Chistmas Catcus Blooms Again!

 

I am not sure how clear you can see it in the picture but my Christmas catcus is starting to bloom again! The last couple years it has bloomed both around Christmas, and as we begin to contemplate Easter!  How appropriate as we celebrate Christ's coming to this earth to be born, to die for our sins, and to rise victorious over sin and death!  Praise His name for all He has done for us!

Thoughts About Heaven Revisited

 

The last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, describes Heaven as a beautiful place, but what will make Heaven the most beautiful is that the Lord Jesus is there!  The PERSON of Jesus will be with us eternally!  Jesus is and will be the treasure of Heaven.

The only way to Heaven, however, is by repenting and throwing ourselves on Jesus for forgiveness from our sins and becoming His child.  That may sound narrow minded, but Scripture teaches us that Jesus alone is the only Way, the Truth. and the Life.  He is our only Light to lead us to Heaven.

In spite of our own assurance of Heaven and of our loved ones who have gone ahead of us, we still grieve the death of our loved ones.  I was reminded recently of my sister's death three years ago now.  Let us not forget to grieve with those who grieve and to walk with them in their grief walk.

Your Divine Valentine

 

Your Divine Valentine

A Valentine may play a love song for you, but God sings you the sweetest love song in the universe. (Zephaniah 3:17)

A Valentine may give you flowers, but God sent you the most beautiful rose of all, Jesus. (Song of Solomon 2:1)

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but God provides you with something even sweeter, His Word. (Psalm 119:103)

A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but God loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity. (Jeremiah 31:3)

(The above picture is from my own rose bush in late June.)

Heaven

 Heaven  is an amazing place to contemplate, to anticipate with joy!   The Bible promises that Heaven is free from all earthly trials, sorrows, and pain.  In Heaven we only experience pure joy.   We will never be bored in Heaven, because will be busy endlessly and joyfully serving and working for the Lord.

In Heaven we will recoognize and fellowship with our loved ones who  have died before us.  What is more, we will even be able to do the same with all the Old and New Testament saints!  What is even more exciting is that we will be with the Lord Jesus forever, for Eternity!  What a day that will be!

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."