Heaven

I Want To Go To Heaven

[336 words] “Every athlete exercises self-control…They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one…” (1 Corinthians 9:25) John “Pepper” Martin played for the St. Louis Cardinals and was the star of the 1931 World Series. Following one of those games, Pepper was interviewed by a newsman. The first question he was…

An Exciting Eternity

[248 words] Do you ever wonder how you can live forever without being bored? One fellow said he didn’t want to live forever because life on earth is so monotonous. His comments reminded me of a college professor’s sneering statement to his class (a class I was in) that he couldn’t think of anything more…

This is Not Heaven!

[193 words] Why do bad things happen to Good People? This is a most perplexing question, even for many religious scholars. Possibly the best answer that could ever be given came from the mouth of a little child, David Jones, son of Blake and Rebekah Jones. David said bad things happen to good people because,…

Missing Our Loved Ones

[326 words] Not an hour fades from the clock that doesn’t find us thinking about, missing, or longing to be with our friends, neighbors, family members, or spouse that has already passed away. We know the void we have is a result of the deep love we shared. We are confident in the expectation of…

If I Miss Heaven

[165 words]  I’ll miss the greatest, grandest, most glorious place ever conceived. (Revelation 21:1-4)  I’ll miss a grand reunion with Christian family members who preceded me. (Genesis 49:33) I’ll realize the tragedy of taking for granted the blood Christ shed in sacrifice for me. (Hebrews 2:9)  I’ll recall forsaken opportunities to be a child of…

I Beseech You as Strangers and Pilgrim

[249 words] “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against your soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). I’m often amazed at just how many people there are, both within and without the church, who live as though this life is all there is and will ever be. Their affections…

Looking Ahead

[279 words] “Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad” (Psalm 14:7). What is ahead? We may be surrounded by ridicule, by persecution, by a distressing picture of mankind’s irreverence toward God, and by man’s inhumanity toward others,…

To Have and to Lose

[542 words] There is “a time to get, and a time to lose” (Ecc. 3:6). Suffering loss is a part of living. We lose money. We lose health. We lose friends. We lose loved ones. We lose our happiness. Life is a constant cycle of ups and downs, gains and losses. Circumstances beyond our control…

Feeling North

[303 words] Liviu Babitz can actually feel north. Implanted in his chest is a small device, called North Sense, which vibrates when the wearer faces north, and Babitz is one of the first recipients of the technology (Smithsonian Magazine, January 18, 2017). God gave humans five general senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. The…

Heaven Will Surely Be Worth it All

[376 words] Thirty years ago, on a Sunday morning, I was in a 15-passenger van with a deacon of the local congregation picking up kids to bring them to Bible study. I remember it as if it were yesterday. The van was packed to the gills with children, and my job was crowd control. It…

God’s Faithful Children

[308 words] “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). This verse from the Psalms causes our minds to reflect on the many Christians who have passed from this life. We know that, in spite of the great strides in the world of medicine, death comes to everyone.…

Scarier Than Halloween

  [274 words] One person had a dream about hell. She said, There was nothing but desolation and hopelessness. You walk toward the gates of hell knowing that you will never again be free. I got to the gate and the keeper said, “Hold it.” I stood outside hell, and I saw people whose faces…

Do All Dogs Really Go to Heaven?

  [497 words] Every year on October 4, a growing number of churches involve themselves in a “blessing of the animals” service. This “blessing of the animals” is rooted in the Roman Catholic Church as a part of observing “Saint Francis of Assisi Day.” However, in more recent times, more and more protestant churches have…

This World is Not My Home!

  [505 words] It just makes sense that the Lord’s people should discuss their future destination. It also makes sense that we talk about heaven because of the terrible things that happen in our world which remind us that life is short. As a favorite song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just…

Are You Excited About Heaven?

[360 words] Lets talk about heaven. Are you excited about heaven? If there was a bus going to heaven today, would you be ready to jump on board and go home? Many people claim to want to go to heaven, but few people want to go right now. Over and over I have seen the…

Your Next Home

[298 words] Financial experts tell us our homes are our largest asset. An average house in 1973 was 1,660 sq. ft., while in 2015 an average house was 2,687 sq. ft. Numerically, families continue to decrease in size compared to previous decades. Our homes are very important due to values, not needs. We are blessed…

When We Walk With God, the Best is Yet to Come

[202 words] Youth! As children, we thought that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t achieve. And we believed we could become anything. Astronauts, famous scientists, sports stars, movie stars, presidents, and generals! But then we grew older. Life began to beat us down. Victories were fewer than defeats. Health began to wane. And most people my…

When We All Get to Heaven

[195 words] There is a wondrously upbeat song that many love to sing in our worship services. The refrain goes like this: When we all get to Heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory! The problem with that song is that not…

Our Citizenship is in Heaven

The spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God and of His Christ was never fully comprehended by the Jews. In fact, I seriously doubt if most Christians truly comprehend the depth, richness, vastness and greatness of this everlasting Kingdom. God has always been the Sovereign over His creation and thus Israel needed no “earthly” king.…

Let Go Of The Past

The passenger tapped the cab driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk, and stopped inches from a department store window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, “Look mister, don’t ever…