Heaven

While Paul was on the Damascus Road on his way to persecute Christians, He saw heaven open up but whether this was heaven itself or just the first heaven where he saw the light, we cannot be sure.  Acts 9:3-4 described what Paul saw, “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  We do not know for sure, according to the scriptures, whether this was the third heaven, where the throne of God was or not, but can assume it was not for Paul only heard a voice from heaven and he saw only a light from heaven.  Nonetheless, heaven is for real and it exists today in every sense of the word.
You may have read or heard about many who have died and seen heaven for themselves.  They describe such a realm that is beyond description.  Some who died and came back to life have said they have seen their lost loved ones in heaven, their family, friends, and some even their pets.  This is difficult to prove, yet the sheer number of those who have seen heaven and came back from death is hard to refute; only they themselves know this for certain.  But the Bible does describe some of what heaven is like in the scriptures.  It is, from the human standpoint, indescribable (I Cor. 2:9).
One young man asked his friend, why don't you go partying  like most of us, and the friend said, I believe in God , in heaven and hell. The young man answered,  how are you  so sure about heaven and hell, no one has seen it. The friend answered, true, I haven't seen it , I only believe what the word of God say. The friend said, I don't believe none of it, that's why I live however I want. You sure are wasting your youth not doing what you want. The friend said, Look, if its true or not what the word of God says, I will not take my chances, because what IF it's all true. Living for God may not be the easiest thing to do, but when we consider heaven our eternal home, it is all worth it!

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:27

One day at a time

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

~ Matthew 2:1-2

 

Three wise men dedicated their lives to seeking and worshipping the Son of God. They were filled with passion to find Christ, no matter how far away he might be. They understood that there was a new king and they sought Him. And how did they find Him? They followed the light.

 

 When they found Christ, they humbled themselves before Him. This was not King Solomon, sitting on a great throne in a great palace with great pillars and walls, covered everywhere in gold. This was a newborn baby in a hick town, who was not even in a building of human habitat. He was lying in a feed trough in a barn! But they saw through the trappings of the world with a vision of His glory that was entirely spiritual, and were so convinced by their wisdom that they fell to their knees and worshipped. And they gave Him gifts of their worldly treasure, precious and expensive. They didn't drop a twenty in a collection plate!

 

Finally, they gave God time to work. One of the most remarkable attributes of God's incarnation on earth, was that he emptied Himself of His divine power and humbled Himself to be one of us. Christ, as a newborn baby, was pretty much like every other baby in knowledge, power, etc. He had to learn how to speak. He had to be toilet-trained. He cried when He was hungry. He was utterly weak and vulnerable. But over the course of years, as He grew to adulthood, He grew into His power and His destiny. The magi gave themselves up to the Son of God who would become.
If God works over time — and He does — who are we to expect instant success and gratification. “A journey of a thousand miles”, the saying goes, “begins with a single step.” The journey to find and know Christ, also, must be made one step at a time, one day at a time.


 Just before the new year begins — for most of us make some sort of New Year's resolutions; we see the change of calendar year as a time to renew our goals, push the important priorities of our lives back to the front of the line, when day-to-day living has slowly shuffled them back in our daily to-do list. As we start making our New Years resolutions , let this be our prayer..." Lord Christ, let me seek you this year with my whole heart, and place you first in my life." Amen!

 From Daily Inspiration

 

Victorious conquerors....or squashed grasshoppers

The Bible tells the story about twelve men sent to spy out the land God had promised to the Israelites
when they left Egyptian slavery. After forty days of wondering through the land, all of the men came
back with glowing reports about the fertility and produce they had seen. They described the land as " flowing with milk and honey "[Numbers 13:27]. In other words, the grass was so lush that the cows
couldn't help but produce milk in plentiful quantity, and the foliage was so thick that the honeybees
had plenty to work with. They brought back pomegranates, figs, and grapes  as prove of the land's bounty.
  Two of the men said, " Let's go now! Let's move in and occupy the land God has given us ! [Numbers 13:30]. This two men, Joshua and Caleb, focused on what God had promised to the Israelites and on what they believed God would do to enable them to conquer any obstacles ahead.
  The other ten spies had a different take. They focused on the people they had seen in the land and they said, in essence, " We can't fight against these people. They are stronger than we are -- in fact, they are giants."  We were in our sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" [Numbers 13:33].
  Fear gripped them and they refused to cross over into the land God had told them would be theirs.
Instead, they wandered in a wilderness for forty years until every person (except) Joshua and Caleb died.
  Victorious conquerors or squashed grasshoppers.
Their fate lay in the way they saw themselves.
So , too does our future flow from the way we see ourselves. Our perception of ourselves is far more powerful then the circumstances of our life. How others see us doesn't  matter nearly as much as how we see ourselves.
  The majority of the Israelites saw themselves certainly wasn't the way God saw them. It wasn't the way Joshua and Caleb saw themselves. But they saw themselves as failures, and they failed.
  Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as successful, and they eventually succeeded. Joshua became the leader of the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan River forty years later to claim the land, defeating Jericho and other countless other cities. Caleb took possession of the hill country near Bethlehem and established roots in the region that continued until today ( Numbers 14:24, Joshua 1:1-11 - and 14:6-14). - Paula White

As we are about to enter a new year, we are promised a blessed year. Blessing in our home, finances, children , health and every area of our lives. Our fate can be a victorious  one, if we can allow ourselves to believe God's promises!

Is God Still With Us?

During this Christmas season, you’ve almost certainly been reminded of Immanuel, which means God is with us. Maybe you’ve heard about the God who made you, watches you, directs you, knows you . . . but the God who fights for you? Who blazes the trail ahead of you? Who defends you? Who collapses walls and defeats kings?
Did you know that God is fighting for you? That “with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chron. 32:8)? That “our God will fight for us” (Neh. 4:20)? That the Lord will “fight against those who fight against [you]” (Ps. 35:1)?
Did you catch that? Not only does God promise to be with us, but he promises to fight for us. For you.
God is standing with you. And he his fighting for you.
  He fights to comfort us and strengthen us, even in the shadow of pain and under the threat of evil. He fights to guide us and redeem us, even when we can’t see the light.

All we have to do  is turn to God to see him standing at our side, fighting for the victory!- Max Lucado