Tag: Heaven

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Getting Prepared

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. 3 After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.” John 14:1-3 CEV

May 1st our park model home was delivered. We bought it without ever walking into a finished representation of this model. We had picked out the colors of the floors, cabinets, and exterior. The first time we saw it was when it was delivered but it wasn’t ready.

It had to be leveled, anchored, electric and plumbing had to be connected. Skirting and awning needed to be added. Air conditioning definitely needed to be installed. Still not ready to move it. We needed to buy furniture, our clothes needed to be hung in the closet, dishes in the cupboards and food in the fridge.

You get the idea. There was much to do to be ready for occupancy.

The last couple of weeks we (Dave and our friends) have been building a storage shed and the landscapers were here to put down a paver patio. Last week we painted three sides of the shed and today we’ll finish that project. Then it needs the final plumbing installed and finished out on the inside. The bar-b-q area needs to be completed, the washer/dryer, freezer and shelves moved in.

Then it will be complete. Let’s be realistic. From May 1st to November 1st, we have been and will be in a state of preparation. And when it’s done, I will be ecstatic.

Friends and family will come, and we will have a wonderful time of fellowship. In it’s unfinished state we’ve been havin’ folks over, and it’s been great but I’m looking forward to not being in a state of construction.

For the last almost two thousand years, heaven has been in a state of preparedness. Mansions are being built. Streets of gold are in place, pearl gates have been hung, the perfect environment has been created. God’s throne is in the center and there’s a place for each of us.

I know it’s almost ready – just a little more trim to paint, maybe a curtain or two to be hung. I feel Jesus is getting excited and asking the Father, “is it time to go get them and bring them home?”

Anticipation on earth is increasing as well. We’ve seen the description of heaven in the Bible. We’ve even heard stories from people who have had a sneak peak into what it’s like.

Now is the time to have our hearts prepared for His return.

“After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, 10 but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky.

Suddenly two men dressed in white clothes were standing there beside them. 11 They said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. But he will come back in the same way you have seen him go.” Acts 1:9-11 CEV

Keep looking up. He’ll be back very soon!!

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Traveling Home

This morning I am thinking about and praying for those family and friends who will be traveling home. We’ve been gone from our home for the last ten days. It’s been fun but it will be nice to pull into our own driveway and unlock the door to “Home”.

To quote Dorothy “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home”.

When we come to faith in Christ we receive a new citizenship. It’s not of this world. We receive a heavenly residence, a place our Father has prepared for us. We are given a new home.

“There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.” John 14:2-3 ERV

Is it any wonder that sometimes we get weary with this life? Feeling like we don’t belong? Longing for home?

Abraham gives us an example of how to stay strong and focused while we are waiting to go home. He was seventy-five years old when he left the country of his birth. He traveled with his wife, his nephew and his servants.

“So Abram left Haran just like the Lord said, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the slaves, and all the other things he had gotten in Haran. Then he and his group moved to the land of Canaan.” Genesis 12:4-5 ERV

God saw in Abraham something He didn’t see in others, faithfulness. When God spoke Abraham listened and obeyed. He went to a new land where God blessed him abundantly. He had a son, promised to him by God, when he was ninety-nine years old. He became a man of prominence and wealth. The land where the Lord led him is what is referred to in the Bible as the Promised Land or as we know it today Israel.

But somehow Abraham knew in his heart that this new land wasn’t his home either. It was just a temporary residence.

“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.” Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT

Abraham was looking forward to a heavenly home. The place where he could live with God. I am so looking forward to that day – the day of being in the heavenly home that God has prepared for us.

But until that day comes I will keep moving forward here, building relationships and telling others about Jesus and the home that they can have with Him. The Apostle Paul refers to us as ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador is the representative of a country living in a foreign land. We have ambassadors living in embassies all across the world. They represent the United States of America and are backed by US authority. We are here representing the will of the Father and we too have authority, we have His authority.

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” II Corinthians 5:19-21 NLT

So, if today has you traveling, don’t become weary. Realize you are just one day closer to getting home!

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Happy Endings

I am one of those people who like happy endings. You know, the kind that come in the last ten minutes of Hallmark movies, Chick Flicks and musicals. The music softens, broken hearts are mended, true love reveals what was held secret and the kiss…awww.

As I read my Bible this morning I realized I was coming to a happy ending of my own. I know I told you that I am following one of those “Read through your Bible in a year” plans. About a month ago I marked off how much I have read and separated out how many more pages I will read to complete the year. This morning I counted and there are only one hundred seventy-nine pages to go to finish the year. Amazing.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m done, it just means that starting on January 1 I will begin again and discover new truths that I have overlooked or forgotten about. The Bible is the living word of God. It never changes; God never changes but as we grow spiritually we understand more and the truths become more profound.

Happy Endings.

God is the author of happy endings. He has made wonderful promises to all of us who love Him. He created heaven for our enjoyment. These are His words in the next to the last chapter of Revelation, the last book in the Bible.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:3-7 NLT

Happy Endings.

There’s another happy ending that I read about this morning. It is the account of the blessings we received when Jesus life on earth was ended. The circumstances around His death were horrendous but the final result was glorious.

“What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.  I will praise you among your assembled people.”

13 He also said, “I will put my trust in him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.” 14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” Hebrews 2:9-18 NLV

You might need to re-read that. Take it all in – talk about your happy ending, this is it!

Jesus became flesh and blood like us, he died for us breaking the power of the devil over our lives and presented us to the Father as his brothers and sisters. He gave his life so that we could live a life in right relationship with God. He is able to help us each day of our lives, helping us when we are suffering and going through testing.

I love that Jesus has provided a happy ending!

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Home Again

Dave and I travel quite a bit. Last night we returned Home Again. This time we were in the Phoenix area and we were only gone 6 days; we had a wonderful time. We saw our oldest daughter and her husband, spoke at a friend’s church, and then spent the remainder of our time with our youngest daughter, her husband and two grandchildren. Before we left our newest grandchild was born and we were able to love on her too.

As much as we enjoy going – visiting family and friends, it’s always nice to come home again.

Last night we were sitting on the couch watching an English program on television. Some of the characters were involved in a play of the Wizard of Oz. One of the most famous lines came at the end when Dorothy clicked her heels together and said “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”. That’s how I felt.

Home again.

And then as I was waking up this morning, later than normal, I heard those words again and thought of Jesus. He left his home, came to earth; some loved and accepted him but others rejected and hated Him. He knew when He left heaven what life would be like on earth and yet He came anyway.

“Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 11 So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

14 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 15 So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.

“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked. 16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”

“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested. 17 Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?

‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

19 The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.” Luke 20:9-19 NLT

Jesus knew. He knew what was in the hearts of those around Him. He knew. But His heart was filled with so much love that He was willing to face the consequences of hate filled and evil men to rescue us from a life of sin and separation from the Father.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” II Corinthians 5:21 NLT

He was willing to go through it all because He was looking ahead and could see that there was coming a time when He would return to heaven but this time He would be making it possible for us to be with Him.

“Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I wouldn’t tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. 3 After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.” John 14:1-3 CEV

Home Again.

God, the Father, in his great love has made a place for us in heaven. He has adopted us and He is overseeing the preparations of our home. As much as I love my earthly home I can hardly wait to get to heaven, see my Father and my heavenly home!

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No More Tears

I’m sure most of you have heard the stories of someone being on the brink of death and they have their whole life flash before their eyes. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, I can’t find anything in Scripture that tells us that’s what happens. However, we do have some Scriptures that tell us what heaven will be like and I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts this morning.

I guess this comes in part from spending the last ten days with my Mother. She has lived a full and wonderful life. She talks of the good things she has experienced and of her greatest joys here on earth; family, friends, and serving the Lord. And then she talks of heaven; seeing Jesus, being reunited with my father and other loved ones, meeting those people from the Bible whose stories she has read dozens of times.

She is so looking forward to heaven!

She really doesn’t want to wait any longer. She would like to go now but is content to wait on the Lord’s timing. We have talked about the joy of that moment; she wants us to have a party when she goes home.

“So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, 10 because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. 11 You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever. ” Psalm 16:9-11 ERV

The Lord has promised, that when we receive the new life that Jesus died to give us, He will forgive all our sins and He remembers them no more.

“Never again will anyone have to teach their neighbors or their family to know the Lord.  All people—the greatest and the least important—will know me. 12 And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:11-13 ERV

That is so amazing to me – God chooses to forget our sins! He doesn’t remind us of our failings; He isn’t keeping score to see if we’ve been good enough. He’s made us good enough because of our relationship with Jesus. When we accept His sacrifice, we receive His forgiveness.

So what will heaven be like? Constant joy! We will be in the Father’s presence and that is a place of constant joy.

“I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

5 The one who was sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.” Revelation 21:3-5 ERV

I recently heard a country song entitled “Worthy Watching”. It was sung by Johnny Lee. There is a line in the song that goes like this:

“When my life flashes before my eyes
It’ll be worth watching”

Once we receive Christ our life’s story is revised; our sins and shortcomings are blotted out and what lies ahead with definitely be “worth watching”. Thank you Lord for wiping away the tears!

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Heading Home

We’ve been gone from home for the last 7 days and although we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mom it will be so good to pull into our own driveway and sleep in our own bed.

 

With that said, it got me to thinking about Jesus this morning. His home was perfect – a beautiful place; a place where He and the Father enjoyed constant companionship, a place of worship, a place of glory. Jesus left that for you and I.

The song lyrics go
“He left the splendor of heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
There to lay down His life for me

If that isn’t Love
The ocean is dry
There’s no stars in the sky
And the sparrow can’t fly
If that isn’t Love
Then heaven’s a myth
There’s no feeling like this
If that isn’t love

Even in death He remembered
The thief hanging by His side
He spoke with love and compassion
Then He took him to paradise

If that isn’t Love
The ocean is dry
There’s no stars in the sky
And the sparrow can’t fly
If that isn’t Love
Then heaven’s a myth
There’s no feeling like this
If that isn’t love”
If That Isn’t Love by Dottie Rambo

Never once did you hear Jesus complain about what He had given up, what He had left behind. Instead He continually looked around finding needs, meeting them; healing the sick, ministering to the poor, giving comfort to those who grieved and strength to those who were weak. He had a purpose, a plan, a provision of salvation to bring and He wasn’t going to stop until it was mission accomplished.

We are instructed by the writer of the book of Hebrews to keep our eyes on Jesus (imagine that, look up) and follow His example.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:2-3

He looked beyond the struggle and saw the joy that was before Him. He looked toward home. Can you imagine what the celebration must have been like when Jesus got back to heaven?! What rejoicing – what a party!! And now that He’s there, He’s preparing a place for us.

Let me encourage you today to look past the things that are trying to get you down – finances, jobs, health, marriage, relationships, politics, etc and look toward Jesus and home.

You’ll make it and you just won’t go limping into heaven but you’ll go like Jesus, in victory because He has promised that He will ALWAYS cause us to triumph if we look to Him and put our trust in Him and not in our circumstances.

Welcome Home!

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