Focus on Heaven

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.  Hebrews 11:13-16

How many of us search for happiness on earth?  If we have no true picture of what heaven will be like, we often settle on earth as an alternative.  Death is a reality of life.  We each have the disease known as mortality.  There is not a person on earth who doesn’t have mortality. 

Have you ever really studied the Bible to find out what heaven will be like?  When you were growing up or when you got older, what were you told about heaven.  I have heard various scenarios about what heaven will be like over the years.  Some downright scared me.  Do you know that a large number of Christians think that heaven is an eternity of an unending church service with a never ending sing along in the sky.  Some people believe that they will not know anyone in heaven and they fear it more than look forward to it. 

I think too many times we get comfortable here on earth and that is why we don’t focus much attention on heaven.   Have you noticed that when you get comfortable with earth something happens and it’s not always good?  Illness, financial woes and tragedy are a part of this world we live in.  If we believe this place is a great place to be and spend the rest of our life; give it a few minutes.  Something is bound to happen that will burst that bubble. 

In Colossians 3:2, Paul said “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”  I think Satan plays a big part in our perception of what heaven will be like.  Satan wants us in hell so he would rather we not think fondly of heaven.  When we understand what heaven is really about, the devil loses.  I we really understand heaven we will not want any part of hell. 

There is a book written by Randy Alcorn called Heaven.  It is thought provoking and he uses scripture as the basis of his writing.  He also encourages anyone reading it to contact him if you disagree with his vision of heaven based on Scripture.  Scripture provides us with a great deal of information about heaven.  There are no pictures of it anywhere but God tells us a lot about it in the Bible.  If you want to find out what heaven will be like, spend time in scripture.  God created a place where we can live with Him forever and it’s called heaven.  Focus on heaven because that is something to look forward to. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, over the years I have heard people say what they think heaven will be like.  Some have been scary, others boring, and still others a vision of where I want to be when my life ends.  Thank you for giving me glimpses of heaven in Scripture so that I can keep my eyes straight ahead and my feet moving toward You.

      

Scripture: If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  Colossians 3:1-4

Wise Old Sayings

A closed mouth gathers no feet. - Sam Horn

Blessed is he that can laugh at himself, he will never cease to be amused. – unknown

Life's hard; get a helmet. - K.Walker

I was reading a list of wise old sayings and this was one of them.  How many times do we think we have a problem, but we think our problem is someone else?  Too many times the problem in this equation is “me”.     

This is a difficult one for me.  It is so easy to slip into what I like to call the “me syndrome”.  We get this condition most often when we lose sight of God and his principles about living life.  Many years ago I read the book by Rick Warren called “A Purpose Driven Life”.  The very first line in the book is this, “It’s not about you.”

Over the years I have learned that I get in my way more than anyone else does.  I am more of a hindrance to myself than any other individual in my life.  Why does that happen?  I think the reason it happens is because my focus is on the wrong thing; “me”.  If I spend all my time thinking about what I want to be, where I want to live, what school I should go to; then I will never get what my true purpose in life is. 

I often try to make sense of what I am doing in life and often come up short.  If I don’t turn to our Creator for guidance, I will always be searching for that illusive thing that will give me happiness. 

The other thing that hinders me is that I don’t believe God can do what He says He can.  So I ask God for help; yet I wrestle the reins back from Him because I lack the faith required to depend on Him and believe that He can handle my messes. 

The world we live in teaches us to look out for #1 (me), and everything we do is in pursuit of that.  There are a few other sayings that cover the “me syndrome that I would like to share with you. 

“He who dies with the most toys is still dead.”  Unknown

“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.  Ben Franklin

“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.  John Bright

I need to work on me. I need to let go of selfish ways and grab hold of more selfless ways.  God will bless me if I get out of my way. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, one of the hardest things for me to overcome is “me.”  I need Your help to focus on what is important in this life.  You created me to be used for Your purpose, yet too many times I fail You by focusing back on me.  Give me a heart in service for You. 

      

      

Scripture: Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.  For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 2 Timothy 1:8-12

It’s Your Story; Share It

No difficulties in your case can baffle him, no dwarfing of your growth in years that are past, no apparent dryness of your inward springs of life, no crookedness or deformity in any of your past development, can in the least mar the perfect work that he will accomplish, if you will only put yourselves absolutely into his hands and let him have his own way with you.  Hannah Whitall Smith

God created each of us as a unique individual.  We are all one of a kind.  I was thinking today about what I should do with my “one of a kind-ness”.  Since God created me as the only one of me; how should I best use the gifts and talents he gave me to affect change in a fallen world?

One of the first things we need to do is to figure out what our story is.  What is our history or in other words what has made us into the person we are today?  The other thing to remember is that it is never too late to start.  Too many times I think we forget that God knows we are sinners.  It’s not a newsflash to Him.  Some of the most traumatic circumstances in our life through sin can make us the very thing God created us to be.  The second thing is some of the traumatic occurrences in our lifetime can be caused not by sin, but by our living in a fallen world.  When Adam and Eve failed; we became victims of that failure.  If I were dissecting my life and trying to figure out how to glorify God with it; what would I look at to get a good picture of where God wants me to go?

My story is mine alone.  There is not another individual on this planet who has the same one.  Someone else may have been through a similar experience but no one else experienced it exactly like you or I did.  That is what being unique means.

So you look back over your life and identify the most life changing experiences in it.  What if someone asked you to pick the top 3 most life changing experiences in your life?  What would your top three be?  My first would be cancer.  There is nothing like a traumatic event to change your perspective and get your attention.  My second would be when I was baptized again.  That was the moment I realized for the first time how much God truly loved me.  My third would be my childhood.  This one is kind of a broad statement of an experience or really multiple ones, but it is the one that shaped me into the person I am today. 

For five or so years I have been writing a devotional telling you about my life experiences and writing about how they shape my life.  You have a story to tell as well.  You have experiences just like I do that affect who you are today and they can also affect who you can become.  You are a child of God who loves you.  Take your history, whatever it is, and own it.  Then take that story and use it for God’s glory.  Treasure awaits those who use their story for His glory.  Take the broken pieces of you and turn them into good.  God is waiting to hear you tell your story to someone else.  Write it and live it.     

   

Prayer for the Day: I am a unique child of God.  You created me in Your likeness.  Every person has a story to tell.  We have all sinned and fall short of your glory, but you redeem us when we turn back to You.  I praise You for turning my sin into something good.  Thank you for giving me the words to say that may change another person’s life.  I am blessed beyond measure.  You are the King of Glory and I praise Your Holy Name.     

      

Scripture: Glory to God for His Grace

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.  1 Timothy 1:12-17

Giving Up

Either we are adrift in chaos or we are individuals, created, loved, upheld and placed purposefully, exactly where we are. Can you believe that? Can you trust God for that? Elisabeth Elliot

In life we are all going to face disappointments.  We will pursue a job and not get it, chase after a dream and lose it or be healthy our whole life and then be brought down by a terminal illness. How we handle the disappointments in life makes a difference in how we end the race of life. What happens in us makes a difference in our character and who we will become as a Christian.   

What do you do when bad things happen to you?  Do you stop paddling and just let the current take you wherever it wills?  Do you get rid of the very things you need to survive the disappointment? Do you give up? 

Too many times I think we do all three.  When something happens in your life whether it be disappointments or tragedies we often just stop doing anything.  Years ago when I was in college we would go canoeing.  We would get into pairs in a canoe with two oars.  There was always a current in the river, so there was a reason the canoe came with oars.  If you just jumped in and let the water take you wherever it wanted, you would end up in the trees along the bank.  The oars were there so you could guide the canoe where you wanted it to go.  Your life is no different.  Coasting through life is not where character is built.  The turbulent waters of life are where we become the strongest. (Acts 27:15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.)  Don’t let your ship drive.

The next thing we do is we dump things overboard.  (Acts 27:18-19 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.)  We get rid of the very things we need most to survive.  When I went through cancer there were many I met who were angry about their cancer.  There were others still who blamed God, their family, or their occupation for their illness.  What these individuals did was they distanced themselves from God and family.  Those are the very people you need the most when you are going through it.   

The third thing we do is we give up.  (Acts 27:20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.) The last thing we need is to give up in the midst of our storm.  Character is not built by giving up.  If you want spiritual strength, don’t give up.  When your life is at its darkest and you don’t give up, you find that you can move one more step forward; and then another and another. 

If we accept the fact that we live in a fallen world where disappointments will occur; it shouldn’t surprise us when they do.  God gives us the comfort, support and strength to persevere through our hardships.  The key is we must keep moving and not give up.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, you are faithful.  When the hardships of life come my way I find that You are always there.  You guide me, love me and support me through the worst storms of life.  I am thankful for You and the blessings you have brought me through suffering.  I am a better person for it.       

      

Scripture: But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:10-13

A Reflection of Jesus

How do we bring glory to God? The Bible's short answer is: by growing more and more like Jesus Christ.  Sinclair B. Ferguson

Have you ever thought about how Jesus would see us?  I was thinking about how Jesus lived His life on earth for the short time He was here.  Jesus was the definition of empathy for others.  He loved and cared about God’s people.  That was His sole focus.  He loved the unlovely and those everyone else forgot. 

So, how do we go from the way we are in our sin to a reflection of Jesus?  Maybe the best place to start would be to put ourselves last.  Can you picture that?  It would mean being last in line, putting other’s feelings first above ours, treating others with kindness and humility, forgiving others even when they hurt us, being longsuffering when we don’t feel like it.  

Then there is the whole meek thing.  Too many times I think we are confused about the definition of meekness.  We think that meekness is synonymous with weakness and the world teaches us that we need to be strong in the presence of others.  Meekness is about our behavior toward others and using God’s strength instead of our own. Think about having God’s strength in our meekness. 

   

Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness. [The English term "meek" often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve) and strength.]

So if we look at meekness from a Godly perspective it is a combination of gentleness and strength.  If we are going to reflect Jesus we will need to spend time working on us. 

What is Jesus seeing in you today?  Is it a reflection of who He is or is it a reflection of a messed up world?   

   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I need to work on me.  I want the world to see a reflection of Jesus and the only way that will happen is for me to become more like Him.  The guidelines are all listed in the Manual.  My bad behavior won’t change overnight and will not be instant.  It will take perseverance, dedication and a sincere desire to be better in a fallen world so that other’s will see Jesus reflected in me.  Give me the strength to pursue these qualities daily.

      

Scripture: If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

Character of the New Man

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Colossians 3:12-17

Change Your Life, Change Your Name

There are two hundred and fifty-six names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express.  Billy Sunday

One of the things I find interesting in the Bible is the fact that God often gave people new names.  You might start out as a Jacob (meaning supplanter; take the place of by unfair methods or treacherous means), remember Jacob stole Esau’s birthright, and then end up being called Israel (meaning having power with God).  Then there was Simon (meaning reed-like or grass-like) whose name was later changed to Peter (meaning rock). Abram’s (meaning exalted father) and was later changed to Abraham (meaning father of a multitude). 

I believe people in the Bible were given new names by God when they became more like what God called them to be.  There were times in the Bible when Jesus would call Peter by his old name Simon.  That might have been to remind Peter that he was starting to revert back to his old ways.  
      

In ancient times people were named after character traits.  So not only did you have a name so people would recognize you, but you also might exhibit the traits of the meaning of your name.  God often gave people new names to establish their new identity. 

In today’s society more time is spent on thinking up what kind of weird name you should name your child so they can be “unique” or different from everyone else.  Something that will make them stand out like Apple or North. 

In Revelation 2:17 we are told “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

It really doesn’t matter what our name is today.  What matters is the name we will receive one day from Jesus.  What name would you want written on the stone that is handed to you?  If a new name could be used to describe our character at this point in our life, would it be Jacob or Israel, Simon or Peter, Abram or Abraham. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to live up to the name You will give me one day.  My life must first be changed to reflect Jesus’ character.  I am afraid that if you came today, I would not come close to living up to that name.  I pray for your guidance and strength to make me into a better person for Your name’s sake.     

Scripture: He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.  Revelation 3:12

Dependent on Him

God may allow His servant to succeed when He has disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and is cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it.  A.W. Tozer

A man by the name of Wallace Johnson made this statement: “I am totally dependent on God for help in everything I do.  Otherwise I honestly believe I would start to fall apart in months.”  Wallace Johnson was fired from his job at the sawmill and he had no retirement and no severance package.  When his wife asked him what he planned to do, he stated that he was going to do what he always wanted to do.  He told her he was going to mortgage their home and go into the building business.

In 1952 he and his co-founder formed the motel chain Holiday Inn. They were the first chain to provide a Bible in every room.  He said it was to help people find Jesus and the solution to their problems, no matter who they were. Wallace later went on to say that if he could locate the man who fired him, he would thank him for what he had done.  He then stated, “This was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get him into the career he was shaped to do.”

Have you had circumstances in your life where you failed at something?  We all have had those moments.  If we look at failure from a worldly perspective, we will buy into the definition that failure means that we have not met a desirable or intended objective.  The world believes that failure is the opposite of success. 

I believe that God allows things to happen to us for a reason. Sometimes it is necessary for us to fail because we are proud and we believe that we are the reason for our success. If we believe that God provides us with everything we have on earth, then our success really doesn’t have anything to do with us.  God created us and He knows what we are capable of in this life.  He also wants us to do what we were shaped to do.  His best is produced in us when we let go of what the world thinks we should do, and instead do what God created us to do. Depend on God for every decision you make in life. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You know what the best is for me.  Too many times I try to make the most important decisions without consulting You first.  Things fall apart when I neglect to depend on You.  I need Your help to guide me in the right direction.  When I fail at something, help me not to get caught up in the failure and instead look for the blessing. 

       

Scripture: Justification by Faith

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?  This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.  Galatians 3:1-9