Eternity, eternity, where will you spend eternity?
Most people don't give much thought, if any, to this question. But the reality is that one day, life on earth will end for each of us and the choices we make here on earth will determine where we spend eternity.
I realize there are many who believe there is no life after death. This is it. Life ends and then…nothing. I find this belief hard to comprehend. How can they believe that complex beings such as ourselves have a limited life here on earth with nothing to follow?
Then there are those who do believe in life after death and they choose to live like there is no tomorrow. They realize they are not living moral lifestyles and admit they are not headed for heaven but they joke about 'partying in hell' with their friends. What drives a person to think like that?
And there are those who also believe in life after death but they think they have to 'earn the right' to go to heaven. They work hard to live moral, upright lives and do good works so they might be able to receive the reward of heaven. They live in fear that they may miss the mark and end up not being 'good enough' to make it into heaven.
The truth is that none of us is, or ever will be, 'good enough' to get into heaven. We have all come short. Yet there is a way for us to be sure we will make it into heaven. That is by accepting Jesus' eternal gift of salvation. Jesus has already paid the penalty for our sins. But this gift is not ours until we receive it personally. All we have to do to receive this gift is to confess our sins to God and ask Him to forgive us and tell Him we accept Jesus' gift of salvation. That's it. So simple a child can do it. So hard to grasp that our minds argue- that can't be all there is to it. But that is all. There is nothing we can do to 'earn' heaven but we can 'receive this gift' from Jesus. So my question to you is one a very dear friend has been known to ask:
"Eternity, eternity. Where will you spend eternity? And what will you do with Jesus?"
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Life Is Like a Kaleidoscope
Recently while I was praying for those who are far from God, and whose lives seem to be hopeless messes, I had a vision of a kaleidoscope where many different pieces make up a mosaic of a beautiful image. If you turn the mechanism the picture changes into another picture different from the first but still beautiful. When a kaleidoscope breaks, all the pieces fall in a pile and seem to be a hopeless mess.
Webster defines a kaleidoscope as:
· A tubular optical instrument in which loose bits of colored glass at the end of the tube are reflected in mirrors so as to display ever-changing symmetrical patterns as the tube is rotated.
· A continually shifting pattern, scene or the like,
· beautiful shape.
God started showing me that our lives are like a kaleidoscope. All of our experiences make up the 'loose bits of colored glass'. When we give our lives to Him, He takes all those experiences (the good and the difficult) and creates a beautiful picture.
If we turn from Him and break our relationship, or feel as if we have messed up really badly and missed His 'perfect will', we tend to look at our lives as being filled with many broken pieces, fallen in a jumble all around us. But when we turn back to Him, He takes all those broken pieces of our lives and turns them into a new beautiful picture.
The message I got from this, is that there are no hopeless messes in God's eyes. He can, and does, and will, take all the broken pieces of our lives and turn them into a beautiful mosaic when we give them to Him. It doesn't matter how far off track we (or our loved ones) have gotten. We don't have to go through life thinking we missed God's 'perfect will' for our lives (the hidden message here being we will never receive His full approval). Yes,...He does have a beautiful plan for each of our lives, but when we mess up He doesn't look at it as a hopeless cause and say 'too bad you missed it'. When we are willing to turn back to Him and surrender all the broken pieces, He will smooth out the sharp edges as He works in our lives and then expertly place them into a new and beautiful picture.
The final image may not be the same as the first one He gave us, but it is new and beautiful to Him. The ever changing picture of our lives is not like a mosaic, which is a rigid picture made up with many pieces of colored glass and set in stone, but like the kaleidoscope that ever changes, as He changes us from glory to glory.
Webster defines a kaleidoscope as:
· A tubular optical instrument in which loose bits of colored glass at the end of the tube are reflected in mirrors so as to display ever-changing symmetrical patterns as the tube is rotated.
· A continually shifting pattern, scene or the like,
· beautiful shape.
God started showing me that our lives are like a kaleidoscope. All of our experiences make up the 'loose bits of colored glass'. When we give our lives to Him, He takes all those experiences (the good and the difficult) and creates a beautiful picture.
If we turn from Him and break our relationship, or feel as if we have messed up really badly and missed His 'perfect will', we tend to look at our lives as being filled with many broken pieces, fallen in a jumble all around us. But when we turn back to Him, He takes all those broken pieces of our lives and turns them into a new beautiful picture.
The message I got from this, is that there are no hopeless messes in God's eyes. He can, and does, and will, take all the broken pieces of our lives and turn them into a beautiful mosaic when we give them to Him. It doesn't matter how far off track we (or our loved ones) have gotten. We don't have to go through life thinking we missed God's 'perfect will' for our lives (the hidden message here being we will never receive His full approval). Yes,...He does have a beautiful plan for each of our lives, but when we mess up He doesn't look at it as a hopeless cause and say 'too bad you missed it'. When we are willing to turn back to Him and surrender all the broken pieces, He will smooth out the sharp edges as He works in our lives and then expertly place them into a new and beautiful picture.
The final image may not be the same as the first one He gave us, but it is new and beautiful to Him. The ever changing picture of our lives is not like a mosaic, which is a rigid picture made up with many pieces of colored glass and set in stone, but like the kaleidoscope that ever changes, as He changes us from glory to glory.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
What Good Friday Means to Me
Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Whether or not you believe it occurred on a Friday or a Thursday is not important. What is important is that we remember the event that is commemorated on that day.
I like what my pastor has called it...God's Friday. In the time of Jesus the day began at sunset on Thursday and continued until sunset on Friday.
And for me...that's when Good Friday begins...the evening before...
When Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with the twelve apostles...then He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray...then He endured the arrest & the beatings...then He hung on the cross for six hours before His death.
If we didn't need a Savior there would have been no need for a sacrifice. His battle for us began in the Garden. It was in the Garden that He travailed in prayer and sweat great drops of blood. He asked the Father to take this cup from Him...and then He submitted His human will to the Father's will. I believe He prayed to the Father for strength to go through with the Divine Plan.
His human nature had to willingly submit to His divine calling for that plan to work. At any point He could have said, "No"... He had the free will choice.
...And He chose to accept the challenge, the suffering, and death on the cross. It was not an easy task...He did it in His humanity. WHY???
Because He loves us...you and me. When I look at the cross I see a symbol of overwhelming love.
...I don't understand it...I could never do anything to deserve it...but I fully embrace and accept it.
SUCH AMAZING LOVE !!!
Even before I knew Him...He thought of me! Jesus knew that if He did not pay the price for our sins that we would be forever separated from the Father. He also knew how much He wanted us to be with Him...forever!
So He paid the price...
WHAT KEPT HIM ON THE CROSS ??
His love for us...and because He could see our future.
Jesus could see past my sin to the day when I would accept His sacrifice as my own. He saw me in my sin and He saw me alone in my bedroom one night in March of 1980. I was reading in the gospels and my heart was breaking as I read about how much Jesus suffered for me. He was innocent...I was the guilty one...and I knew it.
My mind was a whirl of conflicting thoughts... It's not fair that Jesus had to suffer and die...He was INNOCENT! ...Why couldn't I pay the price for my own sins? ...I didn't understand about sacrificial lambs.
I told God that I didn't think it was fair that Jesus should have to suffer and die for my sins...but if that's the way He wanted it...I would accept it.
I asked God to forgive me then and there, and I asked Jesus to be my Savior. As I reached out towards Him, I felt a distinct touch in return...on the tips of my fingers...and an immediate lifting of my burden.
My life had changed forever!
My life didn't suddenly become care free. I still had many problems...but now I knew the Problem Solver and I knew He would help me. God has been faithful to me ever since. He has helped me to learn and grow in my relationship with Him.
It has been the journey of a life time!
I invite you to join me on this great adventure with Jesus!
I like what my pastor has called it...God's Friday. In the time of Jesus the day began at sunset on Thursday and continued until sunset on Friday.
And for me...that's when Good Friday begins...the evening before...
When Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with the twelve apostles...then He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray...then He endured the arrest & the beatings...then He hung on the cross for six hours before His death.
If we didn't need a Savior there would have been no need for a sacrifice. His battle for us began in the Garden. It was in the Garden that He travailed in prayer and sweat great drops of blood. He asked the Father to take this cup from Him...and then He submitted His human will to the Father's will. I believe He prayed to the Father for strength to go through with the Divine Plan.
His human nature had to willingly submit to His divine calling for that plan to work. At any point He could have said, "No"... He had the free will choice.
...And He chose to accept the challenge, the suffering, and death on the cross. It was not an easy task...He did it in His humanity. WHY???
Because He loves us...you and me. When I look at the cross I see a symbol of overwhelming love.
...I don't understand it...I could never do anything to deserve it...but I fully embrace and accept it.
SUCH AMAZING LOVE !!!
Even before I knew Him...He thought of me! Jesus knew that if He did not pay the price for our sins that we would be forever separated from the Father. He also knew how much He wanted us to be with Him...forever!
So He paid the price...
WHAT KEPT HIM ON THE CROSS ??
His love for us...and because He could see our future.
Jesus could see past my sin to the day when I would accept His sacrifice as my own. He saw me in my sin and He saw me alone in my bedroom one night in March of 1980. I was reading in the gospels and my heart was breaking as I read about how much Jesus suffered for me. He was innocent...I was the guilty one...and I knew it.
My mind was a whirl of conflicting thoughts... It's not fair that Jesus had to suffer and die...He was INNOCENT! ...Why couldn't I pay the price for my own sins? ...I didn't understand about sacrificial lambs.
I told God that I didn't think it was fair that Jesus should have to suffer and die for my sins...but if that's the way He wanted it...I would accept it.
I asked God to forgive me then and there, and I asked Jesus to be my Savior. As I reached out towards Him, I felt a distinct touch in return...on the tips of my fingers...and an immediate lifting of my burden.
My life had changed forever!
My life didn't suddenly become care free. I still had many problems...but now I knew the Problem Solver and I knew He would help me. God has been faithful to me ever since. He has helped me to learn and grow in my relationship with Him.
It has been the journey of a life time!
I invite you to join me on this great adventure with Jesus!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Let the Love of God Shine Through Your Life
I was at a friend's house recently and she had a vase of stunning bright blue daisies on her table. As beautiful as the flowers were, the water visible in the clear glass vase was just as beautiful because it was the same vibrant blue color. Together they made a beautiful picture. My friend told me the flowers were originally white daisies which were soaked in blue dye. As the dye was absorbed up through the stem it reached the flower and changed its appearance. When the flower was placed in the vase of clear water, the dye began to seep back down through the stem and changed the color of the water. An interesting thing here is that the flower did not lose it's vibrant color but rather shared the color with the water.
This image came back to me several times in the ensuing days and I began to realize there is a spiritual lesson here. In Matthew 5: 14-16 Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven".
As I began to meditate on this scripture and others, I could see the connection to the vase of blue flowers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 in the Message says in part: …"And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." In the New Century Version 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says in part, "But when a person changes and follows the Lord,….We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like Him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are like the daisies. When our sins are washed away we start our spiritual life as white as the daisies were. As we spend time in the presence of God, absorbing His character and goodness through prayer and studying His Word, we begin to change to be like Him. We begin to absorb the 'color' of His character. The people around us can see this on a surface level as illustrated by the color of the flower. As we continue in the life changing experience of walking with God, His character will begin to seep deep into our souls and spirits and will be reflected through our words, deeds, attitudes, values, and character. This is illustrated by the water changing color to match the color of the flower. And the type of vase is important in this illustration. A vase that is not transparent will still have the same beautiful color of water but it will not be readily seen or recognized by others. A clear vase will reflect the full color in all its vibrancy. So we should aspire to be transparent, clear vessels reflecting the character of God for all to see so they may give praise to our heavenly Father.
Shalom, Judy
This image came back to me several times in the ensuing days and I began to realize there is a spiritual lesson here. In Matthew 5: 14-16 Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven".
As I began to meditate on this scripture and others, I could see the connection to the vase of blue flowers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 in the Message says in part: …"And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." In the New Century Version 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says in part, "But when a person changes and follows the Lord,….We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like Him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are like the daisies. When our sins are washed away we start our spiritual life as white as the daisies were. As we spend time in the presence of God, absorbing His character and goodness through prayer and studying His Word, we begin to change to be like Him. We begin to absorb the 'color' of His character. The people around us can see this on a surface level as illustrated by the color of the flower. As we continue in the life changing experience of walking with God, His character will begin to seep deep into our souls and spirits and will be reflected through our words, deeds, attitudes, values, and character. This is illustrated by the water changing color to match the color of the flower. And the type of vase is important in this illustration. A vase that is not transparent will still have the same beautiful color of water but it will not be readily seen or recognized by others. A clear vase will reflect the full color in all its vibrancy. So we should aspire to be transparent, clear vessels reflecting the character of God for all to see so they may give praise to our heavenly Father.
Shalom, Judy
Friday, March 12, 2010
Do You Ever Wonder Why You Are Here?
Do you ever wonder why you are here? What is your purpose on this earth? What is the meaning of life? Some people never think about things like this, preferring to live for the day, or for the weekend when they can party. Endlessly searching for the one thing that will bring them happiness, and peace to the restless yearnings within.
What about you? What drives you? Is it a search for that one true love? For acceptance? For fame and fortune? Or simply for recognition that you are a person with dreams and hopes that are, as yet, unfulfilled? What drives your engine? What deep longings do you try to quench with ceaseless activities, with the quest for the next party, the next great adventure, the next relationship?
In the quiet moments of our lives we face the stark reality that no one really knows us deep inside, in the core of our being, what we really think or feel about everything. Oh some may know bits and pieces, some more than others. But no one knows the whole story of who you are, every experience of your life, your thoughts and feelings about those experiences and how all these worked together to shape you into the person you are today...you. You may be afraid to let anyone truly know you at the core because you fear they would not like you if they knew the 'real' you.
Would it surprise you to learn there is someone who knows everything about you? Every detail of what you think, what you feel, the sad things, the bad things, the happy things, the good things. The choices you have had and the paths you have chosen. The circumstances that surrounded you that you feel you had no control over. Everything.
Would it surprise you to learn that in spite of knowing all this about you this person loves you with an everlasting love. He longs to have a personal relationship with you. For you to know Him as well as He knows you. Ok, by now you have guessed I'm talking about God. No...He is not some impersonal being 'out there' somewhere who is not interested in your life.
Stay with me for a moment.
Listen to your heart's cry within.
You know you long for this kind of relationship.
He is very much interested in you. After all, He created you in His own image. He put a yearning inside you to know Him. But He does not force this relationship. You can try to fill this yearning in any way you choose. But sooner or later you will come to the realization that all your efforts are in vain because you still feel like something is missing in your life. Does that ring a bell yet?
Does that sound fair? That He would give you this longing and not give you a way to fulfill it? There is a way. When you come to know Him you will discover what it means to experience true joy …not fleeting happiness. You will discover true peace…not temporary security... in your job, ...in your finances, ...in your relationships with other people.
I'm talking about a peace that passes all understanding, in the midst of the happiest times of your life and also the saddest or most distressing times of your life.
Think I'm kidding? Crazy? Fanatic about religion? No. I'm not talking about empty religion or a commitment to a church. I'm talking about a vibrant, real relationship with your Creator, the One who knows you best, and loves you most. So much so that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins. So you can enter into everlasting life with Him. Not just in heaven someday, but beginning here on earth.
If you sense a longing to know more or if you are a skeptic at heart and want to prove me wrong…I encourage you/challenge you to find out more by reading God's 'instruction manual for life'…the Bible. I suggest you start with one of the gospel stories. He did not inspire the writers to tell His story to condemn us or to hem us in with rules. The Bible stories are meant to show us how much we really do need to connect with our Creator to find complete fulfillment in our lives. That is freedom. And we are free to choose to accept or reject the challenge.
What will you choose? What have you got to lose by accepting the challenge? If you want to know more, feel free to contact me. I am not interested in debates but I will be willing to communicate with anyone who is truly seeking to understand who this Jesus is and how He can connect you to your heavenly Father.
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