All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation and we have a priceless inheritance---an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT
Michael C. and I have been counting the days and it is finally here...vacation! We have a time share condo for the 26th week of the year at Daytona Beach where we enjoy friends, fun, sun, and food (lots of food). We are packed and ready to go. We have paid our fees and trust that this week has been saved just for us at Marine Terrace.
We're looking forward with even more anticipation to a vacation that some rarely think about. Our dues have been paid and we trust that a place has been reserved and saved just for us. It's a place that hurricanes can't touch and rust and decay can't destroy. This time share has a beginning date but lasts much longer than one week. Well...it lasts forever!
It not only lasts forever but it's beautiful beyond imagination. The King of that land bought the place for us and all we had to do was believe it. Now we just wait eagerly for that last day when we get to go to that primo destination spot...heaven.
Yes, heaven. The place where King Jesus, who bought our spot for us with His blood, reigns and lives. Heaven...a place where we will live and love forever. O, and food, there will be lots of food, actually there will be a feast of food.
The day of our expectation has arrived---Daytona Beach here we come! And...perhaps, the day of our Great Expectation, the hope of heaven, will be today. For that day is coming soon. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
To God be the Glory! Amen.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
I Am With You Always
Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. Mark 1:45
Ultimately, we are alone. We came into this world alone and will leave this world alone. No human being can come close enough to fill that void within that cries out for companionship. We try to fill the void in many ways. We buy more stuff. We become addicted to substances that are supposed to make us feel better. We schedule every moment of our day hoping to drown out our heart's lonely cry with busy-ness. But in the end we're still alone.
Then...there's Jesus---Jesus Christ, Son of God creator of heaven and earth. Jesus lived and died just as we do with one exception---Jesus is God. Jesus is also a Man and as a man He knows what it like to experience loneliness. Surrounded by crowds of people most of the time, Jesus' need for companionship could not be filled by another human being. How lonely He must have been. There was no other person who could understand someone who was both human and divine.
Isn't that the cry of our heart? We need someone to understand. We have a void that can only be filled by God himself but the gulf between God and people is too great. Then...there's Jesus. In some mysterious way He took our wrongs and shortcomings, our sin, upon Himself and died on a cross. He was human and He died. But (thank God for the "but"), He didn't stay in His grave. He broke the chains of death and despair. He lives! God can finally have the relationship with people that only One who knows what it's like to be human can have.
And that's not all. Hallelujah, people---you and me---can now have a relationship with God through the only Man who has a perfect relationship with the Father. This Man that is God---is Jesus. Jesus is the One, the only one, that can fill the void inside us. We can experience the deep abiding love of God when we trust in Him, Jesus the Christ. In knowing Him, ultimately, we are never alone.
To God Be the Glory! Amen.
Ultimately, we are alone. We came into this world alone and will leave this world alone. No human being can come close enough to fill that void within that cries out for companionship. We try to fill the void in many ways. We buy more stuff. We become addicted to substances that are supposed to make us feel better. We schedule every moment of our day hoping to drown out our heart's lonely cry with busy-ness. But in the end we're still alone.
Then...there's Jesus---Jesus Christ, Son of God creator of heaven and earth. Jesus lived and died just as we do with one exception---Jesus is God. Jesus is also a Man and as a man He knows what it like to experience loneliness. Surrounded by crowds of people most of the time, Jesus' need for companionship could not be filled by another human being. How lonely He must have been. There was no other person who could understand someone who was both human and divine.
Isn't that the cry of our heart? We need someone to understand. We have a void that can only be filled by God himself but the gulf between God and people is too great. Then...there's Jesus. In some mysterious way He took our wrongs and shortcomings, our sin, upon Himself and died on a cross. He was human and He died. But (thank God for the "but"), He didn't stay in His grave. He broke the chains of death and despair. He lives! God can finally have the relationship with people that only One who knows what it's like to be human can have.
And that's not all. Hallelujah, people---you and me---can now have a relationship with God through the only Man who has a perfect relationship with the Father. This Man that is God---is Jesus. Jesus is the One, the only one, that can fill the void inside us. We can experience the deep abiding love of God when we trust in Him, Jesus the Christ. In knowing Him, ultimately, we are never alone.
To God Be the Glory! Amen.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Dwelling Place
For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people." 2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT
God saw fit not only to give me everlasting life through Jesus but to actually live His life in my heart. How amazingly incredible that the Dwelling Place of the King of the universe is my heart. Does He dwell in your heart?
Father, today I ask You to quiet my mind so I can hear you and feel you move in my heart. I pray the life I live will reflect Your loving kindness and faithfulness in the way I treat others. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
To God be the Glory!
God saw fit not only to give me everlasting life through Jesus but to actually live His life in my heart. How amazingly incredible that the Dwelling Place of the King of the universe is my heart. Does He dwell in your heart?
Father, today I ask You to quiet my mind so I can hear you and feel you move in my heart. I pray the life I live will reflect Your loving kindness and faithfulness in the way I treat others. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
To God be the Glory!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Way
Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6
Jesus Christ is the personification of Love and the only way to heaven. If I believe him, then I believe to pursue other spiritual paths is to move away from Love not toward love. Many Christians believe that a loving God provides many different paths to Love. Jesus himself says this is not true.
The love of Christ is so great that He gave Himself up to death out of love for you and me. He then arose to Life so that we could experience His great Love forever in His presence.
Therefore, the question is not how a loving God could send someone to hell. The question is how do we respond to the Gift our loving God provided through Jesus. He prepared a way for us to go to heaven.
In the end nothing matters in this life except our response to the Gift. We can accept the Gift of God's Son Jesus or reject Him. What have you done with the Gift?
To God be the Glory! Amen.
Jesus Christ is the personification of Love and the only way to heaven. If I believe him, then I believe to pursue other spiritual paths is to move away from Love not toward love. Many Christians believe that a loving God provides many different paths to Love. Jesus himself says this is not true.
The love of Christ is so great that He gave Himself up to death out of love for you and me. He then arose to Life so that we could experience His great Love forever in His presence.
Therefore, the question is not how a loving God could send someone to hell. The question is how do we respond to the Gift our loving God provided through Jesus. He prepared a way for us to go to heaven.
In the end nothing matters in this life except our response to the Gift. We can accept the Gift of God's Son Jesus or reject Him. What have you done with the Gift?
To God be the Glory! Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)