Written in Heaven

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice 
that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:20 ESV

There are a great many things most of us would like to do or have in life. Many of these things are good and right, such as getting married, getting a job and having a decent home for our family. Each time we reach one of these accomplishments we feel a bit of satisfaction and joy. When it comes to whatever ministry that God has placed us in, the same holds true. Sunday school teachers love nothing better than praying with a child to receive Christ, worship leaders love seeing people raising their hands and singing along and pastors get excited when the altar is filled with people praying. Now, don’t get me wrong, these are all great, but when the disciples came back super enthusiastic from a bang-up mission’s trip Jesus cautioned them to focus elsewhere. He pointed to a day when all our life is over, and our doing is done. The only thing that will matter for us then is if we find that our names are written in Heaven. One way to be sure about if our names are written in Heaven is to search our hearts and ask a simple question: “Where is our greatest treasure?” Jesus told us that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. If we have made Jesus, the treasure of our heart. If we have asked Him to be Lord of our life and to forgive our sins, then we can rejoice not just in Heaven, but here and now. Our greatest joy must always be, not that others praise us or think we are important: not that we have a stack of money in the safe or the latest model car. The greatest joy must be that we have been found by the Good Shepherd and that our lives belong to Him!

Today’s song was recorded this past Sunday at Discovery Villages, where my friends in long-term care loved singing this song. If you listen carefully, you will hear more and more voices as the hymn goes along. That is because they were still coming into the room and towards the end you will also hear some clapping joining the voices. I believe that the joy they are experiencing is because they have realized more than most of us, that none of the things of this world really count for much, but the promises of God will last forever!

Indispensable!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 1 Corinthians 12:22-24 ESV

Indispensable! How I love the sound of that word! Society and sadly even some of our families, certainly do not think of us, who live in retirement or those in nursing homes as indispensable. We who once were the primary caregivers for our children are not really needed for much. Some in long-term care cannot even shower, cook or do the dishes without help. Dispensing with our help is something they have learned to do a long time ago. But the good news is that God delights in calling us indispensable. “In what way can I be indispensable?” you may ask. Here are three.

Prayer: Young people use the phrase, “over the hill” to describe getting older, but in some ways our years put us at a hilltop, from where we can see what our children and grandchildren cannot down in the valleys of life. So, instead of using that perspective to cluck about “That younger generation” God wants us to take time to pray. Because we know first-hand about consequences, and the bumps, bruises and scars of our own missteps and sins, God has taught us to pray, and He will hear and answer the prayers when we cry out to Him.

Connections: Grandad or Nana may not be the first call our kids make when the water heater leaks, the car breaks down or when their kids get in trouble at school, but sometimes we are asked for help. Then we can share the connections we have developed over the years. We know somebody, who knows somebody, or we have “been there and done that,” in that exact situation. Uncle “Google” pretends to know all the answers, but in the midst of a divorce, a disabling accident or a friend’s betrayal, real people with even average intelligence, beat the artificial kind every time!

Counsel: This is tricky, because if we are always offering counsel, we will be ignored (especially if we are right!). We must be patient, so that when they do call to ask our opinion he or she will want to listen. Let’s be sure when that time comes, that we are honest about our own struggles, and then point them to how we have found help in our faith and in God’s promises. We who have lived longer must tell them how we have failed, but with God’s help have gotten back up and gone on. Because we have been weak, He has become our greatest strength. Now our job is to pass it on to them!

God’s Home

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 
Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

When my father passed away, and I sadly began putting his financial affairs in order, I was surprised to discover that he had already put my name on the title to his home. Without my ever knowing it, dad left to me the most valuable thing that he owned. Now my ad was an amazing man, but what he did gives us just a little glimpse of what today’s verse means when it says, “The Lord is my portion.” Because when Jesus gave His life on the cross, God put our name on the title to His home.

When the prophet Jeremiah wrote today’s passage, many of God’s people had rejected Him and as a result were being led into exile as captives. But even at their lowest point, God was already planning for blessings and the return of their grandchildren. In the same way, when we have failed God, we can know that in spite of our sins, Jesus has a plan to lead us back to Him. When we repent and ask His forgiveness, God is faithful to forgive us and to restore to us a priceless inheritance beyond anything we could ever imagine. Then one day we will discover that because of His great and amazing faithfulness, God has become our eternal inheritance and our portion forever!