Tag Archives: heaven

What will you do in heaven? (Luke 7:44-50) October 15, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 7-8

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 7:44-50
Jesus: Do you see this woman here? It’s kind of funny. I entered your home, and you didn’t provide a basin of water so I could wash the road dust from My feet. You didn’t give Me a customary kiss of greeting and welcome. You didn’t offer Me the common courtesy of providing oil to brighten My face. But this woman has wet My feet with her own tears and washed them with her own hair. She hasn’t stopped kissing My feet since I came in. And she has applied perfumed oil to My feet. This woman has been forgiven much, and she is showing much love. But the person who has shown little love shows how little forgiveness he has received.
(to the woman) Your sins are forgiven.
Simon and Friends (muttering among themselves): Who does this guy think He is? He has the audacity to claim the authority to forgive sins?
Jesus (to the woman): Your faith has liberated you. Go in peace.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever thought about what you will do when you get to heaven and have an eternity to spend with Jesus? What’s the first thing you’ll do when you see Him? What do you think it will be like?

Some have written books about near death experiences and what they have described as glimpses of heaven they were privileged to see. Some have talked about people they’ve met, loved ones who passed on before them and greeted them as they entered the world beyond this physical one in which we reside. Some have tried to describe the incredible music that touched their ears as they listened the celestial choirs singing their praises to the King of Kings. Others have tried to describe the array of colors that make our color palates seem dull.

Writers talk about the conversations they have with those around them and the knowledge they have of everyone. No strangers in heaven. There is a familiarity among everyone because we are all brothers and sisters together in Christ. They talk about the indescribable light that floods the place. Brighter than the noon-day sun, yet they are not blinded by it, but rather they are soothed by its warmth and comfort. Writers try to describe the peace and beauty of the place they glimpse in these near death experiences, their glimpse of heaven, but they all tell us they fall short in their ability to adequately tell us of what heaven is really like.

But have you thought about what you will do when you get to heaven? I don’t remember reading any of those authors talking about meeting Jesus or falling at His feet. I think it’s because they only get a glimpse of heaven, not entry into that place. I don’t think we’ll get to see it in full, in all of its glory until the end of time, but I’ve not read any of those authors talk about falling at Jesus feet for some reason.

But I really think that’s what we will all do when we get there. This woman Jesus describes in Luke chapter 7 recognized what Jesus had done for her. She was an outcast to society. Everyone looked down on her. She was a prostitute. She sold her body to survive in a territory that said she should be stoned for such a debasing action. God holds humans in such high esteem, He think treating His personal temple, our flesh, in such a way deserved the penalty of stoning. Or at least that’s what He told Moses to share with the Israelites, His chosen people.

Jesus recognized the potential in her when her sins were washed away, though. He saw who she could be and when she came to Him in repentance, He forgave. He looked beyond her sin and saw who God made her to be. He saw the beautiful creation God intended and lifted the guilt from her shoulders. What could she do but fall to her feet in gratitude and cry those crocodile tears of joy on His feet?

Simon, who thought himself better than the sinner cleaned by the power of Jesus’ forgiveness, still looked down on the woman because he couldn’t see what Jesus saw. Simon was repulsed by the woman, Jesus loved her as one of God’s children. Simon was disgusted with her presence, Jesus welcomed her. Simon chastised Jesus for letting this prostitute come near Him, Jesus elevated her action into the annals of history. What a difference in the way God sees us and the way others see us! Aren’t you glad God doesn’t pass judgment on us the way the rest of humanity does?

But maybe we should be taking lessons from Jesus, too. Maybe we should take care when we are quick to judge those around us and label them with all sorts of names. Usually those labels are given just so we can justify our own less than honorable actions. We look down on others so we can help ourselves think we are somehow better than those around us. We are not. We still far so short of God’s standard and need His forgiveness.

What will I do when I get to heaven? I think I will probably fall face down at Jesus feet and sob like a baby, thanking Him for His forgiveness for the first few millennia. After that, I might find enough voice to begin singing His praises. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

He’s coming in the clouds of heaven (Mark 14:62) September 15, 016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 23-24

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 14:62
Jesus: I am. One day you will see the Son of Man “sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,” and “coming in the clouds of heaven.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus said these words at His trial before the Sanhedrin. They were looking for a way to find charges against Him worthy of death. They wanted to get rid of this trouble maker and wanted to do it fast. So they tried witnesses hired by some of the less scrupulous among them, but the witnesses contradicted each other. So the court couldn’t convict Jesus based on their testimonies. Interesting, isn’t it, that they would use the laws of their court, but wouldn’t use the laws of God in examining Jesus.

The Sanhedrin questioned Jesus more. They twisted His words and asked more pointedly about His teaching. Jesus didn’t answer. Finally, Jesus gave them what they wanted to hear, almost. They were looking for blasphemy, but when it’s the truth, it’s not blasphemy. Still, when the priest, as chief prosecutor asked if Jesus was the Messiah, He answered with the title God used as He addressed Moses in the desert, “I am.”

Those next words in Jesus’ answer to the Sanhedrin caused a near riot in the hall. But I want us to think about them today as we hear them again and take them to heart. “One day you will see the Son of Man ‘sitting at His right hand, in the place of honor and power,’ and ‘coming in the clouds of heaven.’”

Have you considered the promise Jesus made to the Sanhedrin in those early morning hours? They were looking for blasphemy, but He made a promise to all those who would follow Him and also to those who would not. He was headed to heaven to take His rightful place on at the throne. He would sit at the right hand of the Father, the place of honor. They might take His life, but He would overcome them. They might try Him for blasphemy, but He would prove them wrong.

Jesus gave them a picture of the future as He shared the truth of who He was and what would soon happen when He broke out of the tomb and returned to heaven with to await His bride, the church. He would soon go home and one day everyone would see Him as He is, Messiah, God incarnate, the One who saves us from our sins. Our bridge to heaven. We will see Him in His place of honor and power.

The second thing Jesus promises is that He is coming back. He said we would see Him coming in the clouds of heaven. The angels said that when the disciples were gathered on the hillside watching Him leave. They told those who wept at His departure, not to worry or fear or weep, because He was coming back the same way He left, in clouds from heaven.

That will be a great day for some. It will be a tragic day for many. Jesus said the road to heaven is narrow and few find it. For those that find that road, it will be a great day. Seeing Jesus return in the clouds will mark the day He gathers us together to join Him in heaven forever. For those who refuse to believe in Him for His saving grace, for those who refuse to follow Him and obey Him, that day will be a horrible day. That crowd will realize too late that Jesus meant what He said. They, too, will see Him coming in the clouds, but for them, He will come as the avenger of His church. He will come to avenge His name and pour out His wrath on the disobedient. For them, it will be a day they will with they had never been born.

Those gathered in the courtroom that day heard Jesus’ prophecy as blasphemy. We, on this side of the cross, who believe what He said and trust in Him, know His words are true and know His words are far from blasphemy, but a promise to all who follow His teachings. He will come again, just as He said. Right now He sits on the throne with the Father. He leans in close so He doesn’t miss a word. He awaits the message from His father, “Go get your bride.”

With the mention of those words from the Father, Jesus will climb onto those clouds and descend from heaven to get us. His words to the Sanhedrin will come true. He will come to take us away. What a spectacular day that will be. One day, we will see Him sitting at the right hand of the Father, in the place of honor and power and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

No spouse in heaven? (Mark 12:24-27) September 1, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 20-21

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 12:24-27
Jesus: You can’t see the truth because you don’t know the Scriptures well and because you don’t really believe that God is powerful. The answer is this: when the dead rise, they won’t be married or given in marriage. They’ll be like the messengers in heaven, who are not united with one another in marriage. But how can you fail to see the truth of resurrection? Don’t you remember in the Book of Moses how God talked to Moses out of a burning bush and what God said to him then? “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” “I am,” God said. Not “I was.” So God is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are sadly mistaken.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

No marriage in heaven? This year my wife and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. That’s a pretty big deal in today’s society. In a current culture where 50% of church goers divorce, sadly, sticking around with the same marriage partner for 40 years is becoming a rarity. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve kind of gotten use to having her around. I’m not sure I could get use to not having her around. She’s pretty special to me. So when I get to statements like this from Jesus, my eyebrows turn up a little.

Does that mean Carole and I will be separated in heaven? Does that mean we won’t know each other or spend eternity together? Does that mean our marriage will be null and void when we both walk through the pearly gates? No. No. And sort of.

We won’t be husband and wife in heaven. Marital relationships will not mean anything after the resurrection. Why? There is really a simple reason. We, the church, believers, followers of Christ, are referred to as the bride of Christ. We will be collectively and individually in an intimate relationship with Christ. Notice I didn’t say sexual relationship. I said an intimate relationship. John says when we see Him we will know Him and be like Him and see Him like He really is.

I think there will be an intimacy in the relationships we all share in heaven that does not compare with our relationships here on earth. The closest approximation is that of a marriage between a husband and wife as the two become one through years of love and toil and struggle and joy and sorrow and happiness. Those years of getting to know each other better than we know ourselves sometimes. I think that’s the closest we can get with the limitations we have in our current physical frames. But when we get to heaven, when we lose the constraints of these bodies of clay and are resurrected into our new bodies, I think we will enjoy new sight, new thought, new communication skills, new realms of intimacy with God and with each other that we cannot begin to imagine here.

We will know each other. Not just our current spouses, but we will have that intimacy with every one of God’s redeemed. We will have that intimacy with Jesus. We will have that intimacy with God, the Father and God, the Spirit. We will know each other the same way He knows us now we when shed these temporal vessels that house our immortal spirit.

I’ll recognize Carole, not as my wife, but as a fellow saint as we worship together at the feet of Jesus. And I recognize Gery and Ruth and August and Charlene and Nick and… just begin to make your list. I’ll recognize all of those who have gone before and will come after me in the same way I recognize Carole. We will all rejoice at worship at the feet of Jesus. The Bride of Christ. His church. There won’t be any jealousy if I talk to someone else or if she talks to someone else. We have eternity to learn about everyone there. We can hear first hand the stories of Peter and Paul and Silas and Barnabas and Phoebe. We will know each other and relish the time we can spend with each other, but mostly the time we can spend in the presence of God.

Satan jumps on my back every once in a while when I read verses like these. He says, “What kind of place is heaven, if your wife won’t be your wife anymore.” But Satan is the father of lies. You see, relationships in heaven will be perfect. No missed cues between anyone. No misspoken words or misinterpreted phrases. No actions that hurt someone or whose actions hurt me. No failures in understanding non-verbal cues or missing the meaning of an important communique. My relationships with everyone will be perfect in heaven.

And best of all, we will see Jesus! He will be the center of attention for all who go there. The rooms are finished. The furniture is in place, curtains are hung, and pictures are on the walls. He’s just waiting for the Father to say, “Son, go get your bride, your church.” Whichever one of us departs this life first, the other will be sad for a while, lonely for the comfort and companionship and love we enjoy right now. But not long after that, we will be reunited with everyone else who sings the song of the redeemed to be forever together with our Lord. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The God of the living (Matthew 22:29-32), May 22, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Corinthians 11-13

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 22:29-32
Jesus: You know neither God’s Scriptures nor God’s power—and so your assumptions are all wrong. At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the messengers of heaven.
A key to this resurrected life can be found in the words of Moses, which you do claim to read: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Our God is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I sometimes find it amusing to hear the assumptions people make about heaven. It’s been happening a long time as we can see from today’s focus on Jesus’ words. First, you need to understand the Sadducees wanted nothing other than an argument with Jesus. Jesus kept talking about heaven and the resurrection and the Sadducees didn’t believe in a resurrection. They only took into account the books of Moses, the Law, and in those five books of the Old Testament, there is no promise of heaven or a here after or a resurrection.

So the Sadducees came to pick a fight and used the Law God gave Moses to try to trap Jesus in His words about heaven. Seven men marry the same woman after each dies successively. None have children, but they marry her in accordance with the Law to carry out the name of their deceased brother. That’s the law. That’s what Moses told them to do and He got it from God, right?

Well, they forgot Jesus had already come down pretty hard on the Pharisees for questioning Him about divorce. Divorce wasn’t in God’s design, but He made provision for it under certain circumstances because we live in an evil, wicked world. So now, these Sadducees think they can trump Jesus with their heaven question. Jesus has been preaching about heaven and the kingdom, so let’s see if He can answer this one.

Once again Jesus baffles these supposedly educated religious leaders. I like His not so subtle barb, “A key to this resurrected life can be found in the words of Moses, which you do claim to read:…” They think they have it right. They can no doubt recite long passages and never stumble on a single word. They even have their Talmud memorized. So they know all the great Rabbis’ interpretations of those difficult passages. Yeah, they’ve read the words of Moses. But do they get it?

I think that leads us to a few questions we need to answer today. First, have we even read it. Jesus pointed to them and acknowledged their claim. And Jesus really didn’t dispute the fact that they read the words. They could recite them as well as He could. So, the first question for us is have you read God’s word? It’s surprising how few Christians have read the Bible in its entirety. We think that’s for the “holy crowd” or the preachers or something. But if we really want to know God, don’t you think the words He left for us is a really good place to start? So that’s the first question, have you even read His word. If not, today is a good time to start.

The second question is do we understand it’s message? Some, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees like to pick it up and find all the “thou shalt not” passages and beat people over the head with them. They see God’s word as a list of rules we must keep in order to win God’s favor and find our way to heaven. But that’s not what God’s word is. The Bible is really a love story. It’s the story of God’s overwhelming love for the people He created. So much so, that He wrapped Himself in flesh and gave His own life as the redemption price to buy us back into His presence.

It’s a horrible picture to remember, but one that fits when you think of the price God paid for our redemption, but we were slaves to sin. Picture the 18th and 19th century slave ships and their cargo unloaded on the docks. Men, women and children standing on blocks sold at auction to the highest bidder. But we gave ourselves away to the master of sin and became his slave to do with whatever he wanted. But God came on the scene and bought us back. He gave His life to pay the price to break the chain that held us in the slave camps of the enemy and gave us a new life of grace and mercy and love.

He doesn’t chain us to this new life. We can return to the slavery of sin if we want, but why would anyone choose to do that after experiencing the freedom God gives when we ask Him. God’s word speaks of His plan of redemption from the very beginning. It tells His story of grace and mercy and forgiveness from the first sin in the Garden of Eden until John call out on the Isle of Patmos, “Come soon, Lord! Come soon.”

Have you read the book? Do you know it? Do you understand the message of redemption God gave us in His word? He is the God of the living and wants to give you new life, too.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Learn to be a servant (Matthew 20:25-28) May 10, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 21-24

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:25-28
Jesus: Do you want the Kingdom run like the Romans run their kingdom? Their rulers have great power over the people, but God the Father doesn’t play by the Romans’ rules. This is the Kingdom’s logic: whoever wants to become great must first make himself a servant; whoever wants to be first must bind himself as a slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as the ransom for many.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Here’s another one of those speeches that got Jesus in so much trouble. “God the Father doesn’t play be the Romans’ rules.” Once again Jesus turned the world’s thought process upside down. Aren’t you supposed to work your way to the top? Aren’t you supposed to take your knowledge and wealth and power and find a position worthy of your experience as you get older? Aren’t you supposed to try to gain those seats of power in your workplace, in your home, at church, in your social circles?

That’s what the world tells us. There’s this caste system that’s alive and well around the globe. We make it easier to move between castes in this country. You might be born in poverty in the United States, but there are opportunities to break free from it through education and hard work. Your family caste in this country doesn’t lock you into generational bondage. Although sometimes we make it so by following in our parents footsteps.

In a lot of other countries, castes do determine your future. If you are lucky enough to be born into wealth and a higher caste, then you enjoy the privileges of the wealthy. If you are born into poverty, you are subject to remain there with no chance to break free from its strangle hold as long as you remain in that country. Most of the world, unfortunately, still operates under those ancient caste rules. But even in those rigid caste systems, there still remain glimmers of hope. One person in 50 or 100 might break through the bonds by the kindness of someone in the next caste above and be lifted up from the lower caste into the higher one. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens and so there is hope.

But now Jesus is saying it’s the servant, the slave, the people at the bottom of the caste system that will be held in highest esteem in God’s kingdom. How can that be? These people are the beggars on the streets. You don’t even see them. They are there, but if you keep your eyes up as you should, then they are the invisible vermin that populate the roads and ditches and sewers of the city. Why would Jesus insinuate that these people will be first in God’s kingdom?

The priests thought they should be first. They were the ones who entered into the Court of the Priests at the Temple and one of them each year, the high priest, actually went into the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the whole nation. Shouldn’t they be given the seats of honor in God’s kingdom? Weren’t they closer to God that all the scum that littered the roadways?

Well, the world just doesn’t get it. Outward appearance has nothing to do with God’s kingdom. Our position and prestige don’t move God one iota. He is not impressed by the things that impress men. He made the world, so what can we do that impresses Him? We get impressed by the trappings people wear. Have you looked at the pictures from the Hubble telescope? You want to get impressed, take a look at those. God did that. Do you think anything you wear impresses Him?

But that’s not really it either. There are a lot of criminals, thugs, evil people sometimes found in every level of the castes. The poor have their share of evil just as much as the upper crust. The top tiers can often hide their evil a little better by doing so in the name of corporate investment, saving for future retirement, creating jobs by satisfying personal indulgences, and other such disguises.

But God sees our heart. Jesus talks about a servant heart. Do we serve self or do we serve others and in so doing serve God? That’s what real life is about. God created us to live in community and gave each of us different skill sets so we would be interdependent. We can get along with just a handful of people around us. But we thrive when we give our talents to others and let them give their talents in service to us. When we are interdependent, amazing things can happen. It’s like Proverbs says, a rope of three cords is not easily broken. We really do need each other.

So Jesus tells us it’s the servant’s heart in us that takes us to the top of God’s list. The problem with the wealthy, the power hungry, those seeking position more than anything else, they loose sight of what it means to have a servant’s heart and want to be served instead. Jesus turned it around and the leaders didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense to them because they bought into the world’s rhetoric.

Don’t let the world trap you into it’s idea of success. It doesn’t work. It won’t get you a seat on the bus to heaven. If you want to make it into God’s kingdom, learn to be a servant and practice every day. Practice makes perfect.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Where is your treasure? (Matthew 19:23-24) May 4, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 51-53

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 19:23-24
Jesus: This is the truth: it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We’re taught our whole life to become self-sufficient. Learn how to take care of yourself. You don’t need anyone. Don’t depend on anyone else because they’ll let you don’t. Learn to do everything yourself so you don’t need anyone else. Get everything you can because someone will try to take everything you have. Be careful of everyone; they’re all shysters after your treasure.If they have it you don’t, so go after it.

We hear a lot of stuff.

We even hear that the wealthy are happy. They’re the ones that have it made. But if that’s so, why is the suicide rate highest among those above the average income mark? Why is it that it’s the rich that spend the most time in with the gastroenterologist because of ulcers due to stress? Why is it the wealthy that never seem to have enough? Rockefeller put it best when one day a reporter asked him how much more money he really needed. He answered, just one more dollar. Think about that answer just a second if it didn’t strike you on the head the first time.

See the rich can find themselves thinking they don’t need anything else. They can get food by spending money for it. They can get medical care by spending money. They can get clothing and a nice home with their treasure. They can even get more treasure with their treasure. Interest on investments is really fascinating. If you put $1,000 in a good fund when you child is born and leave it there. Good funds will average about 12% a year return over the long haul. So by the time your child goes to college at 18, that $1,000 is worth $8,578. Now that doesn’t sound like much, but remember, you haven’t done anything but put that thousand dollars in an account and left it there, right. But watch what happens if you leave it there until your child retires in another 50 years at age 68. That $1,000 just became $3,359,239.80. Remember, you didn’t do anything to it except leave it alone.

That’s why insurance companies are so happy to sell you life insurance when you’re young. You buy a $500,000 policy for $25 or $30 a month, they bet you live a long time. They invest the money into good stocks and bonds and when they pay your estate the $500,000, they keep the rest. Sometimes they have to pay early and lose money, but their actuary tables are pretty good. That’s why there are a lot of insurance companies and a lot of the CEOs drive big cars and have big houses.

So lots of companies make more money from their investments than they do their products. And many of their senior executives get the idea they don’t need anything or anyone. They have it made with their yatchs and servants and multiple houses and jets and what they think is everything. But most can’t say they are happy because they don’t have the most important thing. Like Solomon, they try it all. They try everything under the sun and find it all vanity, useless, meaningless.

The rich young man who came to Jesus found that true when Jesus told him he still lacked one thing. He kept six of the ten commandments, but failed to keep the first four because his wealth had become more important to him than the Almighty. The young man put his confidence in the things he could touch instead of the God he could only believe. The consequence? The verse before today’s said he went away sad because he was very wealthy.

Jesus says it’s hard for the wealthy to find their way to heaven because they find it hard to let go. They forget the material things of life are meaningless. The world tells us they are so important. We work so hard and at some point we have enough to retire and enjoy the remainder of life in some semblance of rest. But it doesn’t work. We can’t take any of it with us. And when our health runs out near the end of life, what good are all those things? Solomon talks about those days when sounds are muffled and sight is dimmed. Life drags on until we take our last breath. It happens to the poor and it happens to the rich.

The rich think they can prolong life by searching out the right doctor, the right medicines, the right elixir, the right cure. They can’t. Only God knows the day or the time your last breath will come and nothing you can do can change that. Your riches or your poverty cannot change the number of your days. God gives us those days and He can take them away. He allows us to be stewards of His property. He can also take that away just as quickly as well. Ask the executives at Enron. They thought they were invincible. It took just a few words in the right place and their empire came crashing down.

It’s all His, give it to Him, He lets us enjoy it while we’re here, but don’t hang on too tightly. You might begin to think like the young man who went away sad. He thought he was wealthy. But was he really? Where is your treasure?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The keys to heaven! (Matthew 16:17-19) April 15, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 29-30

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 16:17-19
Jesus: Simon, son of Jonah, your knowledge is a mark of blessing. For you didn’t learn this truth from your friends or from teachers or from sages you’ve met on the way. You learned it from My Father in heaven. This is why I have called you Peter (rock): for on this rock I will build My church. The church will reign triumphant even at the gates of hell. Peter, I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you thought much about Jesus’ words to Peter? I have. From the very first sentence, Jesus gives Peter and us a tremendous blessing and responsibility. First, He says if we really know Him, we are blessed. And if we really know Him, it is because we learned about Him from our heavenly Father, the Creator of all things. We come to know Him because of God’s Spirit teaching us from the inside out.

We can know about Him from sages and teachers we’ve met on the way, but to really know the truth about Jesus, we must get that from God’s Spirit living in us. That comes from faith and letting Him rule our lives. We have that intimate knowledge the Bible talks about by letting His Spirit in us control our lives. We must focus on His Spirit in us rather than the desires of the flesh, Paul would say. Then we, like Peter, can declare, “You are the Son of the living God.”

Second, Simon is called Peter or rock because of what he knows. And Jesus says on this rock, some will say on Peter, most will say (and I agree with them) on the knowledge Peter holds, He will build His church. On the truth we can hold within us by the knowledge we can gain only from the Father, Jesus will build His church. His church will grow. He will build it. The solid foundation of His church will be the truth that Jesus IS the Son of the living God. If we ever falter on our belief in this single truth, the very foundation of the church begins to crumble. This statement, this fact, this knowledge of Jesus from the Creator forms the bedrock of the church.

Third, the church will march on. Satan can try to defend against it, but he cannot prevail. Satan has tried his best to turn this verse around in our thought process and put us on the defense saying that hell cannot break down the church. But read the verse carefully. The church reigns triumphant even at the gates of hell. That sounds to me like heaven marches to hell’s gates, not the opposite. Jesus burst through hell’s formidable doors, they couldn’t hold Him. His church can march triumphant on the offensive against evil in this world. We do not need to defend ourselves against evil. Evil must defend itself against righteousness, but Jesus says, evil will lose.

Finally, Jesus tells Peter and the church, he holds the keys to heaven in his hands. Whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever he looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. Does that mean we have the power to damn people to eternal punishment? In some sense, and I’ll explain. Does that mean we have the power to forgive sins? In some sense, and I’ll explain.

I must make clear we are not God and do not have the capacity or the perfect judgment ability to forgive sins for eternal judgment for the day of reckoning all of us will face. But consider this from Ezekiel 3:18, God says to Ezekiel “If I send this message to a wicked person – ”You will die“ – but then you fail to warn him or help him to reconsider his wickedness so that he may not die, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. It will be your fault for not warning him. His blood will be on your hands. But if you do forewarn a wicked person and give him My message, and yet he does not change his wicked thoughts and actions, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. But you will have saved your own life by doing what I directed.”

God’s message to Ezekiel fits Jesus’ message to Peter and to those disciples who come after him in the church. We hold the keys to heaven in our hands. We know how to get there. We know Jesus and know that He is the way to heaven. We know because His Spirit testifies with our spirit that this message is truth. Like God’s message to Ezekiel, if we fail to share that message and shut the door on people by failing to share the message with them, we potentially close an opportunity to find the path we have found to heaven. We ‘bind’ the keys and so ‘bind’ them in our efforts. When we let loose the keys, the message, the good news that Jesus is Lord, the truth, the way, the Light, and Life and others find Him through that message. We loose on the earth and into heaven the opportunity for others to find and believe in Him. We become keys, instruments, tools, to open the door of opportunity to find salvation. We can’t save, but we can be instruments to introduce people to the One who can.

So what is Jesus’ message to Peter and to us, His disciples following after Him? You are blessed if you know Him. Knowledge of the truth of His Sonship to the Father comes from the Father Himself and this knowledge is the bedrock, the foundation of the church. Because of that solid foundation, we, the church can march against evil knowing it cannot defeat us. God has already won the war. It’s just a matter of time until Satan figures it out. In fact, it is our responsibility to share the message of this great truth because we will be held accountable for the use of those keys to heaven we hold in our hands. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven is a net (Matthew 13:47-51) March 31, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Job 25-26

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:47-51
Jesus: Or think of it this way: the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, a net that caught a world of flickering fish. When the net was full, the fishermen hauled it to shore. They separated the good fish from the bad, placing the good fish in a bucket and throwing out the inedible fish. That is what the end of time will be like. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Do you understand?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I’ve never been fishing with nets. I’ve watched a few documentaries about fishing, though. And it seems no matter how good the technology today that helps fishermen find those swarms of fish for their catch, they invariably get nets full of all kinds of fish. If they trawl for tuna, they get a lot of other fish besides tuna. If they are fishing for salmon, there’s a lot more than salmon in their nets. You see, nets are pretty indiscriminate about what gets caught. It just scoops up anything too big to get through the holes between the threads.

It seems to me, when I watch those documentaries, they haul everything out of the sea, pull a release and all the fish come tumbling out on the deck. Then most of the fish go down in the hold of the ship. The fisherman take only enough time to sort out a few of the fish while on deck. Most of them just follow the rest into the huge holding tank in the bottom of the ship.

Of course, today’s fishing boats, unlike those in Jesus’ day, are almost factories on the ocean, doing a lot of the processing while at sea. Part of the crew will start filter the fish as they move through something of a water conveyor into a processing room where the fish are gutted and either preserved for selling, or cut up and used for bait for the next cast. Before the nets are thrown again, the bait goes overboard to attract the fish for the next haul.

In Jesus’ day and still in some parts of the world today, men wade out knee or waste deep and cast their nets into the sea, pull in whatever their nets capture and haul all of the catch onto shore. Once on shore, everything is hauled up away from the water and the fishermen sort out their catch. Of course, by the time all this is done, the fish have been out of the water too long to survive, so they are either sold as edible fish in the markets or thrown away. Go to those more primitive fishing villages and you’ll always find the smell of rotting fish along the shore where those fishermen cast their nets and sort their catch.

And so Jesus uses this familiar scene as He talks to those around Him about heaven. Judgment day will come. God will call and end to time and send His messengers to scoop up everyone who ever lived. No one will escape that harvest of souls. Everyone will be present for that final reckoning. All of us will give an account for the lives we lived. And His messengers will sort the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted.

How will His messengers know the difference? God stands in judgment and sees our hearts. As He gives directions, His messengers carry them out. There are no mistakes because God knows everything and sees everything. He knows those who harbor sin in their hearts and those whose sins have been covered by the blood of His Son’s sacrifice because they have come to Him in repentance. He knows our intent, or motive, or thoughts. He knows everything about us. There will be no errors in His sorting process.

The results from that sorting process should be a little scary for those whose hearts are not right with God. Jesus says they will be cast into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant place to me. Many discount Jesus’ descriptions of hell and assume there is no hell. But Jesus talks a lot more about hell than He does about heaven. Why would He do that if it wasn’t real? I doubt if He’s just trying to scare us. That doesn’t sound like God. I think He continually tries to warn us. He doesn’t want us to go there, but He still gives us the choice.

Why would anyone choose to go there? But they do. Because when you don’t choose heaven, you choose hell. There is no other place. Jesus only talks about two places. You have your choice, but there are only two to pick from. Pick the right one.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven is a beautiful pearl (Matthew 13:45-46) March 30, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 36-38

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus: Or the kingdom of heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. When he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We might associate a little better with Jesus’ parable under consideration today. Some that we’ve talked about the last few days are a little distant from our common understanding, but today we talk about jewels. We see jewelry everyday, so maybe we can understand this one better. Although we don’t see real pearls often, mostly costume or artificially cultured pearls, we still equate precious stones and jewelry with wealth and precious treasure a little more than some of Jesus’ previous examples of what heaven might be like.

Pearls were not so common in Jesus’ day. They didn’t culture them the way we do today. They didn’t have diving equipment like we have. Anyone who found pearls found them by accident and they were rare. Then to get enough of them to make a bracelet or necklace and large enough to drill holes in them without power tools, well, you can imagine the price. But since we are probably more familiar with gold, let’s use that instead of pearls since I think it carries the same message Jesus would convey today.

We’ve seen the cost of gold sky rocket over the years. When I was a kid, the price of gold was pretty stable at just over $35.00 an ounce. As I prepare this podcast, gold is $1217.23 an ounce. We sometimes talk about our weight in gold. As a kid of six or seven, I would have been worth about $1,500 in gold. Today, I’d be worth almost $3.5 million. Quite a difference in both weight and worth through the years, I guess. In any event, gold has increased in value almost 3500%. What does that really mean? It means if you had $100 worth of gold 50 years ago, it would be worth $350,000 today. Not a bad return on your money.

So here again, we have a wise jeweler looking for something of great value. Precious stones pass through his hands every day. He knew when he was looking at something of value. So when this one jewel came into his possession, he knew he had to have it. Like the man who sold everything to buy the field with the treasure in it, the jeweler, knew he must do anything to get that pearl. He sold everything he had to buy that pearl.

So I was thinking about Jesus’ heaven is like a pearl, and thought about a few things in comparison to valuable jewels. Heaven is rare. We think in terms of a few begin rare. We look for those few rare coins as a coin collector. Or those few rare painting by some great artist. Or those few rare moments that stir our hearts and bring warm memories. We can name a lot of rare things if we think about it. But talk about rare. There is only only God and He has one home, heaven. There is only one heaven. If there is only one of something, that by definition makes it rare.

Heaven is valuable. It is worth giving up everything. The writers of the books of New Testament tell us that over and over as they share the message of God’s good news. Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. Paul says we must die to self so we may live in Christ. The early church members gave all they had to the church to share with those in need because of the persecution the church felt. Everything is His anyway, we just need to acknowledge that He owns it and give Him control of it in our lives.

The jeweler was on the lookout for that valuable jewel. He wasn’t just sitting around. He spied out the things that passed through his hands and was looking for something worth his time and effort. He knew there was one special jewel out there that was worth everything and when he saw it, he wanted it. Heaven it like that. If we look for the very best there is to find, we will find Jesus. We will find heaven.

If we never look, though, we’ll never find heaven. If we keep our eyes closed to the truth, heaven will pass us by. If we refuse to do what is necessary to obtain it, it will be beyond our reach. Heaven is worth it. It is beautiful, valuable, rare, and precious. The parable of the pearl helps to teach us just how rich and wonderful it is. But like the jeweler looking for the pearl, we must look for heaven and then commit everything we have and everything we are to finding it. God accepts nothing less. After all, He gave His life for us.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Heaven is a treasure (Matthew 13:44) March 29, 2016

Leave a reply

Today’s Podcast

Subscribe in: iTunes|Download

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Samuel 11-15

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:44
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a field. A crafty man found the treasure buried there and buried it again so no one would know where it was. Thrilled, he went off and sold everything he had, and then he came back and bought the field with the hidden treasure part of the bargain.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus used some interesting metaphors to explain Himself to His listeners – farmers, seeds, weeds, coins, sheep, fields, and now a hidden treasure. All the things He used were familiar to those around Him. They understood far better than we probably do in our city bound service-age with all our technology. We don’t understand much about sheep or farming or plowing fields or pulling weeds. We don’t know much about seeds and planting and harvesting. Many of the nuances of Jesus’ parables probably pass us by because of our distance from the agrarian society in which He and His listeners lived. But that doesn’t keep us from learning from Him or finding out all we can about the culture of His day or the meaning behind His messages.

So what would you do if you happened upon something so valuable it was almost impossible to fathom its worth hidden in some obscure place? What if you were like the man in Jesus’ story? Would you gamble everything you had on that one treasure? Would you sell everything you had to obtain that treasure that you knew would make you one of the richest people in all the world? Would you plot to get the secret of its location and do anything you could to get that field or building or container that held the treasure?

I think if you’re like most of us, you would do exactly like the man in Jesus’ story. We would all like to be wealthy enough not to worry about where money will come from to pay tomorrow’s bills. We would like to have enough money to get the things we want. We would like to know our retirement is secure without worrying about what the stock market will do or whether Social Security will be solvent when it’s time to use it. Probably very few of us would just ignore the treasure if we found it.

So knowing all of us have this part of us that is somewhat like that man in Jesus’ story, why would he compare heaven to that hidden treasure? Let’s think about a few reasons. First and most obvious, heaven is a treasure. Heaven is worth more than we could ever afford. Even though the man in the story sold everything he had, he could never afford such a treasure. The only way he obtained it was because by selling everything, he was able to afford the field in which the treasure was hidden. The treasure’s value was beyond measure. So is heaven. There is absolutely nothing to which we could compare God’s home.

Second, heaven is hidden from the view of humankind. We can find it, but we must search for it. Heaven isn’t just given to us. God says, “Seek Me with all your heart.” He says, “Seek Me and you will find Me” God doesn’t make it difficult to find Him, but He wants to know we are interested in finding Him, too. He wants us to put out a little effort in getting to His kingdom. He doesn’t want our relationship with Him to be one-sided. He’s already died for us, we ought to be able to search a little to find Him.

Third, although we commonly use the word crafty as an adjective to describe someone with cunning, sometimes to the point of using evil schemes to get their aims, Merriam-Webster’s first definition is still skillful; clever. Continually and consistently in God’s word we find that wise men seek God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is found searching for and finding God. So the clever, skillful person is the one who seeks after God and meditates on His word to know Him better.

So here we are twenty centuries later listening to Jesus’ parables. What can we learn from them? We can still learn a lot if we pay attention. Heaven is worth more than we can imagine. It is worth giving up everything to obtain it, even yourself. Give yourself and everything you have to His Lordship. God wants us to find Him, but He also wants us to expend a little effort on our part. Anything worth having is worth working for. So get busy and do some searching in His word and you will find Him pretty quickly. Finally, it is the wise who understand just how precious and valuable heaven is and will expend the effort to get there. Will you show yourself wise by following God’s commands and letting Him be Lord of your life? Once again, it’s your choice. Make the right one. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.