Arrival in Heaven

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

An Extention of Grace

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The Apostle Paul’s work was challenging on a good day, hard work, opposed by many and downright dangerous often. So how did he continue? Well, of course by God’s grace, but here Paul refers to the nitty-gritty of the way God sometimes sent him grace: by other people! That gives me pause to ask: “How can I be an extention of God’s grace to someone else today?”

Following Jesus Every Day

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And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:17-18 ESV

The call of Jesus to us is not just a one time call to find salvation. He calls every morning when we open our eyes and every day we have to choose to follow, because our journey will not be over till we see the streets of Heaven!

The Gardener

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“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1 NIV

Having worked as a professional gardener and tree surgeon for most of my career, this verse reminds me that the first place that God created for Adam and Eve to live was a garden. The Bible even tells us that God planted it for them! I think of that garden sometimes when I sing the hymn, “In the Garden” as it was where God came down in the cool of the day to walk and talk with His children. However: there are two other even more important gardens in scripture. The second garden we find God in is the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus prayed, “If it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done.” There the awful price of our salvation was weighed in the balance and Jesus promised to pay it in full. Yet, there is still a third garden we read of that holds the highest meaning of all. That is the garden, where the tomb of Christ was located. There Mary came to weep, and there Jesus met her, and the walking and talking with Him that day was truly sweeter than any song the birds could sing. I do hope you will be blessed by this rendition of my favorite hymn, “In the Garden,” sung yesterday at our meeting at Discovery Villages. Have a blessed day and I hope that you will take some time to walk and talk with Jesus in all three of these gardens this week.