Tag Archives: eternity

Imbedded Truth

4 Replies

My Bible reading plan for 2015 had me in the first two chapters of Lamentations this morning. I realize that this book, like all the Old Testament, tells us what happened or was going to happen to the flesh and blood people of that day. I know the buildings were brick and mortar, the wars resulted in bloodshed, the famines were severe. Real people suffering real hardships in real time.

Then I turned to the third chapter of Titus where Paul says something I hadn’t seen before. He said to avoid genealogies because they are “unprofitable and useless.” (Titus 3:9 NKJV) I had to stop and think about that. I myself have researched our family tree. And I know, for a Jew at that time, tracing their ancestry was everything to them. Why would Paul say genealogy is useless?

First of all, I thank God for that truth! Many people still today want to give importance to the genealogy of the Jewish nation, and can point to verses to back them up. Others can point to verses that proclaim there is no difference between Jews, Greeks, men, women. I’m not here to dispute or agree with either belief. Because I think God would have us see a bigger truth.

Psalm 119:137 says:

Righteous are You, O Lord, and upright are your judgments.

I believe God would have us see Him and our world from His vantage point when we read His written Word. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world. But that the world, through Him, might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

Yes, the Bible is made up of the accounts of individual people, nations, and events. But the purpose of recording all of that is to show us Who God is, what He demands, the result of disobedience, and the love of God for each of us, a love that sent Him to Calvary. As we read the Old Testament we see over and over a God who is Holy, Almighty, Just, a God who demands obedience and punishes disobedience. In the New Testament we see the same God, and One who loves each of us so completely He paid what we could not pay, the debt of our sin. We need to see that today. And that’s why God inspired men to record the events we read here.

If we read the Bible as an historical account, or a mystery novel trying to figure out the end from the clues, we miss the big, most important picture. I think that’s why Paul said genealogy is unprofitable. It’s just not important in the light of eternity.

Dear God, thank you for your written Word. Thank you for the men and women whose lives we read about, people who followed you, people who didn’t, people who were blessed, and people who suffered the consequences of sin. Because through those lives you have painted a picture of my own life and relationship with You. Thank you for the accounts of the life of Jesus, for revealing the fact that He is the one and only Savior of all of mankind, and that His forgiveness is available to anyone who believes. I pray that none of us will miss the relevant Truth imbedded in each book of the Bible. And may we apply that Truth to our lives today.

Hands in the Air!

Leave a reply

I was raised in the era of Green Stamps. If you are a Baby Boomer, you probably remember those stamp books, too. Kids, they were like those points you rack up by shopping at the grocery, or like frequent flier miles. You earned them when you spent money. Then, and this was fun, you poured through their catalog and picked out things you could “buy” when you redeemed your stamps.

Hang on. There’s a point to this.

Time might be one of God’s special blessings. Yet I know I am guilty of squandering it away. I sit in front of the TV, or curled up with a book, or surf the net. None of these are sins necessarily. Unless it is time I could be spending with an unsaved friend talking about my Savior.

Paul tells us, in Colossians 4 to redeem the time. Cash it in. Use it by walking “in wisdom toward those who are outside.”

Time is precious. But it is also fleeting. I might die today. Or I could live a few more decades. The reality is, no matter how many years I spend in this skin, it is a blip in eternity. Whether you believe the earth is thousands or billions of years old, that too, is a blip in eternity.

I like watching cooking and baking competitions on TV. Chefs and bakers can create amazing dishes in a short period of time. And I notice that during the last few seconds of their allotted time the pace quickens, the hands shake, the focus is laser sharp until the host says, “Hands in the air.”

I’ve never seen a competitor surf the net during those last few important seconds.

Dear one, the clock is ticking. We, unlike the TV participants don’t see the clock or hear God counting down the seconds. But rest assured, He is counting. Time will end. We have now to make the best of it, to finish strong, to redeem the time.

Let’s cash in our Green Stamps for the prize set before us. Let’s redeem the time we have today by reaching out to a lost soul in Jesus’ name and for His sake.

Father, may your children be excited about sharing you today. May we use every second you give us in ways that please and honor You. And may a heart be drawn to You because we didn’t waste an opportunity to talk about You, the One who loved us, who gave Himself for us, and who longs to forgive that person you’ve laid on our hearts.

The Bottom Line

Leave a reply

Solomon, in chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes, gives us the conclusion of his active study of life, of wisdom, wealth, and happiness. He looked at nature in his quest for truth. He studied humanity. He looked at eternity. He spared no expense. And this is what he found to be true:

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing whether good or evil.” (12:13-14)

The bottom line is this: God.

Period.

The most important thing in this life is one’s relationship with God. Fear of God. Absolute surrender to God.

Because in the end, every human who ever lived will stand before God in judgement. Every thought, every action, the good and the bad, the public and the private will require accountability.

When it’s my turn, I want God to look at me and see Jesus’ righteousness. I want him to attribute Jesus’ work to me. I certainly don’t want to stand before him on my own authority, on my own terms, based on my life. Just the thought of that scares me to death.

I am grateful to think that I can stand before God with confidence, because I have recognized that I am a sinner. I have asked God to forgive me, and I have accepted God’s grace: the forgiveness of my sin paid for by my Savior, God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

I want God to see me through Jesus’ blood. Then and only then, will I hear those precious words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home.”

Job’s Hell On Earth

2 Replies

I am reading the book of Job this week as part of my year long plan. I’ve read Job several times, so as I read his words of anguish, I know his turmoil is temporary. Job’s hell on earth will not last forever.

Job is tormented by his thoughts, his memories, his questions, the “what-ifs”. He can find no comfort; not physically and not in his soul. His groans come from deep inside of him.

If you’ve been with me on this blogging journey for very long, you know that in 2012 we lost my 22 year old nephew in an auto accident. I have experienced death repeated times as we’ve buried grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents. But I had never experienced the level of grief that paralyzed me when I got the horrible news of Geoffrey’s death.

I remember sitting in silence in my parent’s family room. My sisters, their families, my dad. Tears flowed freely, but there were no words that could express what we were going through. There were, however, occasional groans.

I can still hear the sound of Geoff’s parents as that mournful sound escaped from their hearts. Our sister, Kathy, Geoff’s aunt, would groan in such a way you never thought could come from a human. I remember hearing a sorrowful groan, then realizing the sound had come from me. I finally understood the definition of “lament”.

That kind of grief cannot be described. It’s too painful, too personal. The sound of that kind of pain comes involuntarily. It’s like the whistle of a teapot. It just comes on its own as a result of the boiling turmoil deep inside. It’s the sound of true anguish.

Dear One, that’s a portrait of hell. Hell is not a giant bonfire. It is the absence of God, the absence of light, of love, of comfort, of peace, of joy. It’s living inside that teapot where thoughts and memories, the “what-ifs” torment. Forever. Where the only sound heard is that of painful, personal groaning.

Job’s anguish was temporary. Even though I still grieve the loss of my dear nephew, the intensity isn’t the same today as it was on June 24, 2012. But here is what God would say to us today: without  accepting the grace God offers to us sinners through the blood of his Son Jesus, eternity will be living with that grief, that agony, that helplessness FOREVER. No relief, no lessening of the pain, no hope that things will ever get better. And if I think my grief was hard to bear, if Job’s grief was devastating, the grief of those in hell, separated from God will be so much more intense.

I can’t imagine living an eternity of June 24, 2012. And hell will be so much more painful than even that day was.

Hell is nothing to joke about, nothing to take lightly. It’s personal, and painful, and devastating, and ugly, and separated from everything good with no chance of reprieve. The good news is, you can avoid that end.

Jesus died so you and I don’t have to ever experience hell. But you need to meet him on his terms. You need to confess your sins and accept his forgiveness. I promise you, he will be faithful to forgive you, to cleanse you, to live inside of you, and one day, to welcome you into his heavenly home where you will joyfully live…

Forever.

Dear God, Hell is scary. And not the sci-fi kind of scary. It’s real. It’s personal. It’s devastating. Thank you for Jesus, for his willingness to die so that I don’t have to spend one second in that awful place. Life on earth is hard enough, is sad enough. I’d much rather spend eternity in Your presence. I pray for each one who reads these words today. I pray that hearts will be drawn to you, that sins will be confessed, that Your grace will be accepted by anyone who doesn’t already know You. May each of us come to You on Your terms, then look forward to seeing You the day you call us home.

A Moment of Praise

2 Replies

I was reading my MacArthur Daily Bible this morning for March 28. Moses prophesied concerning the coming Messiah, and Jesus told us that he is that one!

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, ” Moses said in Deuteronomy 18. And in Luke 4, Jesus read from the book of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to preach… to heal… to proclaim…” Then he said: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The whole Bible is about Jesus, isn’t it? Every page, every verse points us to the Savior.

He is our priest, our prophet, our shepherd, the way, truth, and life, the sacrificial lamb, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is God in human form who went to the cross to buy me back. He is love. He is holy. He never leaves or forsakes us. Nothing can separate us from his love.

He died on that cross once and for all, that WHOSOEVER believes in him will have eternal life. He died and rose again. He went to heaven to prepare a place for us.

And one day, HE’S COMING BACK with the sound of a trumpet to take us home.

Praising God today!

Hard Hearts and a New Year

4 Replies

The Bible tells us some hearts have become so hard against God that they will never come to him. (Read Revelation 15&16 for example). Prosperity, health, times of peace don’t draw them to the Savior. Poverty, sickness, and times of war don’t either. Some people are so tightly in Satan’s grasp they don’t even recognize the countless ways God is trying to get their attention.

In John’s vision, people watched the destruction of the Great City, Babylon. (chapter 18) Once the rich and powerful center of everything, the city received God’s wrath in a day. The neighboring towns and the merchants watched the destruction and said: That’s too bad. I feel sorry for that city. Now who will buy my wares? (from 18:11)

That got me to thinking. The world thinks they know what love, success, happiness, and contentment are. Satan has manufactured a pretty good imitation of God’s blessings. But in the end, those things which produce a false security, won’t hold. In the end, those people will be like the merchants, alone and ruined, and crying: What about me?

Life is not just the days we walk on planet Earth. It is forever. You will always exist.

One day, those who have humbled themselves and accepted God’s grace, the forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice of Jesus, will stand together and enjoy the best party ever thrown. The rest will find themselves alone, in darkness, crying in a loud voice: What about me?

2014 is almost behind us. It’s that time of year when many people reevaluate their lives, when they look back and think, What if?, and when they look ahead to a new year, a new start, a clean slate. I pray that as you do, you will consider your heart’s condition. God is trying to get your attention. Do you recognize it? Do you respond? Are you sensitive to his voice, or is your heart so hardened by sin  that you don’t even hear it?

Some good things will happen to you in 2015. And so will some bad things. In all that happens, look for what God is saying to you. Trust him. He won’t let you down.

Heavenly Father, some who read this blog are burdened by the events of 2014. Some have lost loved ones, some have faced physical challenges, some are lonely and afraid, some are confused and disheartened. I pray that all of us would check our heart’s condition. May we begin this new year humbled before you, repenting of our sin, accepting your grace, and determined to have hearts that are sensitive to what you have for us in 2015. Go with us God, as you have promised. May you find us faithfully obeying you, loving you, and spending time reading and learning from your written Word.   May our hearts be softened so you can mold us into the people you would have us be. Bless your people, Lord, and make us a blessing to others. 

Like Chasing the Wind

3 Replies

I had the privilege of holding my newest great-nephew yesterday only a couple hours after he was born. Tiny fingers and toes, perfect little ears, when he opened his eyes and looked at me my heart melted.

Ok. I know he didn’t recognize me, maybe didn’t even see me other than a fuzzy blob staring down at him. But I’m pretty sure I recognized love there. Right?

Then today in my devotions, I read Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes. You know the one, the one that laments over life itself. All is meaningless, like chasing the wind. Solomon tells us he’s tried everything to find meaning to life. He’s tried wealth, education, entertainment, sex, power. And all of it fell short of what he was looking for. His conclusion was: we all live, we all die. Life is hard and often unfair. It would be better if we’d never been born.

So I look at my nephew’s son. Is it better if he’d never been born?

You’ll never convince me of that. Because, you see, little Carson is a gift from God. He was fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator. Will his life be easy? Probably not. Will he be treated unfairly some time in his life time? Undoubtedly. Will he sin and face consequences for poor choices? He’s human so I’d say, yes. 

But I pray that he will come to know Jesus as his Savior at an early age. I pray that he will love God his whole life and serve him. I pray that he will grow to be a man who touches the lives of people for Jesus’ sake. And I pray with confidence that no matter what paths he takes, no matter in what circumstances he finds himself, God will be with him.

You see, Solomon was looking at the wrong things to find meaning to life. In fact, looking at “things” will never result in the kind of joy knowing God can bring. Looking at “self” will only bring disappointment. Jesus, however, never fails. That void in our lives can only be filled by the One who put it there in the first place.

I pray baby Carson will allow God to fill that void in him, that Carson will live his life with the joy of the Lord, that people will recognize God in Carson and be drawn to Jesus because of him. And I pray that when his life is over, Carson will spend eternity with his Savior.

Life doesn’t have to be like chasing the wind. It can have meaning and purpose. There can be peace in storms, strength in weakness, joy in sorrow because of Jesus. I hope you know him.

Dear God, thank you for Carson. Thank you for his Mommy and Daddy who love you and who are intentional about encouraging their children to love you, too. I pray that Carson will accept Jesus as his Savior as soon as he understands what sin is and his need for forgiveness. May he be a child who has you on his heart. May he grow into an adult who loves and serves you unashamedly. May he find the true meaning of life, which is Christ in him, the hope of glory. Use him, dear Lord, to draw people to you. Bless him and make him a blessing to others for Jesus’ sake.

The Name of Jesus

4 Replies

Have you ever read something in the BIble that spoke to you, then later had that very passage be reaffirmed in something that happened or something that was said later on? That’s what happened to me today.

I was reading in Numbers 9 this morning and, as usual, wrote in my journal about something that stood out to me. I thought about posting it here, but talked myself out of it. Then in church today the pastor spoke on John 3. It’s the same message God gave me in my own time in his Word. So I thought I would go ahead and share it with you. Here’s what I wrote this morning:

“The Israelites were getting ready to celebrate Passover in the desert. Some of the people were ceremonially unclean because they had touched a dead body. So they went to Moses and said, come on Moses. We are good guys. Can’t we do the Passover thing with everyone else?

“So Moses went to God and God said no. God made provisions for them to celebrate Passover at a later date but he made no exceptions to his rules. And just because he made it possible for these people to celebrate Passover later it wasn’t a provision for just anyone who didn’t feel like observing the celebration at the appointed time. In fact, anyone in that latter category were to be killed. It was that important that God’s rules be followed.

“Once again, God is reminding us that he makes the rules. It doesn’t matter how nice you are, how helpful you are, how much money you give to charity, or even how spiritual you think you are. If you don’t follow God’s rules – you die. And it’s an eternal death, separated from God forever.

“Like it or not, Jesus is the only way to the Father. Except a man is born again he will not see the kingdom of God. You can believe what you want to believe. That’s up to you. But unless you believe the Bible is true, that there is no other name under heaven through which anyone can be saved, unless you accept this same Jesus as your Savior and are born again, your beliefs will lead you straight to hell.

“I didn’t come up with that. God did.”

That’s what God impressed on my heart in my personal devotional time. And that is the message that Jesus impressed on Nicodemus in the passage from John 3 that my pastor spoke about this morning. Dear one, if you haven’t confessed your sin and accepted the wonderful grace of Jesus, I pray you will do that today. Your loving Heavenly Father loved you while you were still a sinner. He died for you so that you can enjoy life, and have life eternal. Unless you accept him as your Savior you will never see God. You will never go to heaven. Your death will take you from this life to a horrible eternity. You can try to make up your own rules. You can reject God’s. But it won’t change God’s mind.

At the Name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Some will do that while standing before him in glory, surrounded by millions of people who knew him in this lifetime according to his rules. Others will be forced to confess Jesus from the lake of fire. But believe me when I say, there will be no unbelievers in eternity. Not in heaven. And not in hell.

Gracious Father, thank you for your plan of salvation, for wanting us to come to you, for going to the cross so that we can know you as our Savior. May all who read this bow before you and be born again, born into your kingdom. And may we share your truth with others who need you, too.

I Will See God

Leave a reply

You remember Job, right? He was a good man who lost literally everything. We read that Job felt as though God was against him for some unknown reason. He said things like, God’s fury is against me, God’s troops attack me, God has stripped me of my honor.

Job had nothing left. Not his family. Not his possessions. Not his position in society. Not his health. He is at the lowest point known to man. 

And yet, believing God had unfairly targeted him, Job still put his hope in God. In Job 19:25-27 we read that Job believed one day he would bodily meet God face to face. He knew death is not an end, but a beginning. And Job was overwhelmed at the thought.

I think God would like us all to have that same excitement at the thought of meeting him face to face. Sure, heaven will be a beautiful place. Yes, our loved ones will be there. But I am pretty sure none of that will seem important when we actually see Jesus in the flesh.

Some people picture heaven as a cleaned-up earth. Tea parties. Long chats with the saints. Waving to Jesus as they pass him on a gold street. Worshiping God on Sundays like they do down here.

Do we understand the enormity of the truth that Jesus himself will be there? God the Father will gather us around his throne! Nothing and no one will be as important.

Are you overwhelmed with the thought of being with God in a very physical way – forever? Does the very idea of grasping Jesus’ hand give you chills of excitement? Think of it. We who know the Savior will look into those eyes and for the first time realize just how loved we really are. We will receive everything our longing hearts have desired. And from that moment on we will not want to be anywhere else. Ever.

December 31

2 Replies

Revelation 19-22

“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (21:6-7)

John’s description of heaven in 21:11-21 is something, isn’t it? Jeweled foundations, a city of pure gold, twelve gates made of twelve single pearls. It sounds pretty amazing. But you know what thrills me more than all that glitters? Jesus will be there!!

Revelation 21:1 says there will be NO MORE SEA. Remember when Solomon built the temple in the Old Testament, the ark was surrounded by a trough filled with thousands of gallons of water? That was so no one could get to where God lived. 

But John tells us that in heaven there will no longer be that separation. God will be as accessible as a husband to a wife. I will be able to touch Jesus’ side, put my fingers in the holes left by the nails that hung him on the cross. When he wraps his arms around me I will feel his warmth. God will be my father and I will be his child. 

No more sea! No more separation! I will finally be in the presence of the One who loved me and gave himself for me. I will know him as I am know. Now that’s truly amazing!

I want to thank you for stopping by my blog in 2013. And if you went on this journey with me to read through the Bible this year, I trust your walk with the Lord has matured. I don’t feel God would have me continue this daily blog in 2014. I’m going to begin again tomorrow with Genesis 1 with the goal of reading the end of Revelation one year from today. And I will continue to journal what God is teaching me each day, but I won’t be posting every one.

I am going to keep this blog active, however, and if I feel led to share something I’ll add it to what is already here. And I will continue reading so many of your blogs, ones I look forward to and learn so much from.

My prayer is the same prayer I’ve said every day this year. And that is that you, dear ones, will make reading the Bible a priority every day. That you would open these precious pages with open hearts and minds and allow God to encourage or convict. I pray that you will find yourself eager to share your Savior with lost souls around you. As you read God’s Word, I pray that you will allow it to penetrate, to strengthen, to draw you closer to the Lord.

God bless you in 2014. I’m praying for you.