Heaven Rejoices

Many of us have been baptized, but how many of us remember our baptism? Depending on your religious background, we may have been baptized as infants, young children, young adults, or even as an older adult. So, remembering it may be near impossible.

For those who were baptized as infants, they may have gone through confirmation classes and been confirmed in a church in their early teens. If so, they may remember those classes and the experience of being confirmed. If you went through that, how was that experience?

I grew up in a tradition in which a person was not baptized until they were old enough to make the decision on their own. We moved between my eighth grade and freshman year in school, and we fell away from the church. Finally, I returned to the church with my own family and was baptized at thirty-seven years old. I can say that I felt refreshed and lighter after being baptized, but there was no visible tearing of the heavens.

When Jesus was baptized, there was a tearing of the heavens. That is hard for us to imagine. Our minds may think of a science fiction scene that shows the sky being torn. Though it is recorded the Spirit descended like a dove, it does not mean it was in the form of a dove. A dove descends softly, with its wings outspread, and lands softly on the branch. In this case, I imagine the Spirit becoming one with Jesus, perhaps dissolving into Him. The Father speaks. I imagine a commanding, booming voice that declares who Jesus is.

Our baptism may not be as dramatic nor rending the heavens in the same way Jesus’ baptism was. Yet, our baptism does create joy in heaven. We are told the angels in heave rejoice when one lost soul repents and comes to be a follower of Christ (Luke 15:10). Therefore, even if we do not see or hear it, the heavenly host rejoices over us.

I pray we all decide to be followers of Jesus. I pray we know heaven rejoices over us. I pray each one of us who have not been baptized will decide to be baptized to show our commitment to Jesus. Know you are loved by God. Know that heaven rejoices for you. Become a follower of Jesus. God will be well pleased with you.

Mark 1:9-11 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Once For All

How good are you at forgiving? Do you forgive others when they do something that offends you? Do you forgive yourself when you do something you know is wrong? Will you accept forgiveness from others? Do you know that Christ died to cover all sins for all time?

Forgiving others can be difficult. If someone slanders us, we may be able to prove them wrong and move on. If they physically injure us, we may heal and put the injury behind us. But forgiving the person for doing these things to us may take a long time to do.

Forgiving ourselves can be even more difficult. There are sins we live with that only we know about. We remember things we did wrong years ago, perhaps as children, and may continue to beat ourselves up about them. We can be held prisoner by these memories, continually trying to make for them. We may even impose the punishment of ourselves on others unknowingly.

I have recently participated in an exercise to demonstrate how our sins are forgiven. It is a simple exercise. You write a sin on a small piece of flash paper. You have a lit candle available. You light the flash paper with the candle and quickly toss it into the air. The flash paper burns very quickly, leaving no smoke and no ash. It simply disappears without a trace.

Jesus died a horrible death on the cross to do the same for our sins. We confess them, ask for forgiveness, and His suffering eliminates them. His righteousness covers our unrighteousness. His perfection covers our imperfection. His suffering was endured so that we could go to God without fear, without reservation, and without hesitation. Jesus gave Himself up so that we can be reconciled with God.

I pray we all know that Jesus died for our sins. I pray we accept forgiveness from Jesus. I pray each one of us will forgive ourselves, knowing that God forgives us when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. Christ died for you. He died so your sins would be forgiven. Learn to forgive others. Learn to forgive yourself. Ask God to help you forgive.

1 Peter 3:18a For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.

Live Your Best Life

Where are you at in life? Are you looking for something but do not know what it is? Do you feel as though you are drifting along without direction? Do you desire to know the path you should travel? Are longing to know you are loved? Are you willing to humble yourself before God?

Many people do not know their place in this world. They continue to wonder from place to place, job to job, and relationship to relationship trying to discover where they belong. They are seeking something they cannot find. Too often, they are looking in the wrong places.

If we truly want direction in our life, we need to turn to God. When we humble ourselves before him, he instructs us along our way. God provides the guidance we need by granting us peace with one choice above others. When we seek him through prayer regularly, we become attuned to his guidance. Our spirit becomes in sync with his Holy Spirit.

God is ready to instruct us. He is ready to guide us to the path that will be best for us. Why? God loves us with a love far more powerful than anyone else can. He is faithful to us when we are unfaithful to him. He continues to care for us regardless of what we do. But it is only when we obey him and submit to him that we will live our best life.

I pray we all turn to God for guidance. I pray we listen for and follow God’s instruction. I pray each one of us will humble ourselves before God, honoring his covenant and obeying his commands. Humble yourself before God. Obey his commands. Know that God loves you. Know that God is always faithful. Live your best life.

Psalm 25:8-10

Good and upright is the Lord; 

therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 

He leads the humble in what is right, 

and teaches the humble his way. 

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, 

for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Heart and Soul

Do you like music? Do you like to sing? What is your favorite genre of music? Do you like multiple genre’s? Have you ever had a song stuck in your head that kept playing over and over all day long? Would you sing a Psalm to God all day if you knew the tune?

Music moves people. Some songs bring us to tears of sadness. Others lift our spirits with joy and celebration. Some songs tell stories, even true stories. Others are just fun bops. Many of the hymns we sing on Sunday’s are based on Scripture and we can sing those all day long.

The hymn “Unto Thee O Lord” is based on today’s passage. As originally written by Charles Monroe, it has an uplifting tune and written with a two-part harmony. Though we may not be able to sing the two-part harmony on our own, we can hear it in our minds. Singing this Psalm will not only lift our spirits, but it is also pleasing to God.

The Israelites and the early church sang the Psalms as worship music. We have largely lost that tradition. Even if we prefer the “old hymns,” which were also new and contemporary when initially written, we are not singing the oldest of hymns. There is a plethora of contemporary Christian music today. Some of us like it and some do not. But what really matters? We are singing praises to God. It is a matter of the heart and soul.

I pray we all sing from the heart to God. I pray we sing Psalms that can lift our spirits. I pray each one of us allow the music to touch our soul while also giving thanks to God for his rich blessings. Sing the Psalms. Lift up your spirit. Give God praise. Thank God for his blessings. Be moved by music.

Psalm 25:1-2

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 

O my God, in you I trust; 

do not let me be put to shame; 

do not let my enemies exult over me.

Keep Your Word

Have you signed a contract? Was it a contract to borrow money to purchase a car? Was it a contract to purchase a house? Was it a contract you signed as you were hired into a new job? Did you read the contract carefully? Or did you glance over it and sign it?

Contracts today contain a lot of legalese. Lawyers have attempted to draft them to cover every possible scenario. They have attempted to close all loopholes. In all their attempts to cover every base and close all loopholes, they have often included other loopholes unintentionally.

God does not go to such an extent. He makes a covenant with us and keeps it simple. His covenant to never flood the entire earth again was simple. The rainbow is the sign of it. For those who are of a scientific mindset, they will say this is ridiculous. The fine water droplets in the air reflect the sun and make the rainbow. So, why believe God did this?

The first thing we must do to answer this question is go back and read what happened leading up to the flood. From the beginning of creation until the flood, there had never been rain. There was a dew that watered the earth. We still have the dew, but not to the extent it occurred prior to the flood. God sent the rain to cause the flood, which was the first time any human had seen it rain.

God’s covenants are simple with no loopholes. They are based on God and us keeping our word. In the case of the first covenant God made with people, it is solely God who makes the promise. Nothing is required of us. We should adopt keeping our word in the same way God keeps his.

I pray we all know God’s covenants with us. I pray we take him at his word. I pray each one of us will follow God’s example, keeping our word and honoring the covenants we make. Know God’s covenants. Trust him to keep his word. Follow God’s example. Keep your word.

Genesis 9:17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Promises Kept

Do you long for promises to be made and fulfilled? Are you longing for someone who will keep their word? Have you had someone break a big promise? Have you been part of a group who had a promise made to them? Do you know God makes and keeps his promises?

Broken promises can tear us apart. Especially if those promises are made to us as children. Any promise that is not kept creates distrust. We start being skeptical about the things a person says, if they have broken a promise. We may even have our hearts broken by a broken promise.

Because broken promises can be devastating, parents must be careful about making promises. They must ensure they can keep the promise they make. Stating we will do something cannot easily be cast aside. For by stating we will, we are making a promise. If we do not treat it as a promise, we do not put much stock in our own word.

Yet, God makes promises and keeps them. We see a promise God made in today’s Scripture, one that he has continued to keep throughout history. One that he will continue to keep until the end of time. We can count on it. After all, he has kept that promise for thousands of years.

As we see God has kept this promise, we can count on him to keep all his promises. As we look through Scripture, we see many promises God has made and kept. God continues to make promises to us today. He wants us to take him up on his promises, trusting him, and living in those promises.

I pray we all read God’s promises. I pray we trust his promises. I pray each one of us will take God up on his promises and live in them by trusting God in all we do. Read God’s promises. Trust in God’s promises. Take God up on his promises. Living in God’s promises.Genesis

9:8-11 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Taken By a Whirlwind

How do you envision going to heaven? Do you dismiss the mystery of God? Do you prefer to have everything explained by science?  Do you want hard evidence rather than believing in the awesome power of God? What if you were taken without dying?

We like for things to be explained. Sometimes that is easy to do. Other times, we rely on complicated science experiments and theories. Still other times we rely on the evidence collected by archeologists or investigators. And sometimes we use our own logic.

But God works in mysterious ways and does things we cannot quickly explain. That can put a seed of doubt into our minds. Or it can increase our awe and wonder of the awesome wonder of God’s power. It can be a reason for us to drop to our knees and worship him. Ultimately, the choice is ours. We can be skeptics or faithful.

Elisha saw something that appears to come out of a fantasy book. He was walking along with Elijah, having a conversation, when suddenly a chariot of fire came barreling down between the two of them, then Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind. We can’t think up anything more amazing!

So, do we believe that is what happened or are we skeptical? If we believe, we should be in awe of how God has worked and continues to work in this world. Our response should be one of praise and worship. God does things we can only imagine, but never achieve. His power is beyond our understanding. We should not easily dismiss the mystery of God.

I pray we all believe in God’s awesome power. I pray we are in awe of what he has done and continues to do. I pray each one of us will bow down to worship and praise God as the Almighty. Accept the mystery of God. Recognize his awesome power. Sing praises to God. Worship him. Give him thanks for all your blessings.

2 Kings 2:11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.

Faithful Follower

Has there been someone you looked up, perhaps idolized, who you would follow to the ends of the earth? Was it a mentor who took the time to both teach and correct you as you were growing up? Is it a parent who you continue to respect and follow their advice?

Having someone we respect and honor can be very good for us. As they mentor us, we grow and mature into the person we desire to be. The right mentor will recognize our potential and provide the best guidance for achieving our potential. They can have a profound impact on our lives.

When we have such a mentor, we often never want to leave their side. We continually desire their wise advice. Yet, at some point, we must become our own person and move forward without them. Perhaps that occurs earlier in our lives. But even if it does not occur until that person’s death, we will have to live without them.

Elisha was dedicated to Elijah. He had learned quite a lot from Elijah regarding how to live out his life to God. Elisha respected Elijah, holding him in high regard. He knew that Elijah was blessed by God with prophecy and insight into God’s will. Elisha desired be like Elijah. Perhaps he thought that he could learn enough to be blessed by God in the same way.

Elisha promised to never leave Elijah’s side. We would be with him until the end of his days. Even as Elisha knew Elijah’s days were about to come to an end, he refused to leave him. His dedication to Elijah would ultimately payoff.

We, too, may be dedicated to a mentor of ours. Perhaps even to the level of Elisha. But we may also mature to the point we no longer need to be with the mentor. We may have learned all we can learn from them. Yet, there is one mentor we can never outgrow, that is God. God should continue to be our chosen mentor throughout our entire lives.

I pray we all have a mentor who provides wise advice. I pray we recognize when we have learned all we can from them. I pray each one of us continue to look to God to be our lifelong mentor. Seek a mentor you can learn from. Follow their wise advice. Continue to seek God’s advice. Trust him always.

2 Kings 2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

The Earth Summoned

Do you wish, at times, there was someone who could call the everyone to account? Do you get tired of all the bickering, complaining, finger pointing, and lack of accountability? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone with the authority to bring everyone together and knock them down a notch?

Holding people accountable can be a challenge. It is even more challenging when the person who needs to be held accountable is a manager or in a higher position than we are. Since there is always someone higher up the chain, we must rely on the higher up to hold them accountable.

There are not many places in which someone can hold a large number of people accountable. Think there is? Spend a moment thinking about it. A coach can call a team to account. A military unit commander can call the unit to account. In the police and corrections units, the commander can hold them accountable. But in our business environments, it is generally done one on one.

Yet, God can summon the entire earth and hold them accountable. In fact, we are told that one day he will do exactly that. For those who are followers of his Son, it will be a glorious day. For those who are not, it will a disastrous day, the beginning of an eternity of punishment. Unfortunately, far too many people don’t believe God will do that or they think they have a lot of time to make a change to their lives.

We all need to take God at his word. We need to believe his promises. We need to live our lives like we believe his promises. For his promises will come true. He cares for each one of us. We can count on the promises he has made that he will take those who follow his Son into eternity with him. We can also count on the promises that those who do not follow his Son will be cast into eternal punishment.

I pray we all believe God’s promises. I pray we choose to follow Jesus Christ and live our lives according to the promises. I pray each one of us will tell others of the promises. God will hold everyone accountable. Believe in his promises. Live your life according to his promises. Tell others about God’s promises.

Psalm 50:1

The mighty one, God the Lord, 

speaks and summons the earth 

from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Light Dispels Darkness

Are you seeking to be led by the light? Or are you comfortable living in the dark? Do you want to be enlightened? Or do you prefer to hold on to ignorance? Would you like to lead others into the light you stand in? Or are you content to bask in the light by yourself?

Tough questions. But ones we should wrestle with. If we do not consciously consider them, wrestle with them, and reflect introspectively, we will be swallowed by the selfishness of our culture. Our own little world becomes all about us rather than considering others.

Take a moment to consider light, any light. Have you noticed the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). Light goes out in all directions. Do this quick experiment. Grab a flashlight, one that you can make into a narrow beam, if possible. Go into a dark room, completely pitch black. You may need to go into a closet to be in a room with no external light. Once inside, turn on the flashlight. Leaving the flashlight pointed in one direction (you may even set it on the floor, so you don’t move it) and look around the room. Though the beam is pointed in one direction, the light spreads beyond, even in the opposite direction.

This is the point being made about God’s light. It spreads. It may not always be as bright in one direction as it is in another, but it dispels the darkness. When we allow God’s light to come into us, it will spread. It won’t occur in a single moment. Yet, it will spread throughout us. Of course, the more time we spend with God, the more the light spreads.

His light comes to us in the form of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and to show us the full glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We can narrow the beam to focus only on Sunday morning, but the light continues to break through in other areas, even if just a little. We also can widen the beam, all the way to the point of being a lantern that puts forth light in all directions of our life. When we do that, we are shining the fullness of Christ to all we encounter.

I pray we all see that light dispels darkness. I pray we decide to widen the beam of light we have been given. I pray each one of us will share the light of Jesus with everyone we meet. Light overcomes darkness. The Light has shone in our hearts. Spread the light of Jesus. See the glory of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.