Processing with Eternal Filters

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  John 14: 1-3

The followers of Jesus were having a difficult time understanding him when he talked about heaven. Not ever having heard this concept before, their minds continually returned to the here and now – the tangible. They were stuck in the rut of earthly thinking.

We are creatures of the same habit. Often in our spiritual lives we internalize the principals of Jesus’ teaching. But internalizing is only temporary. Our focus should be on eternalizing our thoughts and actions. Thinking in terms of our beliefs having an eternal effect puts perspective on what we do and say. Our vision of life should extend beyond our life on this earth.

God has given us a glimpse of heaven and it’s a picture that is almost too big for us to comprehend. But when we change the way we think, and keep our eyes on eternity, the concept becomes clear. Are we processing our beliefs through eternal filters?

Life is not about the here and now. We must let go of internalizing life. Think bigger than you have ever thought before, then think even bigger than that! You will be closer to understanding the kind of place that will be your home for eternity.

Are you internalizing or eternalizing?

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14: 1-3

The followers of Jesus were having a difficult time understanding him when he talked about heaven. Not ever having heard this concept before, their minds continually returned to the here and now – the tangible. They were stuck in the rut of earthly thinking.
We are creatures of the same habit. Often in our spiritual lives we internalize the principals of Jesus’ teaching. But internalizing only makes things temporary. Our focus should be on eternalizing our thoughts and actions. Thinking in terms of our beliefs having an eternal effect puts perspective on what we do and say. Our vision of life should extent beyond our life on this earth.
God has given us a glimpse of heaven and it’s a picture that is almost too big for us to comprehend. Turning our small vision of God and the home He is preparing for us into something we can grasp is difficult. But when we change the way we think, and keep our eyes on eternity, the concept becomes clear.
Life is not about the here and now. We must let go of internalizing life. Think bigger than you have ever thought before, then think even bigger than that! That will get us closer to understanding the kind of place that will be our home for eternity.

It Just Never Ends

"You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever." Psalm 16:11


I've been a Christian for all of my adult life. I've fallen short more times than I care to admit, and I've had victories and grace that I didn't deserve. I have searched the scriptures, written about God, and shared His word with others in studies, speeches and song.

What continually amazes me is that in my 40 or so years of knowing Him, what I actually know is only a drop in the bucket of all there is to discover. I will say part of me is frustrated over that. Part of me is excited. Mostly, I'm just dumbfounded.

We never arrive, and I'm one of those people who wants to arrive. But God wouldn't be a god worth worshiping if we could come to the end of our knowledge of Him. His greatness and vastness has to be beyond time and space, beyond our comprehension in order to be God.

So we keep striving to understand, know, connect and discover with our creator. It will take eternity to satisfy me. So glad I accepted the invitation to go.

Who holds your future?

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. Revelation 21:4-6

It’s a new year – a time when everyone takes time to look back and look forward. Self evaluations bring hope, fear, depression, excitement – the gambit of emotions. Somehow we feel the necessity to celebrate a new start, a new beginning, another chance at our dreams and goals. The parties go on all over the world.

But Father Time goes on without knowing it’s a new year. Not even God takes note of our man made milestones. The significance of newness is not measured by what we hope the future will hold. What will 2010 hold for us? What is our 5 year plan for life? Where do we want to be in 2020? What do we have to look forward to in our distant future?

The answers to these questions might be very important to us for our lifetime. But what about the question of eternity? What does that hold for us? There will be no marking of time then. We will not be looking back anymore, and we won’t have to deal with old issues or problems. Behold, all things will be made new! No more sorrow or pain, no broken lives, no insecurities, no fear of the future. My thirst will be forever quenched – how about yours?

It will be a new beginning that will never end. Now that’s a party I don’t want to miss.

So I Fall

“So brace up your minds, and, as men who know what they are doing, rest the full weight of your hopes on the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ reveals himself.”
I Peter 1:13 The J.B. Phillips Bible

This verse reminds me of the exercise you might see at a group therapy session, or at a youth retreat. One person stands with their back to a group of their peers or friends. He puts his trust in them, that they will catch him as he falls backward into their arms. It can be a scary experience, especially if you don’t know the other people well. The exercise of trust is putting your full weight into another’s hands.

What is your full weight? It’s your life – all of you. Whose hands are they? Jesus’ hands.

We live our lives, pressing through each day, with an assurance that we can trust Him for grace, happiness and eternal life. I can’t wait for the day when Jesus will reveal himself totally. I will stand before him, weeping and jumping for joy. In Him lies all that is worth hoping for. He deserves all our worship, yet he came to serve us in this way. He points us to the Father with his love.

The pain of this world will disappear when we see the gates of our new home opened by the lover of our souls. We are to consider soberly what God has done for us in his great mercy. Even when we feel despair, anguish or fear, He is standing behind us, waiting for us to fall into his arms.

Will you trust Him to catch you?