People have often wondered if they will run into family and friends once they enter the pearly gates, and I must admit that I have also fallen prey to that thought, but in actuality, once we enter heaven our family and friends will be far from our minds. The only thing that will occupy our minds is knowing that we are in the presence of the one, true, holy God, and everything else will be of no importance, not little, but no importance. I read the following explanation at www.gotquestions.org. It is a wonderful site created to answer practically every Christian question there is to ask.
Question: "Will we be able to see and know our friends and family members in Heaven?"Answer: Many people state that the first thing they want to do when they arrive in Heaven is see all their friends and loved ones who had passed on before them. I do not think this will be the case. Yes, I do believe we will be able to see, know, and spend time with our friends and family members in Heaven. In eternity, there will be plenty of time for that. However, I do not think that will be our primary focus in Heaven. I believe we will be far more occupied with worshipping God and enjoying the wonders of Heaven to be concerned with being reunited with our loved ones right away.
What does the Bible say about whether we will be able to see and know our loved ones in Heaven? When David’s infant son died as a result of David’s sin with Bathsheba, after his time of grief David declared, “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). David assumed that he would be able to recognize his son in heaven, despite the fact that he died as a baby. The Bible declares that when we arrive in Heaven, we will “be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 describes our resurrection bodies: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”
Just as our earthly bodies were of the first man Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47a) so will our resurrection bodies be just like Christ’s (1 Corinthians 15:47b). “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:49,53). Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:16, 20; 21:12; 1 Corinthians 15:4-7). So, if Jesus was recognizable in His resurrection body, I see no reason to believe that ours will be any different. Being able to see our loved ones is a glorious aspect of Heaven – but Heaven is far more about God, and far less about our own wants. What a pleasure it will be to be reunited with our loved one, and worship God with our loved ones for all eternity.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Friday, January 5, 2007
Let's Can Merry X-Mas!
Merry Christmas everyone! Yes, I said Christmas, as in the celebration of Christ. It remains unknown exactly what time of year Christ was born; however, a date has been chosen over generations to represent His birth.
"X-mas" is a time of family gatherings, purchasing expensive presents, traffic jams, opening of gifts, drinking egg nog, eating food, and having a great time.
Christmas, on the other hand, should be a time of respect to God's introduction of Christ to the world. This should be celebrated by teaching children what should really be celebrated this year, the birth of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
So I just want to say to all of you, have a wonderful Christmas day. And let us always remember the birth of Jesus rather than "what did Santa get you for Christmas?" day. Amen!
Luke 2:4
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
"X-mas" is a time of family gatherings, purchasing expensive presents, traffic jams, opening of gifts, drinking egg nog, eating food, and having a great time.
Christmas, on the other hand, should be a time of respect to God's introduction of Christ to the world. This should be celebrated by teaching children what should really be celebrated this year, the birth of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.
So I just want to say to all of you, have a wonderful Christmas day. And let us always remember the birth of Jesus rather than "what did Santa get you for Christmas?" day. Amen!
Luke 2:4
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
There is Nothing to Fear but God Himself
People are afraid of so many things. The world is filled with anxieties. Some people are afraid of the dark, some of the devil and evil spirits, while others are afraid of failure, and the list goes on.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am our God; I will strengthen you, I will hold you in my righteous right hand.”
Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
The truth is, God does not want us to fear anything. He says that while we are in His will, there should be nothing to fear; however, the only time He tells us to fear is when He talks about the fear of the Lord.
Psalms 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling, kiss His feet, lest He be angry and you perish in the way.”
If one lives a life fearing everything under the sun except the Lord, they will perish from their own fearless actions.
To be Godless does not mean to be atheist; to be Godless means not having a fear of the Lord. If we do not fear Him, like a spoiled and rebellious child, we will do foolish things without considering Him first.
Deuteronomy 5:29 “Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children.”
Fearing the Lord, is obedience to Him. In doing so, not only does He bless us, but He blesses our children and our children’s children. When we do not fear Him, we become disobedient, leaving a curse upon our children and the generations there to come.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am our God; I will strengthen you, I will hold you in my righteous right hand.”
Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
The truth is, God does not want us to fear anything. He says that while we are in His will, there should be nothing to fear; however, the only time He tells us to fear is when He talks about the fear of the Lord.
Psalms 2:11 “Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling, kiss His feet, lest He be angry and you perish in the way.”
If one lives a life fearing everything under the sun except the Lord, they will perish from their own fearless actions.
To be Godless does not mean to be atheist; to be Godless means not having a fear of the Lord. If we do not fear Him, like a spoiled and rebellious child, we will do foolish things without considering Him first.
Deuteronomy 5:29 “Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children.”
Fearing the Lord, is obedience to Him. In doing so, not only does He bless us, but He blesses our children and our children’s children. When we do not fear Him, we become disobedient, leaving a curse upon our children and the generations there to come.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Friday, November 24, 2006
True Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is for the sole purpose of giving thanks to God with a grateful heart, not a heavy one.
Ezra 3:10 states, "When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: 'He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.'
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away."
The Israelites, including "the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem," began building the temple of the Lord. Many people, without having much to give, gave money to help rebuild the altar to the Lord. With a happy heart, they sang and praised God for the new altar they would make for Him, but there were some who were crying because they were dissappointed that the new altar would not be as great as the first one. Their cries of sadness blended in with the cries of joy from the other people. Those who cried out of sadness turned to the past and remembered "the good-old times;" because of their tears, they were not able to truly give God all of the thanks He deserved.
In many ways, we are like those people who cried at the rebuilding of the Lord's altar. Sometimes, even when things are alright, we tend to remember when things were better, and it causes us to, instead of giving true thanksgiving, rob God out of true worship, and instead, we end up giving Him thanks with semi-happy hearts rather than truly happy and grateful ones.
We should never allow the past or anything to interfere with our gratitude towards God. If a family member has passed away, we must not look to those things of the past; instead, we should thank God for those family members that are still alive today, and we should treat them with love, kindness, and respect to show our gratitude towards God. If a neighbor has "better" possessions by worldly standards, we must give thanks to God for those things that we do possess. If our family member(s) have not yet improved or changed in the ways of the Lord, we must give thanks to God that He has still given them the chance to live and receive salvation. If we find ourselves thinking that last year was a better year, we must repent and look at life and our life now and give thanks to the Lord, our provider for this new year.
The only way we can give true thanks to God is by leaving the past and negative things behind and focus on what is beautiful in our lives. He wants us to always focus on the beautiful side of life, so that we do not fall into negativity. No one can worship God or demonstrate faith through negative thinking and faithlessness.
Phillipians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Ezra 3:10 states, "When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: 'He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.'
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away."
The Israelites, including "the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem," began building the temple of the Lord. Many people, without having much to give, gave money to help rebuild the altar to the Lord. With a happy heart, they sang and praised God for the new altar they would make for Him, but there were some who were crying because they were dissappointed that the new altar would not be as great as the first one. Their cries of sadness blended in with the cries of joy from the other people. Those who cried out of sadness turned to the past and remembered "the good-old times;" because of their tears, they were not able to truly give God all of the thanks He deserved.
In many ways, we are like those people who cried at the rebuilding of the Lord's altar. Sometimes, even when things are alright, we tend to remember when things were better, and it causes us to, instead of giving true thanksgiving, rob God out of true worship, and instead, we end up giving Him thanks with semi-happy hearts rather than truly happy and grateful ones.
We should never allow the past or anything to interfere with our gratitude towards God. If a family member has passed away, we must not look to those things of the past; instead, we should thank God for those family members that are still alive today, and we should treat them with love, kindness, and respect to show our gratitude towards God. If a neighbor has "better" possessions by worldly standards, we must give thanks to God for those things that we do possess. If our family member(s) have not yet improved or changed in the ways of the Lord, we must give thanks to God that He has still given them the chance to live and receive salvation. If we find ourselves thinking that last year was a better year, we must repent and look at life and our life now and give thanks to the Lord, our provider for this new year.
The only way we can give true thanks to God is by leaving the past and negative things behind and focus on what is beautiful in our lives. He wants us to always focus on the beautiful side of life, so that we do not fall into negativity. No one can worship God or demonstrate faith through negative thinking and faithlessness.
Phillipians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Word of God
Many people do not know what to believe. Some put their faith in things while others believe in God or a god. Some belive in God but do not believe everything that is in the bible. There are those that believe in God, that Jesus is the Son of God, but they do not fully believe that the Scriptures are infallible (without error).
The Bible is exactly the Word of God. It is His words, not men's words. God gave men the words to write.
2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"
So how does this prove that all Scripture is without error? We know that God is perfect in every way, and if God alone breathed out the Scriptures, the Bible is a book with the very words from God Himself, and it's purpose is to teach people how to live, it's meant to "rebuke" or scold, to correct, and to train people to become right (not perfect) in the eyes of God.
The only way to know if one is walking with God is if they believe in Him. And believing does not indicate knowing He exists; rather,if they truly believe in Him, they will show him by being obedient to His commandments. One cannot believe in Him and completely ignore the words that are written in the Bible. He himself says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).
Obedience to the Word of God equals love. He does not want us to say how much we love Him, rather show Him just how much we love Him by honoring His Word.
The Bible is exactly the Word of God. It is His words, not men's words. God gave men the words to write.
2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"
So how does this prove that all Scripture is without error? We know that God is perfect in every way, and if God alone breathed out the Scriptures, the Bible is a book with the very words from God Himself, and it's purpose is to teach people how to live, it's meant to "rebuke" or scold, to correct, and to train people to become right (not perfect) in the eyes of God.
The only way to know if one is walking with God is if they believe in Him. And believing does not indicate knowing He exists; rather,if they truly believe in Him, they will show him by being obedient to His commandments. One cannot believe in Him and completely ignore the words that are written in the Bible. He himself says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).
Obedience to the Word of God equals love. He does not want us to say how much we love Him, rather show Him just how much we love Him by honoring His Word.
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