKING GOD

(Jeremiah 29:13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Mankind has always thought there was more to life than just his time on earth.  Our history shows that we have always searched for eternity.  In Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon tells us why, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  We search for eternity because God has placed it in our hearts.  We also know that there is a God because of the beauty of the creation in which we exist.  God is a mystery to be found, yet he does not hide himself from us.  We can find him if we seek him with all our heart.

There has always been, deep inside my consciousness, an awareness that God exists.  Through the years, I have developed a loving relationship with him.  How did this come about?  It came about when I came to a desperate place in my life, and I called out to him.  He answered me!  Since then, I have sought to know him. 

In those early years, during times of worship, I’d sing a song whose words were “I love you, Lord.”  I remember thinking, do I really love the Lord.  Today I can emphatically say “yes, I love you, Lord”, because I have spent time seeking him.  I have found him and developed a deep love for him.  Most of all, in those years of seeking him, I discovered his great love for me.

Jesus said, “Seek and you will find.”1 The writer of Hebrews said, “…anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”2 All of us, who are followers of Jesus, know that these words are true.  Because we have sought after him, we have found him, and he has rewarded us with eternal life and an everlasting relationship with himself.

1Matthew 7:7

2Hebrews 11:6

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OUR LIFE COACH

(John 14:25&26) All this I have spoken while I was still with you.  But the Advocate, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Jesus died on the cross to be an atonement for the sins of the world.  This includes all sins past, present, and future.  I became a recipient of his great sacrifice when I surrendered to him and put my trust in him.  At that moment, The Father forgave all my sins: past, present, and future; and He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell me and become my teacher.

Since that beautiful experience of salvation, the Holy Spirit has led me on the path of righteousness.  When I falter, he corrects me; and I repent.  There were times when I resisted, but he never gave up on me.  He was training me to become more like Jesus.  I will still be in training till my last breath.

Justification means that our sins are forgiven. That happens when we receive salvation.  Sanctification is the training that happens throughout the rest of our time here in this world.  The Holy Spirit seals us to identify us as God’s children, and he then takes on the task of our sanctification.  You might say he is our life coach.

There have been times when the Holy Spirit has tasked me with going to someone I have sinned against and asked for their forgiveness.  Difficult as that was, It always produced good fruit for them and me.  Over the years, the Holy Spirit has trained me in what to do when I faulter.  I have learned to first go to the Father and repent and then ask the offended person or persons for forgiveness.  

I believe complete righteousness happens after we leave our physical body.  Until then, we will wrestle with our sinful nature and the temptation from the devil.  God loves us, and he has provided us with the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us through this life till we go home to him.

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GOD’S WRATH

(John 3:36) Whoever believes in the son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

God is just. So, to think that there won’t be a reckoning for our sins is foolish.  Especially since he sent his Son to provide us with a way to avoid his judgment, and not only to avoid his judgement, but to be completely forgiven of our sins and become his children for all eternity.

Here in this life, we are all subject to the good and bad parts of life.  The difference is that God’s children, though they will die like everyone else, will go on to eternal life with their creator.  Those who reject what Jesus has offered will not see this eternal life, and they will be subject to God’s wrath.

All throughout the Old Testament, we have stories that tell of God’s wrath. For instance, the flood in which all but eight of the people on the earth were drowned, the destruction in Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave, and Korah’s rebellion where the earth opened and swallowed up his whole clan (see Numbers chapter 16). Being under the wrath of God is a terrible thing.  This is God’s world, and he has the right to judge his created ones.  Aren’t we glad that he is long-suffering, gracious and full of love for us.

God has provided an easy way for us to avoid his wrath.  All we need to do is to accept the work of his Son who died for our sins.  Then we can begin a restored relationship with our God.  The only difficult part is that we must humbly acknowledge that we have sinned, and that we need forgiveness. We must repent.  If we refuse to acknowledge our need for Jesus, we will have to pay for our sins. The pride of mankind will lead us down a path of destruction. Wisdom says humble yourself and come join the children of God.  I can personally vouch that you will not be sorry.  It is the only logical choice.

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LOVE IS FOREVER

(1 Corinthians 13:13) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

These words, from the Apostle Paul, are at the end of what has been called the love chapter.  If you think about it, of the three: faith, hope and love, only love will remain in eternity.  Faith is about believing in God.  When we are constantly in his presence faith will not be required.  Likewise, hope will be fulfilled when all of God’s plan is accomplished.  What will endlessly remain is love.

I often write about God’s love for us because love is the guiding factor in Jesus’ coming to earth to redeem us.  The Apostle John points this out with his statement in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  And again, in his first letter John writes, “Dear friends, Let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7&8)

I wholly believe that God created the heavens and the earth because of his love; and in his love, he made his eternal plan for us.  When all is said and done, God’s pure and eternal love will be continually over his children.  Here in the world, we have just a taste of God’s love; but when we are with him in heaven, his love will be the atmosphere that surrounds us, and it will never end.

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THE FLOOD

(Genesis 6:5&6) The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.

God set in motion a plan to bring a worldwide flood on the earth that would reboot his creation.  The flood would eliminate all of mankind, sparing only eight people. Before the flood people lived 800 to 900 years, but after the flood, man would be allowed only 120 years of life.  Rain did not fall on the pre-flood world because water came from springs in the ground, but since the flood, rain has been the method for watering earth.  The sons of God no longer married the daughters of man as was done before the flood.  These are only a few of the changes that God made. I assume there were many.

I tried to figure out how long the preflood world lasted.  My best guess is somewhere in the range of 1,600 years. To get an idea of how long that is count back 1,600 years, and you’ll find yourself in the year AD 425.  That is around the time of the fall of the Roman Empire.  God was surely patient with those early humans.

I have heard people say, “I can’t believe that a loving God would wipe out all those people.”  Well perhaps he was simply showing them mercy.  They were living in a world where every heart was bent on evil, and their life span was hundreds of years. That sounds like the flood must have brought them relief.  I’m reminded that death is only part of the physical world.  When they died, their spirits went to the spirit realm.

 God never lost sight of them, and he didn’t annihilate them.  Peter tells us in his first letter: (1Peter 3:18-20) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.  After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built…

God created this world, and he has always loved his created ones.  He is working out a plan that is way beyond our understanding.  Remember, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

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OUR WORTH IN GOD

(1Peter 1:3-5) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.  It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I am a common person.  I am not of wide renown, but just one of billions of people who are currently walking the earth.  My distinctions are that I’m a male of considerable age who has led an average life. That is my earthly existence. 

The one distinction I didn’t mention is that I am a Christian, a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ.  I am a child of the living God sealed with his Holy Spirit.  I have been granted eternal life through the redemptive action of Jesus Christ the Son of God.  I have an inheritance from God my Father reserved for me in heaven.  This distinction is not exclusive; it is offered to all who will receive him.

(1 Peter 2:9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Our worth as the common people of the earth may say we are of little consequence, but in contrast we are of great worth to God. Christians are God’s children, a people of his own, destined to live with him in his eternal kingdom.

Knowing our true worth, let us walk with confidence as we negotiate this new year, and let us proclaim the virtues of the one who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.  

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THE WONDERFUL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

(Isaiah 9:6&7) For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

This prophesy about the birth of Jesus, that Isaiah wrote some 700 years before he was born, refers to the eternal kingdom of God that Jesus will establish and rule over.  This is the kingdom that all believers will inhabit forever.  As I read these verses from Isaiah, I find excitement, great comfort, and peace for my soul.

Christmas always leads me to reflect on what Jesus accomplished during his time with us.  He taught us how we should live, and he showed us his power over creation. Most of all he paid for our sins and restored us to fellowship with our creator.  Yet this was just the beginning of what God has planned for his redeemed children.

Isaiah let us know that in eternity we will be governed by our loving savior.  Jesus will be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Can you imagine a king who loves his people and cares for them. There is comfort in knowing that our king Jesus is all powerful, a Father who will never leave us or forsake us, and one who insures eternal peace for all.  Jesus’ birth is the beginning of all our hopes and dreams being fulfilled.  Thank you Jesus for our salvation and, beyond our imagination, eternal life.

May your Christmas be filled with celebration as you explore the wonders of the wonderful meaning of Christmas.

       MERRY CHRISTMAS

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MOMENTS OF WONDER

(Psalm 139:13 & 14) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

I love those moments when I take the time to look around with amazement at the wonders of God’s creation.  The human body in its intricate design always fascinates me, the beauty of a flower reaches deeply into my heart, and each day both sunrise and sunset are like masterpieces painted by our Father for our enjoyment.  At these times, praise just naturally pours from my soul, and worship flows forth without reserve, as I recognize the majesty of our God who created this world.  David must have been immersed in one of these moments when he wrote the words of Psalm 139.

Unfortunately, like David, we don’t get to stay in those moments.  There is life to live with its responsibilities and distractions.  Sometimes, we stray far from those moments and indulge in sinfulness.  David’s life, like ours, displays this tendency.  Coming to our senses, we repent and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness (see Psalm 51).  That’s when we experience his love for us which leads us back to times of praise and worship.

I think that in heaven we will live continuously in wonder of our God; praise and worship will forever be on our lips. We will experience an eternity filled with wonder.