Category: eternity

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11

Jesus Christ gave his life for the world. And after he gave his all he was resurrected to new life. Now he sits at the right hand of the Father. As King of kings and Lord of lords. Not a bad promotion from the life of struggles and pain he had here on earth. But all mortal man struggles and suffers pain. That is life in this world but after we, his children, give our all in this life we too get resurrected bodies in heaven where there is no more evil, death, pain and all that is negative that was in the world ruled by Satan and his followers. There will be only perfection forever and ever. And special rewards for a life lived for the Lord. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait. I have read books about people who have gone to heaven and returned for whatever reason to continue life on earth and it sounds amazing. I know nobody can even imagine the things God has planned for us in our forever home. Pretty exciting stuff. All the good things we treasure in this lifetime but it never stops in heaven it just goes on and on. People don’t really like to give up the good stuff here on earth. To deny themselves and take up their cross to bear sounds harsh but the more you give up in this life the greater heaven will be because I know God rewards richly. The funny thing about not wanting to give up things is that most people don’t understand Godly riches. Even here I have found Godly riches and they aren’t stuff, but joy, peace, wisdom and strength. Things I can’t get on my own. Things only God can give. Things like Gods presence all the time, miracles, divine encounters and relationships with different people he plans. Stuff too exciting to miss.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

To trust in someone or something. It takes faith just to live life because if life is just meaningless where we have no control and then we die. That sounds futile but if you don’t have faith that is what it’s like. Pretty much everything requires faith. Will that chair you’re about to sit in hold you or if you go outside will you just float away? Many people think Christian’s are just weak and gullible. But Christian’s by faith have come to believe that historically what happened thousands of years ago just proves that there is a God who went through so much to prove his love and he is trustworthy. He also has all wisdom, strength and power to do everything he says and he does. By faith we get life. Without faith it is impossible to please God but with faith we get all his promises. We get to know God intimately and learn more about him. After you spend many years watching him you realize that he won’t let you down. His ways are better and he can be trusted. You can’t pray without faith that there is a God and that he is listening. Just one prayer can move mountains and it you just believe he can do anything. It may not make complete sense but when you know that you know that you know in your heart that’s faith. It is a wonderful thing that can’t really be described but you can almost see those promises being fulfilled in your minds eye and it’s so exciting. You can feel joy, peace, comfort and strength when you put your trust in him. If he raised Christ from the dead I can’t wait to die and get to go home to be with him forever. Now that’s exciting.

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

The key word here is promises- God is good at making promises but he is way better at keeping them. He is a God whose word is perfect. What he says is only truth so it’s for sure. Whether good or bad, it will happen just as he promised. There are things God tells us not to do. Just like when your parents told you don’t touch the stove or you will get burned. If you ever tried you would never do it again. Ouch! He tells us not to sin because bad things can happen. Just like speeding you don’t always get caught the first time but one day you will pay the price. On the other side there are so many good promises and I want all of them. A full and abundant life, who wouldn’t want that one. But it gets better because one day we’ll get to heaven and he has promised that no eye has seen and no mind can even imagine all he has for us when we get there. Some people may think well I believe in Jesus and I’m going to heaven but I heard someone preach once that God is building you a mansion in heaven where one day you will live forever. But they build it with the supplies you send ahead of you. So if you have done the bare minimum to get in you may be living in a dog house for eternity. I want the best he has for me so I am doing all I can everyday. Each of us has been given certain abilities and talents and he has asked us to use them for his kingdom. Some of us one or two and some five talents. What have we done with the talents he has given us. How much do we show appreciation for what he has given us. Eternity is a really long time and I want to live it up. I want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

“In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise imperishable, and we will be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:52

“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body, and be at home with the Lord.“. 2 Corinthians 5:8

We are in the last days of this planet and we can see evil grow more every day and there are so many natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires and floods. Wars and unrest and extreme hatred. There is terrible pestilence such as Covid and cancer. We still need to be praying about these things but they have been forewarned. Are you doing all you can to finish your race strong? What more could you be doing to be all in? Have you asked for forgiveness for sins lately? Will you have regrets? Evil seems to be growing more each day and I am seeing things I could never imagine happening before that are becoming normal and accepted. The world could continue on for years or Jesus could return tomorrow but he will return when we least expect it. I am excited for heaven it is not called paradise for nothing. We won’t just be singing in God’s choir and playing harps all day there is so much to look forward to. I enjoy reading books about different near death experiences. Heaven sounds like a very exciting place. No more pain and no more tears. Perfect young bodies and understanding all things. It’s time to make sure you have your one way ticket ready. I know myself I have my momma and daddy anxiously waiting for my arrival. We have all lost friends and loved ones that we love and miss who will be waiting for us. When that last trumpet sounds and Jesus appears in the clouds it will be a great day because no more death. All those who have accepted Jesus and his precious gift of salvation will all get to meet him in the air. Returning to heaven with him at the same time and then spending eternity together never missing each other again. We will get to meet people like Moses and king David and getting to talk with people like Billy Graham. We will have all eternity to speak with so many different people especially Jesus himself. How could we ever get bored. But we need to be telling others that don’t know Jesus how much they are loved and what they are missing. By loving others into the kingdom so they will be coming with us. They won’t know all their missing if we don’t tell them. Knowing what awaits us in heaven makes it easier to tell others. God loves each person he made and wants to give them so much and do so much for them. He is our Father and loves us more than any natural father could because he is perfect. The more we follow his commands the more he blesses us. In heaven nobody can ever imagine all that is waiting for us. Even the little I’ve read about barely scratches the surface. God is only good and any good thing will be in heaven and we will get to spend eternity enjoying them. No evil either. We may enjoy time spent with friends and family here on Earth but not every day. Only once in a while but in heaven it will never end. There will be a huge reunion waiting for us when we arrive. The party will never end. I can just think about how I will feel sitting across from Jesus at the table in heaven. The more you think about it the more you will be ready to go. Just think about your very best vacation ever and it will be a million times better. And we’re almost there.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

Oh how powerful this simple verse is. The most important thing to God is our hearts because out of our hearts comes life or death. He knows our hearts, every crack and crevice. How we think, what we know and what we will do. He said that good and bad come from the overflow of our hearts. Every day we get more information to cram into that little heart. The secret is knowing if, one day, you want to see God? The answer will change everything you let into your mind and your heart for the rest of your life. To see God one day I will want to be pure. He knows everyone’s hearts and true motives. If you love the Lord and want to spend eternity with him, you will want to be intentional. I personally love to listen to praise music. It strengthens and lifts me up to listen to songs about my God. I don’t listen to much other music because it doesn’t do anything for my soul. I do like other music but what gives me peace and gets me closer to heaven? I don’t own a TV any more. I watch Christian movies all the time. Tv brings me down and I prefer being up. I might watch a Hallmark feel good movie occasionally but I do not miss tv. There is too much in life I don’t want to miss like friends and family. A beautiful sunrise or sunset. I’m retired so not having to work frees me up to do things I enjoy. I’m over complaining and just want to focus on living. Everyone needs to carefully examine what they allow into their lives. What I may do is not what you will do and that’s fine but guard your heart if you want peace. Throughout my day I can feel my spirit saying to do this or say that. Go here or try this. I always listen because I want the road I’m on to lead me home one day. Fifteen years ago I never thought this way but I also wasn’t a very happy person either. I just want my life to get better and I believe intentional living is the way to see that happen. I talk to God a lot. And I can feel his presence throughout the day. So I can talk to him just like I would my family throughout the day. I read the Bible and like to memorize scripture because it is kindling to keep that fire burning in my life. This little light of mine will burn brighter everyday for a lost and dying world. One day I will close my eyes for the very last time. And when I open my eyes, I will see Jesus.

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:40

Whether you are a Christian or not we tend to assume that we have a long wait. I’m only five. I have 90 more years, right? Nobody thinks about maybe dying early. We are not promised another breath, we just expect it. Whether you die at birth or you live to be 100 we will all face the end one day. Do we need to be perfect? No, but how we live on earth will make a great difference. If you believe in Christ and have accepted him into your heart you have been forgiven for past sins. God knows you are not perfect and whether or not you want to, you will sin. When you realize you have sinned just come to God and tell him you are sorry. Clear the air and continue to seek his help. We can get very distracted in life’s concerns and problems but it is so important to your peace and full life to never stop seeking God and his advice. He is our focal point. I remember when I was pregnant going to childbirth classes. Like they could teach you to have a baby. Wasn’t that just instinct? Well when the pain consumes you, you have to focus on something so hard that it will get you through the next contraction. That is just like life, sometimes you just need to get through the next few hours. Focus on the solid foundation of Jesus. He loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. Remember how he willingly sacrificed his life so you could live a full and abundant life. To be assured of eternal life with him in heaven. We need to keep his commandments and to love others. But we can get busy with life and our needs and wants and lose our focus. If I said STOP right now, this very minute, and think about your relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. Are you ready for his return? Where will you spend eternity? Forever and ever. It will happen suddenly. It may take thousands of years to get here but will you grow cold waiting or anxiously be expecting him. I remember as a kid waiting for my grand parents or cousins to visit. Oh, I would get so excited and everything had to be perfect. I would keep asking, when will they be here? How much more excited should we be to see Jesus. We need to live every day just like it might be our last. Because one day it will be.