Tag: Heaven

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The scripture for today, November 8, is Proverbs 11:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

GoldenStairs“The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead.”

We know that God does not always rescue us from trouble here on this temporary earth. He certainly didn’t rescue Jesus all the time. Sometimes God has an assignment for us to be in the midst of trouble so we can demonstrate the contrast ~ God’s ways and Satan’s ways.

But eventually in eternity, if we have followed God’s ways, he will indeed rescue us from trouble. He will indeed welcome us into his home ~ heaven.

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REV-Cover-KindleThe scripture for today, November 4 (11/4), is Psalm 11:4a as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.”

No matter what happens in our life, in our town, in our nation, God is still on his throne. No matter how confusing things become, God is still on his throne. Now matter how discouraging, God is still on his throne.

Therefore, no matter what, we will worship him.

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The scripture for today, October 27 (10/27), is Mark 10:27 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-COVER---Star-Song---flat“Jesus looked at them and said,  ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God: All things are possible with God.’ “

Can we be perfect? God let mankind try for many centuries to be perfect.

To one group of people he gave over 600 laws and said, “If you keep these, you will be perfect.” But, as hard as the Jews tried, no one could keep the Law of Moses perfectly.

To the rest of the world he basically said, “Try to figure out for yourselves how to be perfect.” So they tried all kinds of religions, but with all of them, they could not be perfect.

Finally, mankind was ready for Jesus. He came to earth and lived that perfect life that is impossible for us to live. He became the perfect Lamb of God, and became our sacrifice for our sins, for Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” He paid the price for us.

So now, according to Romans 6:3-4, just as Jesus died on the cross, we too can die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then, just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we too can be buried in a watery tomb of baptism. And finally, just as Jesus was raised up out of his tomb the Savior, we rise up out of our watery tomb the saved.

Then God considers us perfect too. God cannot associate with sinners in his heaven. He can only have perfect people in his heavenly home. Impossible for us to live there with him some day? Yes. But, God sent Jesus to fix that problem. With God, nothing is impossible.

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REV-Cover-KindleThe scripture for today, October 3, is John 10:3ff as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out….I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”

First of all, we use the term saved/salvation so loosely, we tend to forget what we are being saved from. We are being saved from hell! This is not a minuscule matter!

Second, how do we avoid hell? Through Jesus! This is the only way!

How many of us have been to funerals where the deceased was preached into heaven? So many people believe they are “good enough” or “not too bad” and so God would be horrible to not let them into heaven. Such people will climb through windows so to speak into heaven as the “thieves and robbers” Jesus referred to.

But heaven is God’s home, not ours. He has a gate into it, just like we have doors on our houses. Just like we are not obligated to open the gate or door into our home to just anyone, God is not obligated to open his gate to just anyone. Our door and God’s gate are there for a reason. Let us enter heaven through the gate ~ Jesus. Then God will smile and say, “Welcome home.”

The scripture for today, June 30 (6/30), is 1st Kings 6:30 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.”

It has been estimated that Solomon put over $12 trillion worth of gold in the Holy Place and Holy of Holies in the temple to line the ceiling, walls and floor.  Talk about streets of gold in heaven!

The book of Hebrews in the New Testament explains to the Hebrew (Jewish) Christians that they no longer need or want the temple. Why? Hebrews 8:13 says, “By calling this covenant (Testament) ‘new’ he has made the first one [Old Testament] obsolete.”

Let’s look at the temple in a spiritual sense through the eyes of a Christian ~ and of Jesus himself ~ in Hebrews 9:

1Now the FIRST COVENANT [TESTAMENT] had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 7 Only the High Priest entered the inner room [Most Holy Place]…and never without blood.…. 11When Christ came as High Priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle [temple] that is not man-made. 12. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood [He being the Lamb of God ~ John 1], having obtained eternal redemption. 24. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered HEAVEN ITSELF. For this reason Christ is the mediator of a NEW COVENANT [TESTAMENT].

So, who of us would want an imitation temple and Holy of Holies made with hands back in Jerusalem again, along with all the animal sacrifices on the altar, and priests who would have to be of the Tribe of Levi, and tithing and all the other over 600 laws of Moses?  It makes no sense.

Thank God, we live in a more spiritual age ~ the age of Christ and the temple which is heaven itself.

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The scripture for today, June 20 (6/20), is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on.  So certainly God is not against riches.  Otherwise he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So what is the problem?  We must ask ourselves, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?”  We may say yes, but what about friends who are now unsure they want to associate with someone with nothing?  So, it is not only a greed problem, but a social problem.  It is a problem of losing both our possessions and our friends.

Some have solved this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or we could stay where we are and just change our choice of friends.  Our new friends may be truer friends than we ever had before and may need us. 

Lastly, if we lost our job, our car, our home ~ our identity ~ would we be so devastated that we would contemplate suicide as some have done?  Or would we be able to look around us and see what we can do without having possessions and without having a job to occupy our time?  

There are always things we can do for others.  Is that truly where our heart is?  In that case, loss of everything will not bring catastrophe. Rather, it would give opportunity to reveal what stuff we are made of deep down inside where our true treasure is ~ in our heart.

 

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The scripture for today, May 21 (5/21), is 2nd Corinthians 5:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:  “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

“God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A lot of people do not understand what Jesus’ death has to do with going to heaven.  The key is in Romans 3:23 that says “The wages of sin is death.”  When Adam and Eve sinned, immediately their souls died, and the bodies gradually died.  It’s been happening to everyone since then.  But, during Old Testament times, God allowed people to make a perfect animal take their penalty, shed its blood and die in their place when they sinned.  

This was only a temporary fix, however.  Hebrews says the blood of animals cannot truly take away (take the substitute punishment for) sins; they are remembered again every year.(Hebrews 10:3-4).

Finally, John the Baptist announced Jesus was “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29).  In order to forever stop all the sacrificial substitute dying, God prepared his own perfect Lamb ~ Jesus, who never sinned.  For 33 years, God’s Word took human form in Jesus and became one of us.  Then he had to shed his blood and die in our place.  In so doing, he took the sin penalty forever.

Jesus did two things impossible for us to do:  Live a perfect life without sin, and come back to life after he died ~ both physically and spiritually.  Why?  So we could do another thing that is impossible for us to do on our own: Enter heaven, the home of the perfect.

God invites us to his heaven if we will just follow Jesus.  We don’t even have to be perfect ~ just forgiven.  Jesus was perfect for us. What amazing love.

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The scripture for today, May 10, is 1st Peter 5:10f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong and firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever.”

This earth is not meant to be our paradise, to be our eternal home.  This earth is just the foyer.  God stands at the door to heaven and calls us.  But are we too busy watching over things here to look over at his door?  Are we too caught up with temporary things of this world to stop and listen for God?

Is there too much noise in our life?  The noise of problems with job, our home, our family, our government, our neighbors, our health?  Remember, we are only in the foyer.  Life is not always easy.  Do we have the stamina to not be side tracked?  Do we have the fortitude to keep walking toward his door?

God can make us strong and firm and steadfast  ~ if we will stop the noise and listen for him.  God can make us strong and firm and steadfast ~ if we keep our eyes on his door.

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The scripture for today, May 8 (5/8), is Psalm 5:8 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of my enemies ~ make straight your way before me.”

An enemy would like nothing more than to get into a good fight with someone.  Do not let that happen.  You have better things to do than that.  Set your eyes, not on your enemy, but on the Lord.  The path of enemies will take you on all sorts of side trips that lead to dead ends.  The path of God rises up before you ~ straight and direct.  Do not let your attention stray from that path.

Keep on walking on the path of God….
And keep on walking, and keep walking….
And walking, and walking….

Until at last you walk right through the gates of heaven.