God has set Eternity in Our Hearts

 

I receive daily grief share messages in my e-mail box.  Here is a few that I thought you might find to be a blessing:

"God Has Set Eternity in Your Heart

Day 349

Even if you know that heaven is your eternal destiny, you have probably had days when you’ve said, “Oh Lord, just take me home now.” Do you long for the time when you never have to say good-bye again? When there will be no more sickness, no more suffering, no more growing old?

The Bible says God has set eternity in your heart. To long for a better place is not a vain hope or delusion. You were made for eternity, and because of this, you can never be fully satisfied until you get to heaven.

“Training our minds and hearts, the totality of our being on heaven is instinctive because our souls are eternal,” says Dr. Joseph Stowell. “There’s something in us that feels right about believing there is something on the other side of death.

"But instincts don’t quite cut it because you have to have some content. When we are born again in Jesus Christ, when we’ve repented of our sin and embraced the finished work of Christ on the cross and have been reborn so that the Holy Spirit lives within us, now these instincts for eternity suddenly take on meaning because the Holy Spirit.

Preparing for Eternity Day 350 One thing is certain—eternity is in the future for all people. The Bible says that thanks to Jesus, you can spend that eternity with God in heaven. But how can you prepare while still living on this earth? Dr. Joseph Stowell says, “The Word of God comes along and trains you and talks to you about living life from an eternal perspective. You read through the Gospels, and you become convinced that Jesus Christ is driven by one reality—eternity. His whole perspective is driven by the fact that there is a world to come; this one will soon be done. And what you do here will count for the world that is yet to come. "Life here really is a dress rehearsal for the world to come. A person who embraces the world to come and lives in light of it has his whole world radically re-altered. He looks at people differently. Looks at his money differently. Looks at the things around his life differently. Looks at his own self differently.” Live your life from an eternal perspective, not longing for this one to be over, but driven by a new set of values found in God’s Word. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight to life. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.“ (Psalm 19:7-10 nlt) Lord Jesus, teach me the values of a biblical, eternal lifestyle, and change my world in light of this reality. Amen. Longing for Home Day 351 The Bible says just enough about heaven to make people wonder what it will really be like. “As it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The reality of heaven is going to far surpass anything you can imagine now. Revelation 21 describes the heavenly city—a city so magnificent and vast that you can hardly comprehend it. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates…. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass…. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (11-12, 18-21, 23) The walls will be over 200 feet thick. Each of the four sides of the city will be approximately 1,400 miles long: “I figured it out one time—396,000 stories high and one half the size of the United States,” says Dr. Erwin Lutzer.

Your will Be Done in 2026

 

THIS PRAYER POEM WAS SENT TO ME BY MY SISTER, LINDA, IN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING I WROTE ON FACEBOOK.

“I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, place me with whom You will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine, and I am Yours. May it be so. And may the covenant which I have just made here on earth be confirmed in heaven. Amen.” (This prayer is part of the New Year’s Covenant that John Wesley—1703-1791—established for the Methodist church.

Wise Men Still Follow Him

The wise men or magi followed the Lord Jesus's star seeking Him.  They were not Jewish and represent people from all nations and tribes searching for and coming to know the Lord.  Wise men and woman still follow and obey the the Lord today.  They still seek Him.    Below are some interesting facts stated about the wise men on the internet: 

"The biblical story of the Wise Men (Magi) from Matthew 2 tells of scholars from the East who followed a special star to find the newborn "King of the Jews". They arrived in Jerusalem, prompting King Herod to inquire where the Messiah would be born (Bethlehem), then sent the Magi to find the child, promising to worship him too. The star guided them to Jesus's home, where they worshipped Him, offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, thus foiling his plot to kill the child.  

Who Were the Magi?

From the East: 
Likely from Persia (modern Iran) or similar regions, known for astrology and knowledge of prophecies. 
Not Necessarily Kings: 
The Bible calls them "Magi," a term for priestly scholars or astrologers; tradition later made them kings. 
Symbolic Gifts: 
Gold (for a king), frankincense (for divinity), and myrrh (for sacrifice/death). 

Significance

Fulfillment of Prophecy: Their visit fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about a ruler from Bethlehem. 
Worship of Christ: They foreshadowed the future worship of Jesus by people from all nations. 
Divine Guidance: The star was a supernatural sign, and dreams guided the Magi and Joseph."

Christ, the Savior

 

Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve.  It and Christmas day itself is when we celebrate Jesus Christ's birth and His leaving His perfect place in heaven to come to this earth to die and pay for our sins. On that wonderful night the sky was filled with angels praising God, and the shepherds rushed to see this new born king and savior as directed by the angels.  It is possible that the wise men did not arrive untll about two years later looking for Jesus.  They brought gifts, and they too rejoiced over His birth and worshiped Him. Let us also worship and praise Him!

Joy to the world! The Lordis come!  Enjoy the link to this song below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX6ThHbts5Y&list=RDTX6ThHbts5Y&start_radio=1 

Christmas Tree Lessons

 The Christmas tree is a symbol of  eternal life purchased by Jesus Christ on the cross.  The gifts which may be under our trees remind us of the accompanying gifts to eternal life of joy, peace, and the Lord's presence in our lives even in times of deep trial and grief.

Beautiful Psalm 46 reminds of these gifts.  In life's worst case scenarios we need not fear.  No matter what transpires in our lives we can be secure in Lord.  Let us rejoice in the words of that Psalm:

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Memories

As I think of sweet memories in this Thanksgiving/Christmas season, I am thankful.

(This picture is of Bob and I seven years ago, the Thanksgiving before we married.)

(These pictures above are of my sisters and I and of all my siblins and in-laws a few months before my sister, Nancy, graduated to Heaven.   I  apologize for the quality of some of the pictures.)

Be thankful for the blessings and memories with which God has blessed you.

Grief

 

Below is a devotional from my Grief Share devotionals which come to my e-mail  box each day. Since all of us experience grief in our lives at some point, may you be blessed and challenged by this devotional. dear Christian:

Embracing the Change in Your Life

Day 282

Grief will either make you a better person or it will cause you to harden your heart as you resist its lessons. You have the opportunity for unparalleled spiritual growth. This will not happen quickly, but you can grow deeply. By learning that life is a precious gift, you can do more than just exist; you can live on a higher plane.

It was when Isaiah’s friend died that he had a deeper experience of God.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:1-3).

Lord, I want to live above all the garbage that goes on in my mind. I want to grow spiritually and discover You like never before. Amen.