God.Loves.You.

You have heard these words often, but to a young teenage girl, born into a dysfunctional family, living in the wrong side of town, they were the words which were the catalyst for decisions that affected her life, and those of many others. She heard the words from a respected and trusted Godly lady, but instead of hearing the word ‘you’, she recognised the words ‘God Loves me’. It wasn’t too long after that exchange that this little urchin fell into the grace of God, and the love that was hers to claim.

At the time, these words were spoken in general to a group of girls at a church club, not as a sermon or gospel message, but in open conversation. This older lady had a motley group of girls in her care just once a week, and she loved every one, and coveted them for the Lord. The others in the group also heard the same words, but this time, and for this teenager, these words were for her, and as though spoken to her alone.

She was one of a large family who had serious social problems, and as the oldest girl had many responsibilities placed on her young shoulders, to her siblings and for her parents, and yet she still loved them all. You could say that she was a modern day Cinderella, but she wasn’t looking for a golden carriage, or a handsome prince because she had found her Lord and Saviour, and that made everything she did worthwhile, and so she carried her duties with a generous smile. Oh what a smile!

Both of the ladies in this story are now in heaven, reaping their just rewards for lives lived for the glory of the God who loved them and accepted them as they were, but who went ahead and changed them from the inside out. I would like to think that eventually the younger girl did meet her prince, get married, live happily, and show her own family, and in turn their families, the loving Christ centred life she never experienced as a child. The legacy of both Godly women live on to this day in the hearts and minds of their families and friends to the first and second generations.

When you speak the words of God’s love, you do not know the impact they will have on a receptive heart, resulting in a Godly influence on others for the duration of their lives. The young teenager who heard those words which changed her life, cannot speak for herself, but those who were touched by her life can. She died as she lived, in the safety of the love of God. Her God. And all because she heard the words, “God.Loves.You”. She was more than happy to live and love the Words in 1 Peter 4:7,8: “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Can you call Him your God too? Has He covered your sins by His love? Her little Sunday School Bible was tear stained around some of her favourite verses in John 14:1-3 where we are all assured: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” That promise has now been claimed, and her reward is being reaped now and forever in Glory along with all those who have gone before, and yes, the ones who will join her and their Saviour for eternity. Amen and Amen to that promise.

Reality Check

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20,21 NIV

Sometimes I desperately need a reality check. If you follow these blogs, you will know I tend to keep an eye on the news reports, and then try to make sense of the sad headlines. There is nothing wrong with that of course, but it is good to be refreshed by taking a step back, and seeing the bigger picture. My life and future is not all wrapped up in a newspaper headline like a fish supper. I have another outlook, and a better one at that.

The problems of government and politics, and even human suffering is not the story. At least not mine. I am here for a short while, placed in this world for a purpose and for a time which is not in my hands. My own health, or that of my family and friends concerns me, but that is not the overriding issue either. It is even bigger than that. I have a vivid memory of an older saint who was told by his doctor to set his affairs in order because he was on borrowed time, and would soon die. “No”, he told the doctor, “I’m not gonna die, I’m gonna live forever.” I loved it when I heard it, and it still stirs me now.

We don’t live here. Our passport only tells part of the story, because our real country is heaven, and our citizenship is there, if we have claimed the Saviour as ours, and accepted His great free gift of eternal life. Another old saint once told me, “Don’t let anyone, or anything get between you and heaven”. He was fighting his own very serious health problems, and was still focussed on his heavenly home. I am sure he made it!

So, while this natural world wrestles with civil wars, atrocities, inhumanity and wrongdoing on a grand scale, I take a reality check, and remind myself that I don’t belong here. As an old gospel song says, “I'm kind of homesick for a country, to which I've never been before. No sad goodbyes will there be spoken, for time won't matter anymore.… Beulah Land.” Did somebody just say ‘amen’?

Heaven

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. Romans 8:15-18 The Message

‘Heaven’ is one of those words that conjures up differing images to different people. It is a vague word most of the time, probably because we have only a small idea of what the place will be like. In fact, most people accept that heaven is real, and will cling to the idea that their loved ones who have passed away, all of them, are now there! Most religions have a heaven for their members to be gained after death, and that is good, because it is true and based on Scripture.

Having been to a number of funerals in my time, I have heard that everyone who dies, goes to heaven. I have never heard any minister or pastor say that the person being laid to rest is bound for hell. Now simple logic says to me that ‘if there is a heaven to be gained, then there must be a hell to shun’. Otherwise, what’s the use of having a heaven if we will all end up there anyway, no matter how we live our lives? I accept that we cannot be the final judge, because only God can do that, but we do get ourselves lulled into a false sense of security if we only ever link death to heaven without consequence. Truth demands that we treat both heaven and hell seriously.

You may ask what evidence we have for their being a heaven anyway. I attended a funeral yesterday, of a dear lady who lived a long and Godly life. We heard not just about the people who were touched by her witness, but of her faith during uncertain times, and in almost impossible situations, when she trusted while she did not understand. Her favourite verse was, “Be still and know that I am God”. This lady was stilled, and she did know her God in a personal way. Ask her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Ask her friends and neighbours. Ask those who knew her in any way, but most of all find out about those whom she led to a saving knowledge of her Saviour Jesus Christ. As I thought about the troubles we all carry, I am encouraged once again to be still and KNOW that He is God, and He is the only one who knows the end from the beginning. Maybe I don’t stop worrying and wondering, but I am learning, slowly, to be still in His presence.   

I saw the clearest evidence of belief in heaven while talking to a family member who had just laid his Mum to rest. Among other comments I made the statement that she was ‘home now’ and a big knowing smile lit his face. There was no doubt, and the word heaven was not mentioned. For me, that makes all the difference, because for the child of God at the end of this life, Heaven IS Home. What better words to hear than: “Well done good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of your Lord” Matthew 25:21

Finally, should the words recorded by the exiled Apostle John not make us want to invest in our future home now, while we have the time and opportunity? Why take a chance with our eternal future, when we have this promise:  ..and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4 NKJV

Home

There usually comes a time, even when you are having a great holiday, whether long or short, you just feel like 'getting home', and nothing can shift the feeling. I have felt it on many occasions, and invariably the feeling only settles when I actually get to rest in my own place. My own chair. My own bed. My own family and friends. This is no reflection on the place you had been staying, or even the folks you spent your vacation with. It's an unshakeable and unmistakeable feeling. An itch that has to be scratched.

The first time the words truly hit home to me was from the lips of a great Christian man. A Godly example, and the greatest earthly influence on my life. In later life, Dad suffered from Parkinson's Disease, and took his illness with grace. He didn't grumble or complain about his lot, or ask us, or God, why this had fallen to him. However, there came a point when he had his eyes firmly fixed above, and said to me, 'I just want to go home'. Naively, and in my human thinking, I started to explain why he couldn't go home yet, after all, his treatment had not been completed. With a wry smile, tinged with a mixture of anticipation and yet sadness, he repeated with all the strength he could summon, "No, I want to go HOME"! There was a difference. It was etched on his face. I knew instinctively what he meant, and yes, he is really home now.

I have heard those same words since then, and have known what they meant, first time. Maybe you have too. Always spoken by Saints of God who can feel the tug of a loving God, saying to them, unmistakeably and personally; “It's time to come Home now my child.” My own prayer is that I will have enough grace to walk this life in humility, with all the ups and downs allotted, and still be able to say, "I want to go Home" when that unmistakeable tug pulls at my Spirit. Strangely, even from this vantage point, on this side of heaven, and with no desire for it to be soon, it does not strike me with fear. On the contrary, the concept of a waiting Heaven, with all the glorious benefits to be gained, can only be good. I acknowledge our Pastor's teaching on this truth, and I know it is a subject close to his heart too. In the meantime, slowly and surely, the words "Live Ready" take on more and more meaning!

The question is simple: “Where is your Home”?

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt 6:20-21 (KJV)