Our heavenly home

 John 14:2-3

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

It is a sad truth that some people often evaluate who we are based on our earthly homes. They are impressed when the house we live in looks like a mansion, with all the trimmings money can buy. They then perceive us as influential, powerful, and successful in life, even if they do not know whether this is true or not. Whereas a low-key abode in a poorly kept neighbourhood gives them the opposite impression – we are seen as unsuccessful, powerless and without influence in the world around us, again without any known facts by which to form this impression.

But with Jesus, things get turned upside down. He Himself referred to the fact that during His ministry, He did not even own a home to live in (Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”) As a homeless roaming Rabbi, He drew all manner of people to His side – from the extremely rich to the extremely poor. And the emerging first church after His ascension, still so pure in their intention to emulate Him, did not strive to outdo one another with the quality and quantity of their possessions - in fact the rich sold their assets and distributed the money among the poor (Acts 4:34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales). Following Jesus suddenly made sharing with one another more important than owning more than everyone else around.

How would we live if we knew that the most beautiful home in all of creation awaits us? If we understood that the place that Jesus had promised that He is preparing for us, is beyond our wildest imaginations, beyond what every eye has seen, or ear has heard of, beyond what has ever entered man’s heart (1 Cor 2:9)? And it is available to all of us who love Him, it has nothing to do with our wealth status here on earth!

Knowing this will give us hope in our circumstances, whatever it may be. The mansion-dweller, who knows that he cannot take anything with him beyond the grave, might stop striving to create an even more luxurious home, realizing that he cannot here on earth achieve what awaits him in Heaven. The homeless person will be comforted in knowing that he will one day be living in unimaginable splendour!

Pearls to ponder:

Read Rev 4; and also, Rev 21:10-27 and start meditating on the great blessings that await us there. Know that in Jesus you are meant to be there, it is your rightful inheritance – and live accordingly.

Heaven is my home

Being with Jesus

 

Acts 4:13

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Our society is obsessed with formal education. To be the successful candidate when you apply for a position practically anywhere, you need to produce the papers that prove that you have had formal training and passed the relevant exams in the area in which you wish to work.

This is also true about positions in religious organizations. Having a Doctorate in Divinity will normally give you a head start in applying for these positions, and the minimum requirement for any teaching position in religious colleges would certainly be a post-graduate degree.

In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees were exclusive educational groupings that thrived on the fact that they were the best educated men in their society. Their knowledge about religious matters was drilled into them from since they were children, and their whole adult life was spent in studying to master even more complicated religious concepts - they were walking encyclopaedias on all matters pertaining to their particular branch of religion.

But where did all this education lead them? For all their impressive head knowledge about their coming Messiah, they still did not recognize Him when He stood right in front of them. Whereas two uneducated, common men were boldly and with unfettered eloquence proclaiming the truth about Jesus Messiah, healing a cripple man in their midst!

The answer to this stunning contradiction lies in the words of our quoted verse above: “And they recognised that they had been with Jesus”. Having an intimate relationship with the living Messiah Jesus is way more important than studying theology and gaining only book knowledge about Him!

Pearls to ponder:

There is nothing wrong in attending Bible school or enrolling in a religious degree or diploma at university or college. In fact, it is unfortunately a reality that some church groups will not even listen to you if you cannot prove your academic qualifications in theology. It would be necessary to further your education to be able to reach those people.

But before you do, examine your motives in doing so. Are you seeking recognition because your educational level is higher than those around you? Do you wish to have the ‘prestige’ of people addressing you by using an academic title?

Let our motive for all further religious education be to equip us to advance the Kingdom, by getting to know the truth that sets us free. And let our intimacy with Jesus be the driving force and outcome behind all our studies!

Knowing You Jesus

Witness to His resurrection

 

Acts 1:21-22

“So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”

We can easily prove the existence of Jesus through historical records. Apart from the Bible itself, there are also non-biblical evidence given through the writings of historians like Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny. The latter two were Roman politicians, neither of whom liked Christians and therefore would not record anything with the motive of promoting the Christian faith. Even Gnostic writers mention Jesus. Satirist Lucian and philosopher Celsus denounce Jesus as a scoundrel. Archaeological findings, corroborating details given in the Bible about the time Jesus lived in, are numerous. In fact, there was never any debate in the ancient world about whether Jesus of Nazareth was a historical figure.

The apostles were looking for a replacement for Judas, and though they specified that this person had had to be present with them during Jesus’ lifetime, it was not so that he could witness to the fact that Jesus did walk this earth that he would be chosen. It was so that he could witness to Jesus’ resurrection!

And this is the pivotal point of our belief. If we only believed that Jesus existed here on earth, even if we believed that He died a cruel death on our behalf, it would count for nothing if we did not also believe that He was resurrected and lives forevermore, interceding on our behalf. This is where the line is drawn separating true believers in Jesus and non-believers. It is easy to gather people from all belief systems together under the auspices of a One World Church if your requirement to belong to such an organization is only to believe that there was a historical prophet called Jesus, who lived and died somewhere around 33 AD.

The belief in the resurrection of Jesus is what the first Christians were persecuted for, what they were prepared to die for. If you consider the horrible ways in which the apostles of Jesus were murdered, ask yourself the question: Would any of them have been prepared to endure that agony for something that was not true, something that was simply a fabricated story?

Pearls to ponder:

Let us reconsider the basics of our belief. Am I believing the full Gospel - the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Son of God, Who then sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us until He returns again? Also consider the fact that you are saved because someone witnessed to you about the resurrected Christ. Are you prepared to witness to others also? Think about the different ways you can do that and start today!

Send me

Fretting

 

Ps 37:1-2

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

“Fret” is a somewhat archaic expression meaning that you worry so much about something that it eats away at you - this issue consumes your thoughts, you are visibly and constantly anxious about it.

We live in times where, unfortunately, many circumstances lead us into this state of fretting. As South Africans, we face bribery and corruption in politics from the highest office down to the least important official on street level; rampant thievery of huge sums of money meant for public expenditure; violence and murder that have become a very real threat in our society.

And to top it all, the number of leaders of national and international ministries now being exposed for sexual abuse of all kinds.

We might think that things have never been as bad as it is now. But Ps 37 gives us a glimpse of a civilization where we read about evildoers plotting against the people of God (corruption), casting down the poor and needy (thievery), slaying those who walk uprightly (murder). 

And our Lord, understanding us so well, repeats His instruction to us in Ps 37 three times – fret not! In verse one He tells us that the evildoers will wither and die away, leaving no trace of their existence behind. In verse seven and verse eight He says to be still and rest in Him; not to fret because of him who got rich based on wicked practices; and to not let our fretting lead us to anger and wrath. The Lord even laughs at the wicked, for He sees that their own day of defeat is coming! Whereas the meek and blessed of God will inherit the earth. Even if these promises come to pass when we have already gone to be with Jesus, they shall be fulfilled becaue the Word of the Lord has established it.

Pearls to ponder:

Study Ps 37 to see how to navigate your path from fretting about external things, to finding your resting place in God. Master the art of these instructions given there - trusting in God; delighting yourself in Him; committing your way to the Lord; being still and resting in the Lord; waiting on Him patiently. Being merciful and dealing graciously; expecting the Lord.

And then do not forget to take note as you read along of the destruction decreed on all the wicked people, whilst the righteous have a Refuge and secure Stronghold in the time of trouble, who will help them, deliver them and save them – because they trust and take refuge in Him!

Anxious heart

Lilies of the fields

 

Luke 12:27

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

How often we read well-known verses and precisely because they are so familiar, we often do not stop to consider the impact of them on our personal lives. The quoted verse is one of those – it sounds so right, we have heard it so many times, and yet – what is it really saying deep in our hearts?

God made those lilies absolutely beautiful. Even though He knew that they would bloom only for a short season, then wither and die. Even though He knew that they would not be world-changers, or preach the gospel to millions, or produce food for thousands of starving people. Even though He knew that many of them would not even be seen by any human being because of the remoteness of their location.

They are just lilies. Exactly as He intended. And He proclaims them beautiful beyond measure, much more beautiful than Solomon, the richest man to ever live, could ever make himself to be.

What is the secret that Jesus wanted to share with us here?

Those lilies are not striving to produce their beauty or working hard to do something to earn God’s love and admiration. They are not doing the work of God, they simply are the work of God, and in being true to what He made them to be, they are basking in His approval and acceptance.

This should be the uppermost perception in our hearts – to let our lives become the work of God, instead of us striving to do the work of God!

Pearls to ponder:

You are uniquely made by God, and only He knows what His original plan for you is. It is never a great idea to just start working in His Kingdom according to the expectations of those around you, however good their intentions towards you are. We all need to develop an intimate relationship with Him, so that we can become what He intended us to be, rather than to feverishly start doing all kinds of work for Him in the hope of being good enough in His eyes.

Let us use this year to focus on Him, to hear His voice, to only obey His calling, to grow where He planted us and ignore all the other demands on our time and energy and resources. And once you have reached that place of being a willing instrument in God’s hands, have the boldness to start walking that road, even if it involves leaving some familiar things behind.

Trust and obey