Heaven…

Wow, it’s been a while.  Well let me give a quick recap of what I have been up to for the last year that I haven’t written on my blog!  I finished my master’s degree and it was a whirlwind of a year.  I must say that it was a lot of work, but I learned so much and now God has blessed me with a new job since I graduated.  I am so happy and grateful with where I am at now.  I have been enjoying being able to spend more time with my husband now that I don’t have homework to do 😉

I started going to a bible study again and we have been learning about heaven.  I must say that it has really blown me away and given me a fresh excitement and awe for the creative and abundant works of God.  I never really understood before how incredibly amazing and beautiful and perfect it will be in heaven.  The beauty and the love that we experience here on earth gives us just a glimpse into the perfect eternity that God wants us to spend with Him.  Can you imagine a city that is so beautiful that is glistens with the colors of gemstones, is paved with gold, and where there is no strife, no pain, no sickness, and no need for the sun because the presence of God will shine on everything?  It’s breathtaking and hard to even imagine for me.  It makes me thank God at the end of each day that I am one day closer to getting to meet Jesus face to face.

Revelations 21:1-6 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
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.  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.”
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.” 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.”

When I close my eyes and think about these promises, I am overcome with awe!

In Revelations 22:1-5, John describes heaven even further, “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”

I find this all so fascinating! I will share more as I continue learning.

What do you look forward to or know about or want to know about heaven?  I would love to hear from you.

I wanted to share a song about heaven and found this great video of Wynonna Judd singing “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe.  She opens the song by sharing her testimony and it is so touching to hear her story.

Possibilities

“What do you  mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:23

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.  Mark 11:22-25

“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you! Luke 17:3-6

“What is impossible for people is possible with God.”  Luke 19:27

“This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”  John 6:29

The possibilities are endless if you are willing to believe that God sent his only son to earth to die on a cross in order to purchase all of our salvation with his own blood.  This one man was sent to offer himself up as a sacrifice so holy that all who believed in Him could be forgiven of their sins and could also be seen as holy before God.  He had to die for us to live.  If you believe that Jesus was sent to earth from God and died to save you and I from our sins, then you can receive the gift of eternal life that God so dearly wants his children to accept.  God is a gentleman, he won’t force himself upon you.  You have to ask for his presence and his gifts, then he will bestow them upon you.  And with the faith that comes from believing in him and his son, then you can ask for anything in Jesus’ name and as Mark 11 says, “If you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

Be Unshakable

Sometimes it feels like everything is so fragile. Like one little move could make the world come tumbling down. But, God’s word tells us that as his followers and through his grace we are part of something unshakable.  The Kingdom of God is unshakable… his Kingdom will never  crumble and never be defeated. The end has already been written and victory has already been proclaimed. It is just a matter of time until it all unfolds in God’s perfect order.

God calls us to listen to him:

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”  This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire. Hebrews 12:22-29

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
  O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Hebrews 12:12-13

Lord pour out your spirit on us, give us your strength, make us unshakable.

Amen.

 

Fire Reignited

I was moved last night. I walked into a room and the presence of God was so strong that tears started streaming from my eyes.  Fifteen people were inside that room singing worship songs and praying.  I felt a mixture of things as I sat down to join them.  I felt the remnants of anxiety that I had brought with me there and which has been my companion for a while.  The kind of nagging anxiety that keeps you from feeling at peace because you have things to do and it slowly eats away at you.  I closed my eyes and started to pray. I felt peace trickling into me along with love, comfort, forgiveness, and the presence of holiness.  With tears silently running down my face, I prayed and I listened.  The presence of the Holy Spirit felt even stronger, I could literally feel someone touching my arm in an embrace.  I needed this. I was thanking God for putting it in my heart to come to that house and worship Him.

Over the course of the hour that I prayed and worshiped, I was moved by the prayers that others boldly spoke out for all of us to hear. I was moved by their passion and the fire in their hearts for the Lord.  I was moved by the music and the comfort that it brought me.  I was moved by God’s word when I opened my bible and read Acts 17:27-28, “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us.  For in him we live and move and exist.”

I felt renewed, refreshed, restored, purified, and rekindled.  I had been missing that passion for him.  The passion that comes from keeping in the forefront of your mind and overflowing from your heart that in him you live, in him you move, and in him you exist.  God is not distant; once you give your heart to Him, he resides there. When you talk to Him, he is listening and he is carrying out your requests.

He is always waiting with open arms and unfailing love for us to give our hearts to Him. Whether for the first time or after a time that we have turned away from Him.  He is there. He is waiting. With arms open and compassion in his heart.

“But then I will win her back once again.
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her there.
  I will return her vineyards to her
and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.”   Hosea 2:14-15

Thank you Lord for reigniting the fire in my heart for you.  For healing me last night. Thank you for being my constant rock and salvation. Thank you for showing me your love and letting me feel your presence.  Thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for being my hope, my love, and my everything.

Amen

United

 

This morning after praying for guidance about our church and the changes that are taking place, I opened the bible to Jesus’ prayer in John 17.  This prayer was said by Jesus right before his betrayal by Judas and crucifixion took place.  He looked up to the sky and spoke to his father.  As I read it, I was struck by Jesus’ prayer for unity among his followers after he went up to heaven.  His desire is for us to be united:

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! John 17:9-24

This prayer gives me a stronger drive to work together with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ; to not let change or anything else put a spirit of division in the body of Christ.

I also needed comforting this morning and God gave me these words:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

Thank God for his grace. Thank God for this gift. The gifts that we have received from God are worth more than anything this world could ever offer.  Thank you Jesus!

Called to be

Yesterday I found out that my pastor and his family are moving to another  state in June.  I am sad that they are leaving; I almost cried during our last worship song.  At the same time, I want the best for them, so I am happy that they are following what they feel led to do.

I hope that the members of our small church stick together despite the loss of our pastors; we really have become a family in Christ.  I think that the good thing is that it is pushing us all to take a more active role in our walk with Christ. I think it has left everyone thinking, ‘well, what can I do to make this work? How can I help others and myself stay strong in faith?’

Changes can be hard.  I also am left thinking, ‘man it took us so long to find a church that we really loved and now we have to search all over again.’  But, I believe that everything happens for a reason and I am trusting in God for this one.  After all, the reason we go to church is to feel nearer to God, and he is not limited to a single church or location or person.  He is everywhere and it is him that I seek.

Jeremiah 29:11 speaks to this situation perfectly:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:11-14

See, God has plans for us.  He wants us to call on him with our whole heart so that all of his wonderful plans for us can be fulfilled. He doesn’t want half our heart; he wants it all.  I think that sometimes changes like this one in my church can be good because it stirs in us a desire to seek God more; to do more.

This morning as I prayed about this, these scriptures really spoke to me:

“fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of timidity and fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Timothy 2:6-7

“the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

“May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

We have to count on God to lead us and strengthen us, allow ourselves to be filled with the hope that he graciously gives us and trust in Him.

“‘I see that the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is glad,
and my tongue shouts his praises!
My body rests in hope.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.
You have shown me the way of life,
and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.” Acts 2:25-28

I pray for each of us to call on the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to be everything that we are called to be.

I’m counting on you, God.

Please bless us father and help us to be the people that you want us to be. To do all of the things for you that you deserve and desire.  Lead us father. Guide us through this life.

Amen.

Less

In Pastor Greg Laurie’s daily email today he wrote, “the resurrection of Christ gives us power to live the Christian life (see Romans 8:11).  Certainly the bible does not teach that we will be sinless in this physical body we now live in.  On the other hand, we can sin less, not by our own abilities, but by the power of the Spirit.

Christ can make us altogether different kinds of people.  We must believe that. ‘Old things have passed away … all things have become new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  God can give you the power to live this Christian life.”

It is hard to struggle with sin. To know that you should be doing better. To know what you are striving for and feel like you are falling short.  I like how Pastor Greg puts it, ‘we can sin less.’  With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can do this.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:26-30

In John 7:37-39, Jesus promises living water:

Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Isn’t it such a beautiful image of a river of living water of the Holy Spirit and love flowing out from Jesus’ heart to help us and be there for us.  What a wonderful blessing! So I pray today for us to all call on the Holy Spirit to give us the power to sin less while we walk through this world.

Enjoy your work…

I’ve been struggling lately.   I’ve been looking at things in a negative light and it makes it really hard for those closest to me to be around me.  I have been looking at homework, chores, and work as things that HAVE to be done and it becomes this huge pressure over me.  I thank God that this was brought to my attention.  There is no need for a bad attitude.  It will destroy everything that means something to you.  So, I am praying for God’s strength and a different mindset.  A mindset of gratitude and joy.  Why not sit down to do homework and enjoy it?! I tried it yesterday evening and guess what, I actually did enjoy it!  I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me to speak only positive words and to be still and listen.  I pray to think positive thoughts and to approach life with joy.  Here are the scriptures that really spoke to me this morning:

‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the LORD,
that he may come
and shower righteousness upon you.’ Hosea 10:12

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Amen!

Birthday Presents

So amazingly, I turn 30 today.  I say amazingly because I don’t feel like what I imagined 30 would feel like.  I think back to when I was fifteen and how I pictured myself at 30… “a grown-up.”  Now in my mind at fifteen “grown-up” meant someone with kids and a house and lots of responsibilities… someone very different from who I thought of myself then.  But now that 30 is here, I find it kind of funny that I still don’t feel like a “grown-up.”  I mean, yes, I am married and I have a lot of responsibilities, but I still feel the same. I didn’t wake up this morning and the whole world had changed.  I am happy and I feel blessed and grateful.

There is one huge difference in my life from when I was 15; I now know Jesus. So, I guess I am a different person, but not in the “grown-up” sense, in the sense that I have been given a new life and hope.  I was 25 when I gave my life to Christ, now 5 years later my relationship with Him just keeps getting better.  Of course, I have stumbled and taken some backward steps, but once I felt his love, I don’t want to live without it.

It got me thinking about gifts that we give to each other on special occasions and sometimes for no reason at all.  Why do we? Out of obligation or out of love?  The presents given out of love are always the best ones.  It could be something that has little monetary value or is kind of ugly, but you love it anyway because it reminds you of the love that someone has for you.  My best birthday present is God’s unfailing love. His open arms for me even though I screw up all the time.  Nothing can compare to the gift of eternal life and hope that he has given me.  He even gave me my second best birthday present, my husband.  He poured out his love on us and he gave me my husband’s love. He blesses us to overcome the obstacles that we face in our marriage; that every couple faces in their marriage.  That is why the vow says “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health,”  there are hard times in every marriage and I thank God that he helps us to get through them.

I thank God for all of my family and friends.  Those are the priceless birthday presents.  Of course it’s nice to get gifts, but they are never as valuable as the people who gave them.  It reminds me of the scripture that we had read at our wedding (and that lots of people have read at their weddings):

Love Is the Greatest
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13

Amen!

The River of Healing

So this morning I read Ezekiel 47:1-12.  Ezekiel was a visionary.  He received many visions. It seemed to be the first time that I have read this particular one….I say seemed to be cause I do have a tendency to read things and then completely forget ever reading it.  I was struck by the river that he describes; a river of healing.

–Ezekiel 47:1-12-

In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway.

Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.

He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean. But the marshes and swamps will not be purified; they will still be salty. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”

What do you think this vision symbolizes?

It made me think of Jesus and the spring of living water.  That with Jesus all who drink of the water will be healed and given eternal life and will produce fruit for the Lord.  The fruit being the gathering of more of his children.

What do you think?