Meeting God Face to Face

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
…Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:22a-23 NIV

I am thankful that God’s Word tells me there is a heaven. “Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven,” Matthew 5:12a NIV. The truth is; there is a heaven and someday soon every one of us will meet God face to face. Some people will get to stay with him forever and others will be asked to leave his presence forever.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ you need not fear meeting God face to face and standing in the presence of the one who gave his life for you. Yet, I have met some wonderful Christians who do fear this experience. I have been in that position myself. Today I would like to suggest one reason why you might experience fear upon meeting God. You might be afraid of hearing him ask this question, “What have you ever done that would cause me to allow you to enter into my heaven?”

My first experience in church found me in a “religion” that had a lot of rules to keep. I never could keep all of the rules or do all of the things that was required of me. I thought that if I could keep all of the rules I would have God’s favor. I was frustrated. I was fearful. There was no joy in that religion. I had two boxes. One contained “a list” of things I could NOT do and the other box contained “a list” of things I SHOULD do. I was a failure on both counts. Week after week I would sit in church and vow to do better. But I found that even before our Sunday lunch was over I would have said something that I shouldn’t have said and upon entering church the following Sunday I realized I still had left many things undone! Then I would become fearful because my attempt to be perfect had once again ended in failure. My spiritual focus was on religion and its rules vs. a personal relationship with God. I was trying to earn God’s favor.

My loving God saw my fear and frustration and showed me another way. It was the way of “grace.” God’s grace taught me that because of Jesus I was forgiven. It was a done deal. Then God began to teach me that I was to be responsible and accountable for my behavior. When I was faced with failure he reminded me that we were in this relationship together. I learned that it was my job to ask God for his strength to help me with the things that I found impossible to do in my own strength. I began to wonder why God was always faithfully there for me, and then I realized that it was because he loved me and we were on a journey together. I was no longer afraid of God but now filled with joy because of the knowledge that the Spirit of God lived inside of me, to be my helper and my friend. I left “religion” behind and moved into a “relationship” with Jesus Christ.

I realized that trying to be good and doing good deeds would never be enough to get rid of the sin in my life. I could never do anything that would provide me with a suitable answer to God’s question. I now know that when I meet God face to face I simply will reply, “The only thing that I have ever done that would allow me to enter your heaven is that I have accepted and put my trust in the sacrifice and forgiveness that your son, Jesus Christ, made for me.” Jesus has paid my admission price into heaven. “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1 NIV. The fear of meeting God face to face is gone.

Questions:

Are you a fearful or a joyful believer?

Are you trying to keep rules or do good deeds so that you will be sure you are going to heaven?

If so, what are those rules and/or good deeds?

How many rules do you need to keep?

How many good deeds are enough?

What if you are short one good deed?

Has God provided a better way?

What is that way?

Have you accepted the way God has provided for you?


Prayer:

Dear God,

It seems that it really is so simple! Why have I complicated your free gift of salvation? Help me to accept in simple faith that you want to get me safely home to heaven. You are indeed a God of love because you have made it so simple. Perhaps it is the simplicity that I have not been able to comprehend. So right now God, I am going to take a leap of faith and accept your free gift of salvation through your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you God that I no longer fear meeting you face to face.

In Jesus’ Name I pray. – Amen

God's Valentines to You

“Cast all you anxiety on Him because He cares for you!”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Today I admit that many times in my life there have been days when I have been in the middle of a situation that consumed all of my thinking. At times I have had a heavy, dark cloud of dread that hung over my head. I confess that many times I have been worried and concerned for days and nights at a time. I have also experienced a heavy pain in my heart that would not leave. What is that circumstance that leaves you feeling fearful, helpless and out of control? Is there something in your life that you wish would go away?

No matter what it is that is plaguing me today or any day, I Peter 5:7 is a reminder that I am not alone in my situation! As I read that I am to cast all of my anxiety on God, because He cares for me, I realize that I must choose to embrace this verse and take it into my heart! The Bible has many examples of how intimately God knows and cares for each one of us. God does not loose track of a single human being that He has created.

This week we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Today I want to share some of God’s Valentines that carry the message of his everlasting love.

Valentine 1 – Jesus, the Good Shepherd knows your name.

“The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
…and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

John 10:2-3b NIV

I am amazed that God knows my name and has not forgotten it! I can’t tell you how many people I have been introduced to and two minutes later I can’t remember their name. God knows my name and He knows yours too, and he never forgets it!

Valentine 2 – God has known all of your days even before you were born.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Psalm 139:15-16 NIV

God knew me before I was even formed in my mother’s womb. Even before a single day came to be all of my days were ordered by God. When it comes to our lives, we are always surprised by what happens to us in life, no matter if it is good or bad. However, God is never surprised by the events that unfold in each of our lives. That’s why it is so safe to trust him, because God is prepared even when we aren’t.

Valentine 3 – God knows the number of hairs on your head.

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Matthew 10:30 NIV

I don’t know about you but every time I brush my hair some of my hair falls out. But God keeps track of each hair on my head and counts them all. I, for one, am amazed.

Valentine 4 – God watches you sleep.

“He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed He who watches…will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:3-4 NIV

When was the last time you watched a precious little child sleep? When a little child is sleeping they are perfectly still. Sleeping children are precious! They not fussing or doing a single thing that could get them into trouble. As we watch that child sleep our love for that child just flows from our heart. Imagine this…God watches YOU sleep. What a vision that is and what a comfort. Even with all of our flaws and shortcomings, God’s love pours out of his heart towards you and me as he watches us sleep. Do you still doubt that God loves and cares for you?

Valentine 5 – God stores your tears in a bottle.

“You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in
Your bottle. Are they not in your book?”
Psalm 56:8 NIV

Our tears do not go unnoticed. God not only wipes away you tears He gathers them up and stores them in a bottle. What a loving reminder that God cares for us and never forgets our pain and sorrow.

Valentine 6 – God thinks precious thoughts of you.

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast the sum of them! Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.”
Psalm 139:17-18 NIV

God’s thoughts of you outnumber the sand. That means throughout your entire life God will think trillions of thoughts regarding you. Even in your sinfulness and failures, God’s thoughts regarding you are still precious! He hates the sin but loves the sinner!

Questions:

Have you ever doubted that God cares for you?

Are you amazed that nothing gets past God?

Which of God’s Valentines to you do you love the most?


Prayer:

Dear God,

These are truly wonderful Valentines that express your love for me in an incredible way. Forgive me for ever doubting your love and care for me. Please write all of these verses on my heart so that I will always remember how very much you love me. I pray that these verses will become so much a part of my thoughts that they will enable me to fall into your trusting arms each and every time that I am feeling overwhelmed, fearful, discouraged, or unloved.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

Satan Can Really Tell Some Big Ones!

“He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning,

not holding to the truth,
for there is no truth in him.

When he lies,

he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

John 8:44 NIV

First of all let me say that Satan is a very huge part of this real world! In fact God is allowing him to be the ruler of this world temporarily! “…now the prince of this world will be driven out.” John 12:31b In addition, Satan and his forces are out in full force throughout the heavenly realms.

Today it occurs to me that if I am going to counter Satan’s lies I must know what those lies are. I am the type of person that I want to know what something looks like in the real world. I need examples! As I sip my coffee and type this morning I am trying to identify some of the deceptive lies that Satan is deceiving the world with today. Maybe you have also heard them.

There is no God.

If one does not believe that God exists that person’s mind is closed. All I can do for that person is pray that God will reveal himself to that individual.

God is a loving God and will not punish sin and that good people go to heaven.

If one believes that God exists but that He is such a loving God that he would never punish sin, then that person may also feel that they do not need God.

There is no hell or that only really bad people go to hell.

If a person does not believe in hell then of course, that person doesn’t believe that he needs a plan of escape from hell.

The Bible is just another book or that the Bible is partially true.

If a person doesn’t believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word to humanity and that it is totally and completely true, then that person has disqualified God’s truth. When I hear someone say that they do not believe the Bible, I wonder if they have ever read the Bible. A person who has never read the Bible would hardly be qualified to make such a statement. I would suggest that if one does not believe the Bible then they should read it from cover to cover and make an extensive study before they make such a profound statement against the Bible!

There are many ways to God

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

On the slim to none chance that those who have the above mentioned beliefs are right, then as a believer I have nothing to loose. No God. No punishment. No Truth to learn. On the other hand, if those of us who believe in the living God are right, those who choose not to believe in God have everything to loose. They will never experience God’s forgiveness. They will never have a blessed personal relationship with God. They will miss out on God’s eternal rewards and fellowship with him. They will however, experience total separation from God and eternal punishment. So today I’m wondering why anyone would choose to take that chance.

Questions:

Do you believe any of Satan’s lies regarding God, life after death, the Bible, or alternate ways to get into heaven?

If so, how do you convince yourself that there is no risk in believing the lies?

If you are a believer are there any other lies that Satan is whispering to you?

Could he be saying that you’re not good enough for God to love? Could he be saying that God is angry with you because you never seem to get it right?

Have you “nailed” Satan for the liar he is?

Prayer:

Dear God,

I thank you that in your Word you have identified Satan as a liar so that I may not be deceived by him. God help me to be alert to his cunning, deceiving lies. When I am faced with a lie of Satan help me to cast Satan behind me by telling him, through the power of your son’s name, to “get lost – take a hike,” and then seek your Holy Spirit to be my strength and your Word to be my truth.

In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Our Help in Trouble

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

Psalm 59:16 NIV

Sometimes my life is hard and I find myself in the midst of a struggle. My crisis could be relational, financial, physical, mental or even spiritual. There are times that I may experience multiple struggles at the same time. One thing I know for sure is that life is uncertain. All of our lives can change on a dime!

If you have not experienced loss, grief, sorrow, fear, disappointment, financial struggles, sickness, or relational problems, just hang in there. You will. If you think that you are the only person with problems you may be a little self absorbed. If you think that someone else has the perfect life, it may be that you do not know that person well enough to know what he or she is going through. I’m quite certain that I am very normal. The fact is that I should not expect to escape multiple opportunities to struggle, become bitter, angry, and fearful because of all the curves that life has the potential to throw at me.

I have often wondered why it seems I have been doomed to experience so much trouble. Sometimes my trouble has been caused by my own bad choices. There have been other times when I have been wounded by another person’s actions. A few times life has just happened and I have lost a loved one to death. There have been times when my husband has been out of work and we have watched our dreams fall apart.

In addition to all of those opportunities for trouble I have learned that there are many other circumstances in life that are completely out of my control. I may get a bad doctor’s report, or disaster may strike my home as the result of a storm, or there is an accident that involves someone I love.

It is having Jesus Christ in my life that helps me in the midst of all my trouble he is the one that gets me through the hard times and difficult circumstances in life. It is all the disappointments, pain and sorrow in my life that gives me all the more reason that I need to follow close behind Jesus in this life. It is what calls me to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him his ways, so that I might be better prepared for the times when the rug gets pulled out from under me or I get the wind knocked out of me.

There have been so many times in my life that I did not meet Jesus regularly in the garden of my heart. I have always paid a big price for avoiding the garden. I have many times procrastinated going to the garden, and there have been other times that I have totally missed my appointment with the Master Gardner because of my busy schedule.

Then it happens! I get my socks knocked off and that sends my bare feet madly running into the garden screaming and crying for help! Sometimes I’m angry or afraid. Other times I have had my heart trampled on. I have always found that when I am in desperate need of help, seeking Jesus in the garden of my heart is the perfect place to go.

Questions:

What difficulty are you faced with right now?

Are you still trying to work your problems out in your own strength?

Have you considered going to the garden?

Are you waiting for things to get so bad that you go screaming into the garden?

What could be gained by going to the garden before your emotions get totally out of control?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help me to see the garden as a safe place of refuge. Help me learn to go to the garden and seek you and your ways. Help me to use this time to prepare my heart for any difficulty that lies ahead. When tragedy strikes help me not to procrastinate or avoid coming straight to you. I know my help comes from you alone.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Blessed and Privileged

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 2:12b NIV

This morning I am reflecting on the thought that when God calls a person and reveals his truth to that individual, that person is truly blessed and privileged.

It always makes me sad to realize that there are individuals who simply do not believe in God and others who believe that there is a God, yet have zero desire to know him. Some people acknowledge that he is “out there” but feel he is unapproachable. Others fear him and still others dismiss him. Satan has provided people with so much wrong information that it is no small wonder that anyone comes to God. Simply put, Satan has deceived and lied to all of humanity big time!

In light of those dark facts there is still cause for great celebration and joy. The simple truth is that God is greater than Satan. Love and power are two attributes that sets God apart from Satan. Not only does God love us – he lavishly loves us!

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1a NIV

Today I am so glad that Jesus loves me lavishly and he never leaves me. Jesus is always in the depths of my heart’s garden waiting for me to meet him there. I confess that some days I am so busy that I don’t get to the garden. Other days I am so overcome with sadness and grief and I cannot get up the strength to walk into the garden. Sometimes I am so mad and angry I don’t even want to go to the garden. Yet the fact remains, Jesus Christ is already patiently sitting on a bench waiting for me to show up! I am indeed privileged and blessed to have Jesus Christ in my life. I readily admit that there are obstacles that will try to keep me out of the garden, but I must learn to identify them. I have great need to be in the presence of Jesus and I must continue to frequently go to the garden to receive his love and instruction. Spending time with Jesus is both a blessing and a privilege!

Questions:

If you have accepted Jesus Christ, do you feel blessed and privileged to have been called by him?

Can you identify any of the obstacles that hinder you from entering the garden of your heart?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for calling me to yourself. There are some days that I just can’t help but ask why me? Why have I been so privileged and blessed? God why are you so good to me? I know the answer is simple. It is because you love me. God please help others to know that they too are loved by you. I pray that the knowledge of your lavish love for me will cause me to seek to identify the obstacles in my life that hinder my relationship with you. Help me to recognize feelings and emotions that keep me so self indulged that I cannot get past my circumstance and come to you in the garden. God, help me to remember what a privilege and a blessing it is to be able to spend time with you, the God of the universe.

In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.

If Only I Had a Green Thumb!

“Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines;

though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food,

...yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The sovereign Lord is my strength!”

Habakkuk 3:17-19a NIV

I love to garden. During the winter months I find myself surrounded by my garden books and seed catalogs. I begin sketching out flower beds and dreaming about what I am going to plant in the spring.

I have to admit that at times I get frustrated because my thumb is not as green as I wish it to be. For me it is a year by year experiment, always wondering which flowers will flourish and which ones will be a disappointment. Sometimes I plant and the results are absolutely beautiful! The plant that I have lovingly cared for is all I could have imagined and hoped for. When the plant blooms it is a vision of delight! Other times my efforts are destroyed by lack of rain, weeds, pestilence, poor soil, wrong light exposure, not enough nutrients, or the deer invite themselves to dine in my garden. I must confess that sometimes sheer neglect on my part has left me with nothing but a dead plant!

Today I am reflecting on the fact that all of my efforts to put my life in perfect order seem to always fail. My thumb is never green enough to produce a perfect garden of inner beauty and my self efforts are never enough to produce a sinless life. I have come to realize that just like neglecting a real garden it is also possible to neglect my spiritual garden. When this occurs, the once vibrant plants of love and grace will end up dying from neglect.

As I think about the imperfections of my garden, I am reminded that a very long time ago God desired that humanity live in a perfect garden. On the day that sin entered the garden that God had planted in Eden life fell from its perfect condition to an imperfect condition. Because sin entered the world, the perfect life ended and trouble began. Today I am reminded that there will always be times in my life when things are not so good. The fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines. There will be times when my crops will fail and my garden will be parched and ugly. But I know that God is only a prayer away. The Master Gardner always stands ready to breathe his forgiveness and grace into my life causing it once again to flourish.

I know perfectly well that life has not always been fair and there have been many times when life has dealt me some hard blows. I admit that sometimes I don’t feel much like rejoicing. Yet I know that I can always have at least one reason to rejoice.

Because of sin, Adam and Eve were cast from the garden. Unfortunately, all of humanity was banned from the garden as well. But now, God has provided a way for us to be restored. God sent his son, Jesus to redeem all of us. If you have not done so already, God wants you to invite Jesus Christ to come into your life and in a very personal way Jesus wants to make your heart his home. Because of this, I always have reason for rejoicing no matter what my circumstances may be. I hope you have accepted Jesus Christ, because if you have, this is your reason for rejoicing too!

Questions:

Where do you sense difficulty or failure creeping into your life?

Has Jesus Christ become you personal Savior?

If so, are you rejoicing that God has given you a second chance to be with him forever?

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you that you have provided a way that I may come back into your presence. Help me to choose to not give in to despair during the difficult times of my life, but rather to give you my challenges. Please turn my sorrow into rejoicing because of the second chance that you have given me.

In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.