A Taste Of Heaven

I have heard it said that each of us has a hole in the heart that only God can fill. That hole can never be filled completely until we are in our eternal home with the Lord.

Love Your Enemies

Matthew 5:43-48 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate your enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)

Jesus teaches that to be like God, we have to do more than what comes naturally to us. We all love people who are nice to us. But it isn't easy to be nice to those who are mean to you. But that's what God did. He takes care of everyone, and sent His son to die for all, even though they did not all treat Him well.

Jesus says we must love our enemies. What does that mean? Does it mean we must feel affection for them? No, it means that we must treat them as well as we treat people we like. We must be kind and respectful to them. We must put their needs before ours. We must not treat them badly.

The Bible says "a soft answer turns away wrath." (Prov. 15:1) And by being nice to someone, we can bring them to shame. (Prov. 25: 21,22) It is difficult for someone to continue being mean to you if you don't let it get you angry. It takes away their fun in it. So God's advise is not only the better way to handle the situation from His end, but from ours also.

The Great Commission

When Jesus left this world, he commanded us to take the Gospel to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Notice that Jesus commanded “even to the end of the age.” These two verses are often referred to as The Great Commission, and a lot churches in my neck of the woods, and around the rest of the world, are not honoring the Lord’s command to us. This is the greatest single failure of Christians and Christian churches around the globe. The day will come when Jesus will deal with us for ignoring his command to us.

The Great Commission

When Jesus left this world, he commanded us to take the Gospel to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Notice that Jesus commanded “even to the end of the age.” These two verses are often referred to as The Great Commission, and a lot churches in my neck of the woods, and around the rest of the world, are not honoring the Lord’s command to us. This is the greatest single failure of Christians and Christian churches around the globe. The day will come when Jesus will deal with us for ignoring his command to us.

rose color glasses

You see the world through a variety of lenses. On good days, those lenses are colored with faith, hope, and love. On other days... well, you know how it goes. You interpret life through lenses of worry or dissatisfaction, maybe discouragement or even despair. It’s easy to believe whatever spin the world puts on your life.

But only one perspective counts: God’s. And the only way we can see through His eyes is to know His Word.

How to Do the Right Thing

Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
—1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

It is amazing how we can rationalize sin in our own lives, yet when someone else does it, it is wrong. We have little double standards that we develop, thinking that what is acceptable for us isn't acceptable for anyone else.

When you are wondering whether something is okay to do as a Christian, here is something you should d Pray about it and bring it into the clear light of the presence of Jesus Christ. Ask, "Is this a situation that makes me more vulnerable to temptation? Can I ask God's blessing on it?"

For example, you would never pray, "Lord, bless us tonight as we go out and party and get drunk. We pray that no one will get a DUI and that I won't say something I will regret in the morning." Or, "Lord, bless me as I divorce my husband—my faithful, decent Christian husband who has loved me. Just bless me as I divorce him, because I met a cuter guy that I want to marry instead." We would never verbalize such prayers, yet some Christians will do these things because they rationalize them. When you pray about some things you are about to do, bringing them into the clear light of the presence of Jesus Christ, you just might reconsider them.

Something else to think about is how you would feel if you saw another Christian doing the same thing. Would it seem wrong? The Bible tells us to avoid the very appearance of evil. So it is not only a matter of doing the wrong thing, it is even doing something that would look like you are doing the wrong thing. Avoid even that. Be smart about the choices you make. And as much as possible, stay out of the way of temptation.

Goodness, Grace and Glory

There are so many things that you could ask for from your Heavenly Father. Perhaps you would like a new job, new home, or even a healed relationship. You may be praying for financial stability, health, or the process and path to a better life. God desires to provide you the things you need to be the best that you can be. He may also withhold something from your life because He knows that if you were to obtain it, you would have less that desirable results. It is quite a balancing act really. There is a time and place for each blessing and the Lord knows exactly the right moment to introduce or keep something from your life.

God is goodness, grace and glory. He is the beginning and the end. He has the ultimate knowledge of your life and what you need in it. There may be times when you think He is not hearing you and you may even doubt that he exists. Don't let you humanness get in the way of the divine authority, power, and love of God. Next time you find yourself doubting His purpose for you or questioning His intent, stop and remember that He only can provide that which is good. He always delivers grace. He live and reigns in glory. That is the God that you serve and the God that loves you. With that how could you ever go wrong?

Are You Hiding It Under A Bushel?

Our faith needs to shine no matter where we are, at work, at play, at school. It is important that our language is filled with words about God, Jesus, love and the church. By what we say, we show that we love God. We need to use the words, God, Jesus, Christ, Bible, faith, church as part of our language. Do you use those words as part of your language? Are those words part of your vocabulary? Or…do you hide it? When you get out into the world, do you hide it? But when you come to church, do you pull out the light and put it on a lamp stand? Do you hide your light when you are in the world but turn it on when you are in the presence with your Christian friends? We need to let that light shine out there in the real world.