Prologue to Book

This guy’s walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up: “Hey, you! Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up: “Father, I’m down in the hole. Can you help me out?” The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

Then a friend walks by: “Hey Joe, it’s me. Can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.”

The friend says: “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

This is a clever little story, but also undeniably true. Once we fall into grief, when we don't know how to get out of the hole of sorrow and despair over the loss of a loved one, we need a friend to show us the path to life again. In this book you and I will journey through the Scriptures together, seeking a way out of our present darkness into the light of God's eternal gift of Heaven.  Together we will see that the only lasting and satisfying solution to our grief is to fix our eyes upon God as He demonstrates His care for us through His Word.

The Grand Finale

We have come to the last stop on this journey through the Scriptures. My goal in writing this book was to comfort you in your grief by the reality of Heaven. With Revelation 21 we have arrived at the most famous of all afterlife passages. I’m guessing that probably half of the sympathy cards I received after my son’s death quoted at least some of the following verses:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ ” (Revelation 21:1-4)

Having grown up in Massachusetts and then residing in Southern New Hampshire for many years I became accustomed to the phrase: “Reverse the Curse.” Any baseball fan would recognize this as the attempt of the Red Sox to overcome an 87-year drought of winning the World Series. That finally happened in 2004.

When I become a Christian in early adulthood, the phrase “Reverse the Curse” took on an entirely different meaning for me, which is epitomized by this portion of Scripture. On the cross, through Christ’s death and resurrection, the curse of our sin is eliminated. His work repaired the breach between man and God, allowing us access into Heavenly realms. The ultimate thrill will be when death is no more; when death is dead, there will be “...no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” The curse will be completely reversed. Isn’t that what we long for now?

Long ago Adam and Eve were privileged to walk with God in the Garden of Eden, and one day we will be granted that same delight. Our loved ones are experiencing this wonderful reality right now; they are in complete fellowship with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. “... and God Himself will be with them as their God.”

God has already wiped every tear from our loved one’s eyes; shouldn’t that image help wipe away ours as well?

Endurance

It has been said that Revelation, the final book of the Bible, is one of the most difficult books of Scripture to understand. That is a well-deserved reputation, which should make us cautious in interpreting it. Nonetheless, Revelation contains some of the clearest passages on Heavenly realities found in the Bible. For instance:

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Revelation 14:12-13)

Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one knows about endurance. Every daily action calls for deliberate endurance: getting out of bed in the morning, showing up at work, answering phone calls, making dinner. The most routine tasks seem insurmountable when we are weighed down with grief.

But endurance in the faith is even more of a battle. We are so disappointed in God’s providence, so anxious about others, so fearful that someone else will be taken from us. Our minds are too confused to study the Bible and too distracted to focus on Sunday morning worship. Our hearts break with sorrow and our bodies hurt with various pains. And prayer? When we try, we can barely eke out a “Help me, God!”

How can we endure? By focusing our attention on the second of these verses. God is telling us to persevere because we have great treasures stored up in Heaven. Those of us who keep the commandments of God and our faith, weak though it may be, will eventually have rest from all our labors. God is telling us here that we are blessed; in fact, He says that twice in this passage. We should believe that we are blessed, and that we will be blessed, if we endure until the end.

What we do here on earth is mysteriously carried over into the next life. We only have glimpses as to how this will be manifested - but everything in the Bible is true.  Our deeds will follow us. There is some level of continuity between our lives here on earth and our lives in Heaven. Our loved ones understand this now, while we can only imagine. So we read and believe what God has promised, and so we let our souls be encouraged. A voice from Heaven has spoken to us, and we look forward to the rest from our labors that awaits us.

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow.

Have Mercy

Throughout this entire book we have been assuming that one day we will see our loved ones in Heaven. But what if you aren't convinced that your daughter or mother or sister really accepted the gospel as presented in the Bible? What if you are unsure as to the eternal salvation of the one you are mourning? We’ve all been taught that as Christians we should not take or give false hope to those who are left behind with just ambiguous or confusing evidence of the faith of a departed loved one. What are we to do?

There is a very small verse in the book of Jude which might help. Very simply, it states:

“And have mercy on those who doubt...” (Verse 22)

Short of having a reliable ‘born-again-o-meter,’ we might not have perfect assurance that our loved one is in Heaven. This verse, though, gives hope to those who wonder. God is commanding us to have mercy on those who have doubts about matters of the faith. This verse certainly implies that God Himself is compassionate toward those who are plagued with skepticism or weakness or confusion. Why wouldn’t we follow His good example?

After all, wasn’t God merciful to us as we were coming to faith? God was certainly patient toward us when we were on our path toward belief. How do we know how far along our loved one might have been?

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Let us be merciful as God is merciful.

More Precious Than Gold

It’s been said that “everything is perspective,” and this is true in the area of grief as well. What we felt like and believed on Day #1 of our bereavement is different from Year #1 or Year #5. The further we are removed in time from the loss of our loved one, the bigger our perspective is of the entire experience. For most of us, our healing comes slowly, and our sense of joy more slowly still. But one day we will be able to see the “big picture” for what it is. There is a passage in the first chapter of 1 Peter which helps us to keep the right perspective in the midst of our mourning:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Verses 3-7)

We know that we have been “...grieved by various trials;” in fact, that has been the topic of this entire book. We have been tested beyond our limits, it seems, but it is our desire that this present affliction would result in “...praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” But is there really a reward for staying faithful to God through this difficult time? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Of course there is! These verses affirm that we have a living hope and an inheritance that cannot be taken away. Our hope is based on Christ’s resurrection, which assures us of our own future resurrection and the resurrection of our loved ones. In fact, this hope is already stored in Heaven itself! What a beautiful picture of a future reality. We may despair and doubt and struggle with unbelief when we are in the midst of grief, but the eternal salvation of God’s people has already been secured.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Who Sits Next to You in Church?

There is a final passage in the Book of Hebrews that is relevant to the topic at hand: 

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (12: 22-24)

There is something about this passage that makes me excited and glad and grateful and amazed all at once. It seems as though this is written to present day believers - even though it says that we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem now. How can that be? It must have something to do with worship - that somehow when we enter into that activity here on earth, we are also simultaneously entering into worship in Heaven. If that is the case, then our fellow worshippers are those that have gone ahead of us, namely our loved ones. Could it be that when we sing and pray and read God’s Word that the person sitting next to us in the pew is the very one that has departed from us and that we are missing so much?


My theory here seems to be supported by the ESV Study Bible, which states:

“This (passage) draws on extensive OT imagery of a new heavenly Zion/Jerusalem to say that Christian believers have access, in the invisible, spiritual realm, into the Heavenly Jerusalem, and therefore participate in worship with innumerable angels and the great assembly of those who have died in faith and are already in God’s presence.”

Certainly the language of these verses confirms the reality of existence for those who have gone before us. The “assembly of the firstborn,” for example, while initially referring to Christ, has been expanded to include all the heirs of salvation. Those “enrolled in Heaven” probably refers to the Book of Life referenced in several places in the Bible. And finally, “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” clearly refers to believers who were made righteous on earth because of Christ’s work on the cross, but were made gloriously perfect upon their entrance into Heaven.

Of course, we should not be overly fixated on the fact that our family and friends in Heaven are worshiping together with us on Sunday mornings. The most important person we should be focusing on is Christ, “the mediator of a new covenant,” who made all this possible. Without His sacrificial life and death, we wouldn’t be excited and glad and grateful and amazed at all.


Thanks be to God for the incredible privilege of entering into Heavenly worship while we are still living as sojourners here on earth. Better still, one day we will experience the fullness of worship that we now know by faith alone; in just a little while, our faith will be sight!

Words for the Weekend

“You have all the grace you need for now. You don’t have to worry about then. When then becomes now you’ll have all the grace you need.”
 
 Paul David Tripp,  Twitter Post

Running the Race

Immediately following the “Heroes of the Faith” chapter in the Book of Hebrews comes an astounding passage:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1)

I was once taught that anytime you see the word “therefore” in the Bible you should look to see what the “therefore” is there for. In most cases the preceding verse is the clue that unlocks the mystery, and this is certainly the case here:

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11:39)

So the ‘heroes of the faith’ are the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ watching us from above. It’s as though we are in a gigantic sports arena, “running with endurance the race that is set before us,” and they are cheering us from the stands in Heaven. How encouraging is that image? Remember, these witnesses once ran the same race that we are now running - and they had their own cloud of cheerleaders rooting for them. Amazingly, one day we will be up in the rafters as well, encouraging the generations of believers that come after us. What a privilege to be in that number!

As always, Jesus is the one to keep our eyes on. He is the “...founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” We who are grieving the loss of a loved one have the best coach - one who is the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He suffered so much more than we ever will. Therefore, let us follow His great example and run our race, even though we may feel as if we have been sidelined temporarily by sadness. The joy of Heaven is set before us - what a glorious finish line!

Be A Hero of the Faith!

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Great Heroes of the Faith” chapter in the Bible. After stating in Verse 1 that “...faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” the author of Hebrews then lists the servants of God that fit this criteria for faith: Abel, Abraham, Moses, and many others that cannot be mentioned “...for time would fail me.” Here is the common thread that unites all these saints together:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

Those of us who struggle with grief know that we will not receive the “things promised” this side of Heaven. The point of this whole book is for all of us to encourage one another to strive to enter into the eternal rest that we have been promised. When we become overcome in sorrow we are tempted to believe that this earth, this awful reality that we are living, is ALL that there is. What we forget is that we are strangers and exiles here, and we have to make it clear to others, but more importantly to ourselves, that we are journeying toward our homeland. We really don’t have the option to travel “...back to the land from which we have gone out.” There is no returning to our previous lives in order to reclaim our loved ones from the grave. Instead, we need to seek a “...better country, that is, a Heavenly one.”

The promises of Heaven are real and true, and we need continual reminders of these promises in order to move forward toward this Celestial City where we will once again be reunited with our loved ones. How wonderful is it that despite all our doubts and unbelief God will not be “...ashamed to be called our God?” Let us greet that great Land “...from afar” and look forward to the life to come.

Windows To Heaven

There is an amazing display of unbelief in the words of a trusted advisor to the King of Israel recorded in 2 Kings 7.  The context is that the city of Samaria has been besieged by enemies for a long time and has undergone substantial economic distress.  The King is frustrated and even wants to kill Elisha, blaming him for the disaster that has come upon his city.   But Elisha has a surprising word for the King from God:

 

Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.”  

Apparently rescue from this disaster is planned for the very next day; the marketplace will be open for business as usual, prices for grain and other goods will drop, and the economy will be restored.  Good news indeed.

But one of the King’s closest advisors voices great skepticism that this “good news” can happen overnight: 

“Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, ‘If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?’ But he (Elisha) said, ‘You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.’”

There is undoubtedly a connection between this man’s unbelief and the punishment which follows. For there is a great victory the next day - the opposing army flees unexpectedly, leaving behind wonderful provisions for the starving people.  While the disbelieving captain does indeed “see” this wonderful rescue, he doesn’t see it for long:

“And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”  

Matthew Henry sees this connection between unbelief and punishment in very stark terms:

“Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. The murmuring Israelites saw Canaan, but could not enter in because of unbelief. Such will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance—Abraham afar off, but shall never taste of it; for they forfeit the benefit of the promise if they cannot find in their heart to take God’s word.”

This insight should cause us to fight all the more the great sin of unbelief in our own lives.  How can we disbelieve the great promises of God and still think that we are worthy to inherit them?  When we are tempted to doubt the Word of God we should be like the father of a son tortured by evil spirits who cries out to Jesus: “I believe; help my unbelief!”  (Mark 9)

Therefore, let us repent of our unbelief, and by doing so, we will honour and please God.  It turns out that this advisor did speak some truth with the imagery of God “...making windows in Heaven.”  God has graciously given us many glimpses into eternal life in His Word.  Why should we not believe Him?

A Shining Lamp

Ask any Christian when they became really knowledgeable of the doctrine of Heaven, and I’d bet it would be AFTER the death of a loved one. There is something of the desperateness of a grieving soul that needs to grasp the reality of where loved ones have gone that propels the searching out of Scripture verses to help ease the pain. Certainly that was the case with me; as stated in the introduction, this book is a result of my own frantic need to understand the realities of life after death.

And what did I find? That God is most gracious to give us information that will indeed aid in our healing. Sometimes it comes in a very small verse, like Philippians 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Thanks be to God that He informs us that being with Him in Heaven is better than life here on earth, as wonderful as life in this world may be. Consider all the best of life experiences here below: precious relationships, the beauty of creation, the joy of new life, etc. But Paul is stating that “...to die is gain.” What an encouraging thought.

Or sometimes God through Scripture gives us a whole new way of looking at the big picture of life, as in Philippians 3:20: “But our citizenship is in Heaven...” Any rumblings of homesickness for an unseen place of glory that we feel here on earth are understandable in light of this passage - we were not destined to be comfortable in this present life because we are not HOME yet. Our true home is in Heaven, where we will experience all the privileges of real citizenship, including not being stung by sin, death, or pain anymore.

But we are also encouraged to stand firm in the midst of suffering and grief while we live this side of Heaven: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” (2 Thess 2:16-17) It certainly sounds as though God has already given us this “...eternal comfort and good hope...” Somehow we need to grasp hold of these eternal concepts in order to be equipped to do good works and to give words of comfort to others now.

We truly need to praise God for all these morsels of Heavenly truths that He distributes throughout His Word. They truly are “... a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) Let’s use every Scriptural help God gives us to bravely continue our journey here below until we see the glories of Heaven with our own eyes.

Words for the Weekend

“Our obtuseness, our deep self-centeredness, our love of pomp and power and prestige, simply would not have allowed us to understand the cross or our need of it. In short, our very lostness demanded the work of the Spirit of God, to the end that we might “understand what God has freely give us” (1 Cor 2:12).

What a great God we have! Not only does he redeem us through the ignominious crucifixion of his much-loved Son, but he sends us his Spirit to enable us to understand what he has done. So obtuse and blind are we that we would not have begun to grasp “what God has freely given us” unless God had taken this additional step.”

D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry  (Of First Importance)

Comfort One Another

At some point on our journey of grief, we will begin to feel better. This healing will certainly be experienced in different ways and at different times for different people. Some of us will not cry as much, angry thoughts might disappear, others will be able to laugh again, and some will even find that their memories of their loved one have become more sweet than bitter. We might even begin to give comfort to others in their loss. This seems to be God’s design for grieving people.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor 1: 3-4)

As God comforts us, we are to comfort others. Paul Tripp states that we who have been confronted with death and then comforted by God should not become just “...containers of comfort, but conduits of comfort.” As we experience the healing that comes from God alone, we should look around at the misery in this world and attempt to alleviate the sufferings of others with the comfort we have received. As weak as we may feel, Jesus calls upon us to minister His comfort to others. This is all so mysterious to us, but God has ordained that frail people are to be His healing hands to a hurting world.

And how is this done? A few verses after the above passage Paul recounts some of his own afflictions, and states that this was God’s purpose for them:

“That was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (v. 9)

Isn’t this the greatest comfort that we can give others who are feeling pain and misery? We can attest to the fact that in our own despair we have learned not to rely on ourselves (have we been able to help ourselves? probably not...) but on God alone who freely and generously relieves our sorrows and burdens. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

The ultimate encouragement, of course, is that God will raise the dead. Those who have died and gone before us will one day welcome us into the gates of Heaven. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,

all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.”

The Death of Death

I once saw this Scripture on the door leading into the nursery at a local church: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” While this is a creative and humorous sign regarding the care of children, it is also a wonderful help to those struggling with loss and bereavement. It is found in the 15th Chapter of 1 Corinthians, and is part of a beautiful description of the great reality that awaits us someday.

In fact, this entire chapter of the Bible is devoted solely to Paul’s thoughts and reflections on the doctrine of the resurrection. It would take weeks to unpack the insights that this one chapter gives to us, but a few highlights will have to suffice for now.

Paul reminds us as early as Verse 3 what he considers to be crucial information for us:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.”

Why is Christ’s resurrection “of first importance” to those of us who are mourning the loss of someone dear? Because without it, nothing else matters. There is no hope of any meaning to life if Christ did not show Himself to the world after His death on the cross. As Paul so correctly states in verse 19, without His resurrection, Christians “...are of all people most to be pitied.” Faith is pointless without Christ’s resurrection. If the historical account of Christ’s rising from the dead is not to be trusted, then there is no way we can ever hope for our own resurrection. We are then left with an Ecclesiastes kind of moment: what’s the point of living and dying? Is our existence and suffering just some cosmic bad luck?

Ah, but the good news of Christ’s resurrection reigns over all the skepticism and doubt that anyone of us can experience, and it is a truth to be embraced and celebrated:

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15: 51-55)

As we fight despair and depression after the death of a friend or relative, let’s remember what is of first importance. Because of God’s incredible mercy to us, we will one day be celebrating the victory of Christ over death. We will be granted the privilege of witnessing the ultimate irony: the death of death. And none of us will be crying at that funeral.

The Future

In the midst of our darkest grief, it is hard to imagine anything being worthwhile to anticipate. Even the most joyous future events seem incredibly painful to us. Imagine a brother’s wedding and his sister is not in attendance. Or a woman meeting her first grandchild in the delivery room without her husband - the baby’s grandfather. Any scenario would work here - imagine your own circumstance. Most of us have only flippantly used the word “bittersweet” in the past, but now we truly understand the meaning. Try as we might, it is difficult to rejoice in future joyous events.

But we must do just that. Why? Because God calls us to do so. In Romans 8 we are confronted with a seemingly impossible task: to happily consider what lies ahead of us:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Since my son’s death I have often commented on the dichotomy between my head and my heart. Although these two organs within my body are not that far from one another, in reality they are worlds apart. What I feel is often in conflict with what I know, and what I know rebels against my feelings. Perhaps God, knowing our frailty, gives us passages like this one to lead us into healing. We must meditate continually upon the promises of God to calm our feelings of sorrow and despair.

Matthew Henry has an interesting commentary on this verse, beginning with the obvious statement that Paul, of all people, was personally acquainted with suffering, but also with future glory:

“Now Paul was as competent a judge of this point as ever any mere man was. He could reckon not by art only, but by experience; for he knew both. He knew what the sufferings of this present time were; He knew what the glory of heaven is. And, upon the view of both, he gives this judgment here. There is nothing like a believing view of the glory which shall be revealed to support and bear up the spirit under all the sufferings of this present time... As the saints are suffering, so they are waiting. Heaven is therefore sure; for God by his Spirit would not raise and encourage those hopes only to defeat and disappoint them. He will establish that word unto his servants on which he has caused them to hope (Ps. 119:49), and heaven is therefore sweet; for, if hope deferred makes the heart sick, surely when the desire comes it will be a tree of life (Prov. 13:12).”

Experience has shown you what your present suffering is. Through faith and the Word of God, however, you can hold on to what your future glory shall be. One day there will no longer be any event that is bittersweet; in fact, bitterness will be eliminated from our vocabulary and from our lives.

Let’s ask God to enlighten our hearts to the glorious truths of Heaven, where eternity future will be forever as wonderful as eternity present.

Words for the Weekend

“The gospel is the best news we could ever hear. The gospel is about Jesus Christ and his power to transform our lives and relationships, communities, and ultimately, the nations. Through this gospel, we are freely given a new identity — an identity not based on race, social class, gender, a theological system, or a system of rules and regulations. Rather it is a new and perfect identity based solely on faith in Jesus — an identity that defines every aspect of our lives. We are now forgiven, righteous, adopted, accepted, free, and heirs to everything that belongs to Christ. So even our sin, weakness, and failures do not define who we are. Because of this good news, we no longer have to hide from our sin and pretend that we have it all together, for God knows and loves us as we are, not as we pretend to be.”

- Neil H. Williams, Gospel Transformation

What's in a Name?

It should come as no surprise to believers that the words of Jesus bring great comfort to a grieving soul. When we experience great sorrow, we need to know that He notices our tears. Psalm 56:8 actually affirms that "You have ... put my tears in your bottle." God keeps count of our every tear. What an amazing, personal God we serve.

But there is an even clearer incident in the life of Jesus to demonstrate how He knows each one of us by name. It occurs on the day of His resurrection. Mary, one of the faithful women who cared for Him in life and death, has arrived at the tomb to anoint His body with spices.

“And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).” (John 20)

Isn’t this lovely? Through her tears Mary was unable to recognize the one that she was seeking, until He uttered a simple word: “Mary.” Immediately she recognized Him and was able to then respond to Him in a similar way: “Teacher.”

We should respond in a like manner. We should ask ourselves “Why are we weeping?” when the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth is waiting for us to recognize His voice through the Scriptures. “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out... for they know his voice.” (John 10)

So the next time you and I are overwhelmed with distress and grief, let’s imagine ourselves in the presence of our Lord as He comforts us with this just one word: [insert your name here].

The Tears of Jesus

It’s pretty amazing that the shortest verse in the Bible is perhaps the best one for comforting those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. It occurs in John 11, as Jesus is standing outside the tomb of his good friend Lazarus, who died four days before His arrival.

“Jesus wept.”

What makes these two words so remarkable? It’s that Christ knew that He would be raising Lazarus from the dead in just a few moments, and yet He still cried tears. He was sad that Lazarus had died, and sad that his family and friends were grieving:

“When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”

What a compassionate Lord and Savior to grieve Himself at the loss of someone He loved. It says much about His dual nature, being Man and God, that He would cry in His humanity before resurrecting Lazarus in his divinity.

What benefit is this short verse to us? If ever we’ve been told that we should “just get over our grief,” or that if “we were stronger in our faith we’d be able to stop crying,” this passage would carry us through. No one would dare accuse Jesus of being too emotional or spiritually weak. The fact that Jesus experienced the same emotions of mourning that we do should be of great comfort to us - we have a God who understands that death is the enemy, that losing a loved one hurts, and that our spirits will be greatly troubled by the grief and despair of those around us.

But even greater is the fact that Jesus has the power to reverse the awful reality of death, and will do for our loved ones what He did for Lazarus: raise them from their graves. He not only feels our pain, but does something about it.

Let’s look through our tears to the One who will wipe them away someday, while praising God today for His sympathy toward us. Our losses matter to God, and thankfully He has created Heaven as a place where everything that is so badly broken now will be made finally and perfectly whole. 

Words for the Weekend

“There are but two lessons for Christians to learn: the one is, to enjoy God in everything; the other is, to enjoy everything in God.”

Charles Simeon, quoted by John Piper in The Roots of Endurance

Together Forever?

There is one sentence in the New Testament that has caused much anguish and heartache to those who have lost spouses to death.

“And Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, or they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.’ ” (Luke 20)

Jesus is making a point about two different eras of time: now on earth, and later in Heaven. Many lament that they will no longer be ‘married’ in Heaven, but if one looks closely at this passage, it is stating that there will be no ‘weddings’ in the age to come. Marriage is a holy ordinance provided by God from the beginning of time that according to His direction a “...man should leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) One of the main purposes of marriage is the procreation of children, and it is clear that such activity will be not be taking place after our lives are completed here on earth. So ‘marriage,’ in this sense, will not be necessary.

However, we don’t have to insist, as some do, that those that are married here on earth will not be especially close to one another when reunited in Heaven. Jesus is not saying that our spouses will be irrelevant to us in our new lives in Heaven. If the rich man could remember his dealings with Lazarus (previous post) how could it be that husbands and wives would forget their special love for one another? Why would we think that God will not enrich our experience in Heaven through our reunion with special people? It seems unlikely that we will be in Heaven saying “This is great, but I just wish I could see my husband of 55 years...”

Better to trust that your husband or wife will be special to you in Heaven, with the greater promise that “...they cannot die anymore.” And praise God that because of God’s electing love, Christ’s atoning work on the Cross, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts, we will forever be sons and daughters of the resurrection, and the bride of Christ, our Husband.

And that is one wedding that we will all attend!

Please Send Someone!

As if wondering whether we will know one another in Heaven isn’t big enough to wrap our brains around, how about this: Will those in Heaven be able to speak with those in Hell? Yikes. Here is a passage of Scripture which will either clarify our thoughts or confuse us even more in answering this question:

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16)

These verses describe a conversation between someone in Hell and someone in Heaven. So what can we learn from this story?

1. Jesus wants us to know that there is a Heaven and a Hell.

2. At least in this passage, a man in Heaven and and a man in Hell are interacting with each other.

3. Life after death does not mean the loss of personal history and memory. The rich man remembers his life on earth and knows very well who Lazarus is.

4. The rich ruler still thinks Lazarus should be his errand boy. He wants him to bring water to Hell, and then later he wants to send Lazarus back to earth.

5. The rich man is concerned with the fate of his brothers, not wanting them to end up in Hell as he has. His solution is to send someone who has died back to earth to encourage them to repent.

6. There is no second chance after death. We need to repent now.

7. Jesus DID come back from the dead, telling us that Heaven and Hell are real.  Let’s be sure that we listen to what He says.

Words for the Weekend

“Do you want to know supreme joy, do you want to experience a happiness that eludes description? There is only one thing to do, really seek Him, seek Him Himself, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

If you find that your feelings are depressed do not sit down and commiserate with yourself, do not try to work something up but go directly to Him and seek His face, as the little child who is miserable and unhappy because somebody else has taken or broken his toy, runs to its father or its mother. So if you and I find ourselves afflicted by this condition, there is only one thing to do, it is to go to Him.

If you seek the Lord Jesus Christ and find him there is no need to worry about your happiness and your joy. He is our joy and our happiness, even as He is our peace. He is life, He is everything. So avoid the incitements and the temptations of Satan to give feelings this great prominence at the centre. Put at the centre the only One who has a right to be there, the Lord of Glory, Who so loved you that He went to the Cross and bore the punishment and the shame of your sins and died for you.”

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression

Will We Know One Another?

There are two questions that seem to constantly arise in the minds of those who have lost a loved one to death. The first involves whether or not we will know one another in Heaven, the other is whether or not we will still be married to our spouses in Heaven. The second of these will be addressed soon, but the first question will be explored now and in the next section as well.

One of the clearest indications that we will indeed recognize one another in Heaven comes from the 17th Chapter of Matthew, the account of the Transfiguration of Christ:

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.”

The dictionary definition of transfiguration is this: “A complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state.” At first glance, then, it would appear that perhaps we will not know one another, if it involves a complete change of appearance. However, it is also apparent that Peter, James, and John recognized Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, even though the last three were “transfigured.” This is quite remarkable since obviously Peter, James, and John had never personally met Moses and Elijah, since those men lived on earth many centuries before this incident took place.

While it is not wise to speculate too much on what is not said directly in Scripture, I do believe that this passage suggests that we will know one another in glory. We will not be hindered by the “more beautiful or spiritual state” of one another; in fact, it will be a true delight to see one another “perfected.” 

If the disciples knew people they had never met before when they saw them at the Transfiguration, it would seem very strange for us to be unable to recognize people in Heaven that we have known very well on earth. In fact, this passage seems to imply that we will even be able to recognize many people in eternity that we have never met before, people like Moses and Elijah.

How amazing is that?

His Eye is on the Sparrow

The following passage may at first seem like an odd place to find Heavenly comfort following the death of someone dear to us. But comparing ourselves to birds may be very helpful, as it turns out, if Jesus is the one who is drawing our attention to them!

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10: 29-31)

This passage addresses the greater issue of fear - which is certainly no stranger to those who have lost someone close. We fear the pathway of sorrow, both for ourselves and others who are mourning; we fear that another dear one might be taken from us; we fear for the eternal state of the one we’ve just lost. Widows fear loneliness and lack of protection now that their husbands are gone; grieving parents fear the future without the child who could have cared for them in their old age, and they accuse themselves, wondering if they could have done more to save their children from death. Nearly every death results, at least for a time, in anxious thoughts.

So how do sparrows help? Jesus is pronouncing in these verses that sparrows are watched by God every moment of every day. Given that we, children of the living God, are of “more value than many sparrows,” Jesus is emphatically stating that not even a hair can fall from our heads without His notice. Imagine that!

This passage helps us to understand that the death of our loved one did not surprise God. He more than noticed this tragic event. He sees our tears and comforts us in the way that only He can. He hears our fearful thoughts and encourages us to persevere on our journey of grief. He supplies all the grace and mercy necessary to carry us forward. God even gives us the energy and love to reach out to others who suffer loss.

Let’s fight our fear with these words of Jesus. The next time we see a sparrow let’s give a smile (feeble though it may be) and a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His immeasurable goodness to us in orchestrating all events, even painful ones, for our good and His glory.

Words for the Weekend

"As long as we base our sense of contentment on anything in the world, we will always find some excuse to make ourselves miserable. Our problem is not on the outside–it’s on the inside, and therefore it will never be solved by getting more of what we think we want. If we do not learn to be satisfied right now in our present situation–whatever it is–we will never be satisfied at all. . . .

The truth is that if God wanted us to have more right now, we would have it. . . . If we were supposed to be in a different situation in life, we would be in it. Instead of always saying, “If only this” and “If only that,” God calls us to glorify him to the fullest right now. . . . Contentment means wanting what God wants for us rather than what we want for us. The secret to enjoying this kind of contentment is to be so satisfied with God that we are able to accept whatever he has or has not provided."

Philip Ryken, Exodus, Saved for God's Glory

Heaven Without Jesus

Have you ever read something that just made you groan because it convicted you so much of your ungrateful attitude toward God? The following quote by John Piper (in God is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself) surely caused an audible “oh no” from my lips as I read it:

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation— is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”

Does anyone else struggle with the answer to this?  Certainly the unbelieving world would affirm their acceptance of those conditions, but I’m afraid that even many believers might answer in the same way. Could it be possible that those of us who know the incredible price that was paid for our entrance into the Heavenly realm still leave communion with Christ out when we imagine what Heaven is really like? Do we concentrate more on our future experience of “...no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore” rather than fellowship with the One who made these promises possible? What is the real longing of our hearts when we contemplate an eternity of joy and bliss?

If we find ourselves content with Heaven without Christ, what should we do? We need to remember our first love. We need to remember the voice of the one who calls us His beloved, the one who rescued us because He delighted in us (Psalm 18).

Let’s look forward to delighting in Him when we reach Heaven.

Blessed?

Undergoing a tragic loss in one’s life certainly changes one’s definition of the phrase “blessing from God.” In the last three years since losing my son, I have found myself very much troubled by those who say (in person or in emails, Christmas cards, Facebook statuses, etc) something like this:

“My life is great. My kids are great. My job is great. My family is great. God is really blessing me!”

Now before I hear protests of “You are just jealous!” let me explain that in no way am I disputing the idea that God blesses us with wonderful gifts of family harmony, job satisfaction, and physical and spiritual growth of children. I truly do rejoice in how God blesses His people.

But at the same time, I also have this nagging question: “Hmmm. If God is blessing this person with all these happy providences, does this mean God is NOT blessing me in my loss? Am I experiencing an anti-blessing? What about me, God??? I want to be blessed, too!!!”

See the dilemma? Thankfully, Jesus Himself answers this question directly in the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’”

Anyone who has suffered the loss of a precious friend knows the feeling of being ‘poor in spirit.’ Anyone who has cried repeatedly because of missing the love of a relative understands ‘mourning.’ So what does Jesus mean that we are “blessed?”

It doesn’t mean that we should be rejoicing or happy with the event which led to the grieving process, but it does demonstrate that God has a blessing for us in the midst of this difficult period in our lives. Being ‘poor in spirit’ shows a dependence upon God and His mercies which perhaps we hadn’t really felt before; and ‘mourning’ causes us to seek healing, forgiveness, and compassion from the only One who could possibly help us.

With loss can come humility, and God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). He will not despise a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). But more than anything else that we have here and now, those who are poor in spirit and who are mourning are taught by suffering and grace to wait for the fullness of comfort that will be ours in the kingdom of heaven.

Words for the Weekend

"There is a warning. The path of God-exalting joy will cost you your life. Jesus said, 'Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.'  In other words, it is better to lose your life than to waste it. If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full...   Some of you will die in the service of Christ. That will not be a tragedy. Treasuring life above Christ is a tragedy."

John Piper

Psalm 44

I have heard it said that the Psalter addresses nearly every human emotion that exists. There are Psalms that describe feelings of joy, pain, confusion, grief, adoration, worship, discouragement, regret, thankfulness, fear, etc. The range of the Psalms is very wide, and we can expect great blessings from reading and meditating daily upon the truths they express.

For instance, have you ever felt confused and pained by God’s providence in your life? My Bible reading plan brought me yesterday to Psalm 44, which begins with a brief history of God’s faithful care for His people. The author then recounts some present affliction - where it seems as though God has rejected, disgraced, and not protected His people. Finally, the writer states the crux of the matter and the reason why God’s people feel perplexed:

“All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

There are times in a believer’s life when afflictions arise, and they can’t be directly connected to sin. No one is sinless; we know that from nearly every page of the Bible. But bad events in our lives are not always tied to discipline. Many times the reason behind a painful providence will remain mysterious until we are in Heaven, at which time we probably won’t care anymore.

This passage from Psalm 44 affirms that tragedies can happen even if we haven’t turned our hearts away from God or forgotten Him or moved toward worshipping other gods. We must seek to trust God, even when it hurts. And we are encouraged to pray for help continually, as the last line of this Psalm demonstrates:

“Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

God will not forget or ignore such a prayer.

Bright Lights

I came across a wonderful application of Colossians 3:2, which reads: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Here are the insights of George Swinnock:

“Why would men choose the world for their portion instead of God? Because of their ignorance of the great worth of this object. The devil courts man for his soul with the brutish pleasures of sin. The world woos the heart with its profits, treasures and honours, which are vain and perishing. God comes, and he offers for the heart the precious blood of his Son, the curious embroidery of his Spirit, the noble employment of angels, the fullness of joy, and the infinite satisfaction of his blessed self to all eternity. Now why is the devil’s money accepted, the world’s offer embraced, and God’s rejected? Truly, men do not know the worth of what God offers them... The devil seeks to peck out the eyes of men, that they do not see the blessed God and the happiness that is to be enjoyed in him. O how dull is the world’s glass in the presence of true crystal! The magnet of earth will not draw man’s affections while heaven is visible. He that has fed on the heavenly banquet cannot savour anything else.”

What a wonderful reminder of the rewards that would come to us if we would only turn to God’s Word more often looking for the lights of heaven. Wouldn’t our trials seem smaller and our future brighter if we were to consider what awaits those who put their trust in Christ? Let’s put away the treasures of this present world and instead “...lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.”

Let’s ask the King of Heaven to pour out the “embroidery of his Spirit” upon us as we set our minds on things that are above.

Words for the Weekend

“The cross was an act simultaneously of punishment and amnesty, severity and grace, justice and mercy.”

- John Stott, "The Cross of Christ"

The Case of the Withered Hand

I have to really admire Jesus. He certainly knew how to evoke real hatred from the religious leaders of His day. Take, for example, this passage from Luke 6:

“On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”  And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored.  But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

As was their custom, the Pharisees followed Christ around in order to find instances in which He disobeyed the “law,” and certainly working on the Sabbath was a big one for them. But as was Jesus’ custom, He knew their hearts and their motives, and acted accordingly.  And so He asks the crowd of leaders, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm.”  This certainly put them in a bind, for the “law” certainly had allowances for acts of mercy.  

But more amazingly, observe how Jesus circumvented the letter of the law that the Pharisees had constructed.  All Jesus did was to say  “Stretch out your hand.”  No work done there.  Likewise, the man with the withered hand did not put in much effort to actually show Jesus his hand.  What an effortless, non-working-on-the-Sabbath miracle was displayed that day.

Of course, the Pharisees understood this craftiness on the part of Jesus, even if I had never noticed it before!  They were indeed filled with anger and plotted how to harm Jesus in the future. And their plots to kill Jesus? That was actually against the law.

Anyway, I admire Him. He did not do anything wrong that day. He did something good. What’s so bad about that?

And The Winner Is...

Yes, I have finally made a decision on a book for the women of EPC to read and study and discuss together! Each year I find it a fun, yet challenging, duty to choose a work that I think will best suit the friends who come together with a common desire for increased godliness. So what better title than this year’s winner: The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges.

Regular readers of CandyceLand will remember that one of last year’s selections was also a book by this same author, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. This new one will be a good companion study. While last year we examined sins such as pride, judgmentalism, and envy, this year we will be focusing on the positive traits of humility, peace, gentleness, etc.

I thought this approach would follow the Biblical command stated in Ephesians 4:

“... put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Previously we have examined our former manner of life (sins) and now we will work toward the new self (godliness). May the Lord bless us in this endeavor.

Words for the Weekend

"Give me five minutes with a person's checkbook, and I will tell you where their heart is."


"The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless."


"The men who followed Jesus were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same."

Billy Graham

New Clothes

There are many wonderful friendships that are displayed in the pages of the Bible: Ruth and Naomi, Paul and Timothy, Elijah and Elisha. But perhaps the most lovely one of all occurs between Jonathan and David. I was reminded of this once again as I read the opening verses of 1 Samuel 18:

“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.”

This friendship is all the more remarkable given the circumstances and context of this passage. The incident immediately preceding this was David’s defeat of Goliath. Yet David was still, essentially, just a shepherd boy, and Jonathan was heir to the crown of Israel. The description of their friendship, as being knit to each other’s souls, is an incredible work of God.

What Jonathan does to seal this friendship is amazing. After making a covenant with David, Jonathan literally gives him the clothes that he was dressed in. And these were not ordinary items of apparel, but a robe, armor, sword, bow and belt. These items signify the privileges that are given the son of a King. They are the very symbols of authority and power.

Now think about our Lord Jesus. We are knit together with Him as a result of His work on the cross. He stripped Himself of His glory and clothed us with white robes of righteousness. Matthew Henry describes it this way:

“David is seen in Jonathan’s clothes, that all may take notice he is a Jonathan’s second self. Our Lord Jesus has thus shown his love to us, that he stripped himself to clothe us, emptied himself to enrich us; nay, he did more than Jonathan, he clothed himself with our rags, whereas Jonathan did not put on David’s.”

If the friendship between Jonathan and David is so very precious, let us rejoice that we are, to an even greater degree, of one soul with the King of kings and Lord of lords. The covenant that God the Father and God the Son made before the foundation of time has opened the way for this friendship. Jesus has done all the work to make it so. And one day our rags will be traded in for garments befitting the sons and daughters of a King!

Better Than Dirt

I read an interesting article recently in a magazine put out by Reformed Theological Seminary. The author, Miles Van Pelt, was describing a speaking opportunity at a local Christian school. When he got up to the podium to speak, he held out a big bag of dirt. After asking for a volunteer, a sixth grader named John joined him on stage. The question he asked of the kids was this: “What is the difference between this bag of dirt and John?” After fielding some humorous guesses from the audience, he answered that essentially, there was no difference between the two. He pointed out Genesis 2:7a (“The Lord God formed the man out of dust from the ground.”) and Genesis 3:19 (“By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread until you return to the ground, because you were taken from it. For you are dust and to dust you will return.”) Not a very flattering comparison, right?

But of course, a fuller answer to the question requires the rest of Genesis 2:7 which states: “...and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” What a difference that breath of God makes!

Van Pelt asks another question that essentially has the same answer as the above one. What is the difference between the Bible and other books? It turns out that the creation of the Bible has this very same ‘breath of God’ uniqueness. “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Here is Van Pelt’s analysis of this similarity:

“According to the biblical account, therefore, the sixth-grader and the Bible share a common animating force: the very breath of God. Consider further that nothing else in the Bible is described in this way, only man as God’s image and the Bible as God’s Word. Or, to put it another way, the gigantic difference between a lifeless bag of dirt and a living, breathing person is the same difference that exists between the Bible and every other book ever written. Thoughtful consideration of this reality should stagger us.”

What an honor and what a privilege to have the breath of God give us life. What a gift to us to have the Bible, the inspired Word of God, to read and to receive every day.

Words for the Weekend

"It is a glorious thing to know that your Father God makes no mistakes in directing or permitting that which crosses the path of your life. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. It is our glory to trust Him, no matter what."

Joni Eareckson Tada

Farewell Address

It never ceases to amaze me how familiar Biblical passages take on new meaning from one reading to the next. Take, for example, 1 Samuel 12:19-24. The context is Samuel’s farewell address to the Israelites. He reminds them of his service to them as a prophet, a judge, and a priest; of God’s great provision for them as a nation; and lastly, in these particular verses, of their sin in demanding a king like all the nations around them.

“And all the people said to Samuel, ‘Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.’ And Samuel said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.’”

There are so many lessons to be considered in this passage:

1. Yes, we should recognize and repent of known sin.

2. We shouldn’t use our sin as an excuse to then turn away from God, thinking our sin is too great to be covered by the Cross of Christ.

3. We need to put off all distractions and activities that do not cause us to grow closer to God.

4. God will never forsake us, for His own name’s sake. When God has promised something, He delivers it despite our sin and lack of devotion to Him.

5. It pleases the Lord to make a people for Himself. (Yes, that’s us!)

6. Samuel considers it a sin to cease praying for the Israelites. Could it possibly be a sin to not pray for others?

7. We should faithfully serve God with all our hearts because He has done great things for us.

8. And if we continue in our sinful ways, we run the danger of being ‘swept away’ by the Lord. Definitely not a pleasant thought...

What a farewell address! What a variety of thoughts from just a few verses! God’s Word always gives us so much to consider. Through it all we need to remember His grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense). And then we need to put that grace into action in our lives.

The Winner in the Devotional Category Is...

Although I have yet to decide on a book to teach for the Women’s Study groups here at Exeter Presbyterian, I have chosen a new favorite devotional work. (See “Summertime Reading, July 21st blogpost.) It came recommended to me by a very good friend who has similar reading tastes to mine. It is entitled Voices From The Past: Puritan Devotional Readings, edited by Richard Rushing.

The daily excerpts from the writings of authors such as John Owen, Richard Baxter, Jeremiah Burroughs, and John Flavel, are on various topics. Each one is a gem - really. The preface states that most of these selections are word for word copies from the original. “In many places the old language has been retained when to modernize it would have blunted the sharp cutting edge of the original.” Because of this attempt to present the material as close to the primary documents, reading must be done slowly. The reader will be richly rewarded for the effort.

Here is just one sample of the loveliness of these writings:

“Nothing comes to pass without our heavenly Father’s permission or ordination. By this almighty providence, God overrules and sways all things to his own glory. There is nothing that comes to pass but God has his purpose in it. Though the world seems to run at random in blind confusion and rude disorder, yet God governs it to make perfect harmony out of all the seeming discords. Question: ‘If God’s providence ordains all things that come to pass according to the immutable law of his purpose, then what necessity is there for prayer? We cannot by our most fervent prayers alter God’s decrees. Our prayers cannot hasten or ripen his blessings before their time, or prevent or prolong the time fixed to bring afflictions to pass upon us.’ Divine providence does not only ordain what effects shall come to pass, but also by what means, what causes, and in what order they shall flow. God has appointed not only the effect itself, but the means to accomplish it. Prayer is a means to bring to pass that which God has determined should be. We do not pray out of hope to alter God’s eternal purposes; but we pray to obtain that which God has ordained to be received by our prayers. We ask, that we may be fit to receive what God has from all eternity determined to give by prayer, and not otherwise. Therefore, when we lie under any affliction, or if we are pinched by poverty, prayer is necessary because, as God by his providence has brought these things upon us, so likewise possibly the same providence has also determined not to remove them until we earnestly and fervently pray for our deliverance. Prayer does not incline God to bestow that which before he was not resolved to give, but prepares us to receive that which God will not give otherwise.”

WHEW. There is so much in there worth considering! My favorite is this: the idea that God appoints not only the specific answers to our prayers, but the very act of praying itself:  “...the same providence has also determined not to remove them (our afflictions) until we earnestly and fervently pray for our deliverance.”

This is the kind of encouragement that we need to continue in prayer. It is not that we are going to change the will of God, but that God has willed that we should pray, and that our praying is part of His unstoppable plan to bless us and others.

Words for the Weekend

“It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.”

C.S. Lewis

What Would Jesus Say?

Our journey through the Scriptures on the topic of Heaven is about to change rather dramatically. And why is that? It’s because we are, for the moment, finished with the Old Testament and moving on to the New. While there are numerous other OT verses that could be used for our comfort, perhaps it’s for the best that we now enter into the realm of the Gospel accounts written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Throughout our entire previous discussion of the Old Testament, we are left with the nagging desire to actually ‘interview’ someone who has been to Heaven and back. Can you imagine the questions we might ask, or the insights that might be shared? If only we had something more than shadows and visions to hold on to while we are facing the dark night of our grief... Actually, we do!

The word “Gospel” literally means “Good News.” And the Good News for us is that the Gospels contain the words, insights, and descriptions of One who HAS been to Heaven and is willing to tell us first-hand accounts of what awaits us! Of course this traveler is Jesus Christ. Here is His own testimony:

“I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28)

What better person to help us in our grief than the one who has been a citizen and resident of Heaven for as long as Heaven has existed? Who has a more credible testimony than Jesus concerning the realities of life beyond death? And why shouldn’t we study and reflect upon the promises of everlasting bliss that come to us from the premiere expert witness on this important topic?

What a blessing to have authoritative words about Heaven from the person who knows it so well!