Thoughts for Life: A HOME YET TO COME

Jody Potgeter-

"Not long ago, one of my favorite uncles succumbed to a long-term disease.

We had watched this once strong and athletic man wither for years. When the Hospice nurse told him he was in congestive heart failure and didn’t have much longer to live, he whispered, “That is the best news I’ve heard in a long time.” He was so thrilled that he would soon meet his Savior. He sent a message to his many nieces and nephews: “I pray that you will all know the peace I now have because Jesus conquered death!” (Photo courtesy of pixabay and NoName_13.)

When I was young, I did not understand the concept of longing for heaven. Intellectually, I knew heaven was better than earth, but I still had things I wanted to experience before I went. I wanted to get married, have children, be a missionary, and travel the world. As I got older and accomplished those things, I found none satisfied me. I began to understand what the Bible was talking about.

Yet at times, I still look to external, earthly things to soothe my longings and fill my soul. Maybe we wonder, Would I be more satisfied with a better income? If I could afford a vacation, would I have more peace? Would my life be better if the world was less chaotic and confusing?

Many temporary things can distract us from focusing on eternity and God. It’s easy to immerse ourselves in these distractions instead of spending time with Him and getting to know the One with whom we could spend forever with.

I wonder what it would be like if we lived every day as if we were on our deathbed—if we could peer beyond all the chaos of this world and set our sights on heaven."

Make it a point to wake up daily declaring that Jesus has conquered death. Because of that, you live.

"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking for a home yet to come." Hebrews 13:14 NLT

Let's pray-

Father, we may not yet understand the concept of longing for heaven, but we know there is a place such as that. Help us want to know and be satisfied that the Bible talks much about it. May we look to It to see what It says on the subject. May we not continue to look to external, earthly things to soothe us.

Many temporary things can distract us from focusing on eternity and You, as it's easy to immerse ourselves in these distractions instead of spending time with You and getting to know You, with whom we could spend eternity.

May we spend every day as it we were on our deathbed—so we could peer beyond all the chaos of this world and set our sights on heaven. May we declare that Jesus was victorious over death and the grave, making the way for us to go to heaven when we die.

My weekly advice from the book, Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo by Elaine W. Miller:

(p.11) "God repeats His promise to fight for His children: ' . . . the Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God' (Joshua 23:10-11 NIV) Could the key to stillness and confidence in this cancer battle lie in that least sentence? 'So be very careful to love the Lord your God.'"

#135 Testimony- GrJean

It was years ago, that I was in the process of asking God for forgiveness for something I'd done, when He spoke these words into my spirit:

"Unless you forgive your husband for what he's been doing that displeases you, I cannot forgive you."

That advice has lasted me all these years as good counsel about the importance of forgiveness; both ours and God's.

1821-1825 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1821- Dan. 4:37b "Honour the King of heaven."

1822- Is. 48:5a "I have even from the beginning declared it to thee."

1823- Jer. 2:7b "To eat the fruit thereof, and the goodness thereof."

1824- Ps. 143:11a Quicken me, O LORD, for Thy name's sake."

1825- Luke 18:8b "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on

the earth?"

#135 Hymn- Shall We Gather At the River

Robert Lowry was a cheerful man with a big beard and a quick mind. He pastored Baptist churches in the Eastern U.S. during the mid-1800s. One friend said, "Very few men had greater ability in painting pictures from imagination. He could thrill an audience with his vivid descriptions, inspiring them with the same thoughts that inspired him."

He set many of Franny Crosby's hymns to music, including the classic, "All the Way My Savior Leads Me." Lowry's best known hymn is "Shall We Gather at the River?

Though often used at Baptisms, it's actually a song about heaven. It came to Lowry on a mid-summer's day in New York, when, in the sweltering heat, he began musing about the cool, crystal river that flows through the city of God as described in Rev. 22.

"As (Lowry) mused, the words began to construct themselves. They came first as a question of Christian inquiry, "Shall we gather?" Then they broke out in a chorus, "Yes, we'll gather." On this question and answer the hymn developed itself.

Some encouraging words-

"Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thes. 5:19). "The idea here is to avoid the extinguishing of the love and power of the Holy Spirit in relation to His purposes and work, and causing an utter cessation of their manifestation. Let the Spirit's love and power glow and burn like a flame of pure glory permeating and pervading the whole temple of the body, shining out from all the windows of the soul, and kindling other hearts." George Soltau

Church Notes: REDEMPTION

God's plan is to buy back what He previously owned.

His Word gives a listing of sins we're guilty of. He is Holy; we are not.

He is worthy of praise and nothing more needs to be paid. Christ said "It's finished!"

Christ paid the ransom debt with His blood to buy back humanity!

God's interested in our personal relationship with Him.

He forgives and helps us turn around bad situations, filling us with His Spirit.

We are evidently valuable to Him!

Upcoming posts:

5/2- GOD DID IT! - Jim Cymbala

9th- BE CAREFUL! Alyson Kieda

16th- SMALL BEGINNINGS- Kristen Holmberg

Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)