What Will Heaven Be Like?

What is the most exotic vacation or place on
the globe that you have ever visited? Close your
eyes and revisit the beauty and grandeur of that
location for a few moments. If you've never been
to a place of great beauty or wonder of Nature,
recall some of the photographs that you've seen in
magazines, such as LIFE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC,
or even your AAA or travel publications.
Wouldn't you like to live there all the time? Forever?
For eternity? Aside from any work that you may
remembr as a part of that trip, or any unpleasant
weather that may have occurred, picture the glory
and splendor of the best times you spent or
imagined at that "paradise"!
WHAT DO YOU THINK HEAVEN WILL BE LIKE?
If we take the word pictures that are given to us
in the Bible, Heaven will be just that - Heavenly!
Streets of gold, gates of pearl, pure water flowing
by the most gorgeous trees ever! The daytime
will never cease, as the Glory of God will lighten
the entire place! Night will be a thing of the past!
Music and praises to God the Father, Jesus Christ
the Son, and the Holy Spirit will continue unabated!
In addition to the beauty, there will be no sickness,
sorrow, pain, arguments, or fighting! No government
bodies to suppress or dominate the spirit or lives
of the citizens! No wars! No cancers! No loss of
limbs! No mental disorders! No death! No graves
or tombstones! Only life abundant!
WILL HEAVEN BE BORING?
Not in the least! Those who will be there will have
plenty to do: praising and thanking God for His
gift of SALVATION; praising and thanking Jesus for
providing ETERNAL LIFE; enjoying the handiwork
or God throughout the entirety of CREATION;
"catching up" on the intriguing aspects of the lives
of the SAINTS, both Old and New Testaments'
personalities; hearing the ANGELS tell of all that
they were privileged to witness throughout the
ages, including EARTH'S small part in the great
plan of the universe; and gladly performing our
Heavenly Father's bidding, which we can only
imagine for now!
Will we "manage" other planets and beings?
Will we "fly" from star to star and beyond?
Will we play a part in "other creations" such as
our own Earth's? No sci-fi, here, please, but we
are limited only by our finite human minds and
imaginations as to what Eternity in Heaven will
be like.
I know one thing - I EXPECT TO BE THERE,
THANKS TO JESUS' SACRIFICE, AND I PRAY
THAT I'LL SEE YOU THERE!!

Who Knows That You're A Christian?

First of all, it is necessary that YOU know that
you're a Christian! Agreed? HOW do you know
that you're a member of God's family? Were
you "born" a Christian? NO. Our parents'
spirituality or church membership or standing
in the community does not make us a true
"child of God". Someone has said, "God has no
grandchildren.".
Did you become a Christian by going to Sunday
School or taking catechism or confirmation classes?
NO. A car doesn't become a tractor by hanging
around the barn.
Was your baptism, first holy communion, or
church membership the means of your becoming
a Christian? NO. Simple rites, no matter how
important or necessary they may be, do not,
indeed CANNOT make a person a Christian.
ONLY by realizing that one is born a sinner, with
the nature and tendency to sin, and that one
can not free himself from that enslavement, thus
confessing, repenting, and accepting God's Son,
Jesus Christ, can you become a Christian!!
What are the evidences that you are a Christian?
Does your family know of your spirituality? Do
your friends? What about your neighbors? Your
boss or coworkers? HOW? What do you DO or
NOT DO that tells them that you're a changed
person, a "new creation" as the Bible puts it?
Do you listen to or tell "off-color" jokes?
Do you criticize or gossip about others?
Do you swear? Do you use God's name wrong-
fully? Do you attend church? Do you carry
your Bible? Do you get offended when others
use God's or Jesus' names wrongfully? Are
you a charitable person? Do you show love in
tangible ways when another person or family
is in dire straits or has a pressing need? How?
Are you a "positive" or "negative" person?
Do you speak lovingly and glowingly about
your Saviour, your church and church family,
your own family, and others in general? Do you
get upset when things in the news are reported
as going against right and decency? DO YOU
PRAY? How often? When? Only when you're
in a bad situation yourself? Do you tell others
that you're praying for them? Do you say,
"God bless you!"? Do you send cards and
letters of encouragement and sign them with
a spiritual blessing or thought? Do you make
phone calls to lift other peoples' spirits? Do
you support missions, give regularly to your
church, tithe, help local foodbanks or thrift
stores? Have you invited anyone to church
or a Bible study, or to accept Jesus lately?
WHO KNOWS THAT YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN,
AND HOW WOULD THEY KNOW?
With our world in the sad state that it is in
right now, and with morality and ethics rapidly
going downhill, it is so important that you and
I, the people of God, take our stand, and live
our lives as befitting true believers in Jesus!
LIVE AS IF ETERNITY MATTERS - IT DOES!

THE PEACE OF GOD

"The peace of God which is beyond all (of this
world's) understanding will guard (keep, protect)
your hearts and minds.............." Philippians,
chapter 4, verse 7.
Life is not a bed of roses, to put it mildly, not
even for the child of God. Christians have not
been promised an easy road, but we have been
given the graces and gifts necessary to endure
life's problems and challenges.
There are numerous aids available to us to help
us to overcome - the Scriptures, songs and
hymns, psalms, worship, meditation, prayer,
fellowship with fellow-pilgrims, God's promises,
and for me, at this time - God's PEACE!
Jesus promised that He came to give us PEACE!
When speaking with His disciples in John,
chapter 14, He said, "Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give to you..."
He's not talking about a refusal to accept our
circumstances, or a denial of reality, what He's
giving you and me is a calmness even in the
midst of trials and problems!
My recent bouts with physical challenges have
been met with a surprising lack of panic - I've
actually had a PEACE beyond myself - one
that could only come from my Heavenly Father!
Facing uncertain surgery and treatments, I'd
experience nervousness and a lack of faith in
times past, but at this stage of life I'm having
an uncharacteristic (for me) PEACE! P.T.L.!
Friend, are you going through a tough time?
Has life dealt you a "bad hand" or a test that
you fear may be beyond your ability to cope
with? Good! NOW GOD CAN PROVE
HIMSELF BY SHOWING HIMSELF WITH
THE CALMING ASSURANCE THAT HE IS
IN CONTROL, AND THAT YOU ARE IN HIS
HANDS!! Talk about PEACE!
Place yourself into "the Potter's hands", and
let Him mold you and shape you into the
image of His Son! Accept His PEACE! Be
at ease, knowing that "He doeth all things
well"!!
Remember, it is not in this world that we
aim to succeed and "feel at home", but in
the promises of our eternal home, Heaven,
that we seek, where "all will be PEACE"!

Are You Ready For "The Tribulation"?

There is much talk these days about the soon
return of Jesus Christ. Of course, people,
especially evangelists, pastors, and Bible scholars
have been predicting the event for centuries,
as early as the New Testament church.
BUT, the apostasy in the church world and
the very loud and visible decline of society
as a whole, in every corner of the globe, has
given new rise to talk and warnings about
the "Rapture" event and Jesus' return.
In the last few years there have been some
who have put forward a new "take" on the
Bible's warnings of "the last days", mainly
that "the Church" will go into the first part
(first half?) of the Tribulation period. I
strongly disagree, based on my decades of
reading and studying Scripture, and my
awareness of the character of God!
HOWEVER, it's very possible, and in fact
likely, that many who say they're Christians,
who may even attend church services, and
who are "good people" will still be around
after the "catching away" of those who are
saved and living for God and His Son!
The Bible says that God will not put His
"elect" through unnecessary trials and tests,
as they have proven Him and lived for Him
for their normal lifespan, or a portion of it.
At His ascension, Jesus promised His followers
that "I will come again and receive you unto
myself". This is known in Christian circles as
"the blessed hope", referring to His coming
back for "the faithful".
ARE YOU IN THAT NUMBER? AM I?
The Tribulation Period, as foretold in God's
Word, will be a 7-year span of time in which
evil will prevail, "all hell will break loose", and
the opportunity to become a Christian will be
severely restricted, as the Holy Spirit, who is
quite present in the world today, will be taken
out, and very few will probably sieze the
opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their
Saviour. Many will curse God, blaming Him for
their dilemma, when all along they refused to
accept the truth, even with the Gospel message
readily available as it is now.
WILL YOU BE HERE FOR THE TRIBULATION?
Will you be strong enough to resist evil and the
madness that will surely be around you if you're
unfortunate enough to still be here on earth?
DON'T TAKE CHANCES! IT COULD HAPPEN
SOON! Give your heart and life to Jesus today,
and you won't have to worry about the future,
either here, or in eternity!!

Who Is Jesus Christ To You?

There have been many influential persons throughout
history, the Pharaohs, Caesars, Popes, generals such
as Pompei, Alexander, etc. Great thinkers such as
Plato, Socrates, Freud, Machiavelli, Mao, and others
have made us contemplate our existence and its
meaning.
But the main character of the centuries, the one who
is indeed the central figure of mankind's history, a
great thinker and a great leader and so much more,
is Jesus Christ!
More volumes have been dedicated to Him and His
words than any other person, man or woman, who
ever lived! His followers are more numerous than
Krishna's, Buddha's, Mohammed's or any other
religious founder/leader!
By God's design and plan, Jesus Christ entered our
sphere of living to live, teach, and exhibit the very
heart of His Father, and our Father, if we have
accepted the offer of forgiveness, salvation,
justification, and imputed righteousness that can
only come from THE Son of God, Jesus!
JESUS CHRIST IS THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN
ALL OF MANKIND'S EXISTENCE! EVERYTHING
THAT HAPPENED BEFORE HIM AND EVERY-
THING THAT HAS HAPPENED AFTER HIM
CENTERS AROUND HIM!
What is He to you?
Is He the father of your church? Is He the "holy
man" who "went about doing good"? Is He a
myth or fairy tale? Can you, do you believe that
He actually came from Heaven on a Divine
mission to prove God's reality and love for you
and me? Or is He just another historical figure
who began a religion, on a level with all of the
other prophets and religion authors?
Can you, do you dare to take a chance that He
is the PLAN of God for your life, and that to
reject Him is "eternal suicide"?
As someone has said, "Jesus is either all that
He claimed to be, or He is the biggest liar that
ever lived." Do you dare to investigate His
claims and teachings? Do you dare to read the
New Testament Gospels account of His life
and words? Do you dare risk your eternal
destiny by refusing to consider Him as the
Messiah, the Promised One, your Saviour?
And if He is all that we've read, heard about,
and believed, are we living accordingly? Do
we honor Him with our thoughts, speech,
actions, attitudes, or does our lifestyle betray
our profession? IF JESUS CHRIST IS THE
LORD OF YOUR LIFE, LIVE AS IF HE IS
THE LORD OF YOUR LIFE!!
There is no more important issue or decision
that you and I will make during this life than
the one to accept or reject the claims of the
One who was sent from God!
Josh McDowell set out to disprove Christianity
as the theme of his college thesis. What he
discovered after hundreds of hours of intense
research is that Jesus Christ is all that He said
He was (and is), and after his dedicated effort
to debunk Him and Christianity, Josh became
a stalwart of the faith, and one of the leading
apologists of our time.
So, my friend, I ask you, "Who is Jesus Christ
to you?" Is He God? Is He your Saviour?
Is He your returning King? Is He Lord of
your life?
Or..............is He just another person in
history, with no other significance other than
that He lived, spoke, and "wowed" the crowds?
ETERNITY IS IN THE BALANCE!
Either accept Him and live for Him, or deny
Him and "take your chances"! YOU LOSE!
I pray that you'll recognize Jesus as your
only hope for eternity, and that you will begin
to live the Christ-life TODAY!!!