Archive for September, 2007
Heaven: the Journey
Sometimes, even as followers Christ, we may go hours, days or even weeks without thinking about heaven. It would do us well to rearrange our thinking concerning the Eternal Life to come. Jonathan Edwards put this much more brilliantly when he said:
“How worthy is heaven, that your life should be wholly spent as a journey towards it. To what better purpose can you spend your life? How can you better employ your strength, use your means, and spend your day, than in traveling the road that leads to the everlasting enjoyment of God; to his glorious presence; to the new Jerusalem; to the heavenly mount Zion; where all your desires will be filled, and no danger of ever losing your happiness?”
If you would like to know more about the road that leads to everlasting life feel free to send me a note in the following box. Please include your email address so I can respond.
Heaven: “Living in Between”
I recently read a book by Stephen J. Nichols called “Heaven on Earth: Capturing the Vision of Living in Between.” I gleaned so much from this book but one thing that stands out was Jonathan Edward s’s call for believers to live life now in light of heaven. Edwards was a man who lived in light of eternity. The more we grow in our love for God and His glory we will begin living in this light. In a chapter called “Being good citizens” Nichols writes
“In the words of C.S. Lewis, we are to point out to those who live in the Shadowlands that there is a real world to come. But we are to do more than that. We best point the way to the world when we offer glimpses of that world in this one. We point the way to heaven when we speak its language and live by it’s customs on earth.”
Colossians 3:1-4 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Please pray…
Please pray for my younger brother Andrew who is once again in the hospital. Andrew and his wife understand how difficult it can be to persevere in the face of chronic illness and the surrounding unknowns.
Psalm 73:28 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Heaven: Bound for the promised land!
I love this reminder from Joni Eareckson Tada which says “Suffering keeps swelling our feet so that earth’s shoe’s won’t fit.” In other words our trials are reminders that we are not supposed to be comfortable on this earth – if we trust in Christ we are bound for eternity in the presence of God!
Isaiah 35:3-5 “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”
Everything we need – Part 3
Even though we have been given everything we need to persevere through trials persevering in the face of hardship is often grueling. Some seasons of our lives will be full of darkness and pain. We must keep in mind that God is working this for our good. Remind yourself that we cannot see what the Lord is “up to” and this requires much trust and faith as we journey through the “unknowns” of life. “Unknowns” are some of the most difficult things to face but He is faithful and worthy of our trust!
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Everything we need – Part 2
After meditating further on 2 Peter 1:3 I began to ponder a significant implication. Since God has “given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us” physical health isn’t an actual earthly need. This doesn’t mean that our heavenly Father didn’t originally create man in a perfect state and that health isn’t a true blessing, but it does mean that despite sin’s destruction of our earthly bodies we already have everything we need in this life (through Christ’s redeeming work on the cross).
We can in fact be Physically Healthy and Spiritually Sick. Please understand this vital reality – if you have not acknowledged your sins before God and begun a new life in Him you are wasting away. On the other hand if you are physically weak but are a follower of Christ you are strong, full of hope, and bound for the eternal kingdom. In the eternal kingdom you will have a new, strong and perfect body.
I urge you to consider your Spiritual Health today as this is truly all that matters in this life.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Everything we need
“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” Lamentations 3:22-23
“Like the manna that fell fresh from heaven each morning, God supplies the needs of his children with the dawning of each day. The sufficiency of Christ is more than enough to meet the needs of a lifetime, but life can only be lived one day, one moment, at a time. (Joni Eareckson Tada)
When facing any trial keeping perspective is important. Remember this sweet promise today – that the Lord provides everything we need for today!
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
Seasons
As fall approaches and we begin to see and feel the change in seasons I am reminded by the words of William Law of our changing hearts. In his book “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” Law writes of our changing hearts:
“The next condition to which we are always to adapt some part of our prayers is the difference of our hearts, by which is meant the different state of the tempers of our hearts, as of love, joy, peace, tranquility, dullness, and dryness of spirit, anxiety, discontent, motions of envy and ambition, dark and disconsolate thoughts, resentments, fretfulness, and peevish tempers.
Now as these tempers through the weakness of our nature will have their succession more or less even pious minds, so we should constantly make the present state of our heart the reason of some particular application to God.
If we are in the delightful calm of sweet and easy passions, of love and joy in God, we should then offer the grateful tribute of thanksgiving to God for the possession of so much happiness, thankfully owning and acknowledging him as the bountiful giver of it all.
On the other hand we feel ourselves laden with heavy passions, with dullness of spirit, anxiety, and uneasiness, we must then look up to God in acts of humility, confessing our unworthiness, opening our troubles to him, beseeching him in his good time to lessen the weight of our infirmities, and to deliver us from such passions as opposed the purity and perfection of our souls.”
The wonderful news is that no matter what “season” we find our hearts in we can be reminded of God’s greatness and power over our fickle hearts. Praise God that if we trust in him to save us we are not ultimately judged by today’s attitude of our heart but by the cleansing blood of his Son and his unchanging love for us!
What value am I?
Not long after I began struggling with a chronic illness some new temptations arose. I was tempted to question my value. In a world where earthly accomplishments are the “end all” where did I fit in? I was quickly reminded of the Gospel and of the love Christ has for me. I don’t actually have to accomplish anything to be of value. In fact, Christ has already accomplished everything for me! In addition I can bring Christ glory with my attitude and response to suffering. Thank you Lord for not measuring me by my physical strength and for loving me even before I was born!
Psalm 139:13-16 “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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When i was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
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.”
Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.”
His Faithfulness in suffering
During this week five years ago I began the challenge of living with a chronic illness. Over these years I can honestly say that the overwhelming theme I have been humbled by has been the Lord’s faithfulness. From His faithful provision to His faithful listening ear I am reminded of His goodness.
Psalm 36:5 “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Why will I “always have hope?”
I will “always have hope” because the God of creation is faithful to keep His promises. From God’s covenant with Abram (Genesis), to the sending of His Son to die for us (John), to His promise that He is “coming soon” (Revelation), the Lord will always be found faithful to His promises.
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
