Heaven on Earth: Living in a New Eden

On the heels of my last post, here are some more thoughts stimulated by a Wednesday Bible Study.  The discussion turned for a few moments to the question of why we don’t always feel God’s presence with such certainty as in times of stress or as when we first began our walk.  This question had come up for me in other discussions recently, so I’ve been thinking about it more in the last week.  I don’t think I’ve gotten to the bottom of this yet, but here’s my sense on the subject.  Of course, I’m going to go back before I go forward.  I have to start you back at the beginning, with my picture of fellowship, which may help illustrate my take on our sense of God’s presence.

I’m fascinated with the concept of Heaven being available to us now.  Think about it.  As saints, as children of God, we have direct access to the Father, we can have fellowship with Him, and we can hear from His mouth, whether through the Word, through His servants, or through His Spirit within us.  We no longer have to speak to God through a priest, for the veil has been torn.

Is Heaven itself going to be that much better?  Of course!  There we will have full and unbounded fellowship while here we are restrained by the bounds of our humanity, our weakness.  There we will have put off corruption and with it many of our hindrances is fully enjoying our Lord and Savior.

But He doesn’t just promise fellowship when we reach His side in Glory land.  He says in Ephesians 2:6-7 that He has

“raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Not that He will.  That He intends to at some later date.  No, He already did it.  Spiritually we are already capable of fellowship as if we were sitting with Him.  So why aren’t we able to converse as readily here as we will be then?  Well, I’ve already kind of answered that one.  Our corrupt body obstructs fellowship in its fullest expression.  Still, I think that the longer we walk in Christ, the more we die to the “old man,” the fuller our fellowship will be.

And someday, this side of Glory, we may be able to experience something close to Eden.

I don’t expect to reach that anytime soon myself, and yet I’m convinced it has nothing to do with age or length of your walk with God.  It has to do with the depth to which you are willing to go with and in Him.  It has to do with your complete surrender to His will.  And I think it will look very much like the Garden did.

From the Genesis account, we know that God walked in the Garden, and it’s easy to picture Adam walking with Him.  Picture two friends, or perhaps a mentor with his protegé.  Better yet, a father and son.  And here is where I begin to answer the question about why we do not always feel God’s presence.

God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere at all times, but in Genesis, Adam and Eve seem to have been hiding from a greater manifestation than just the omnipresence.  Only God knows what Adam saw in the Garden, but whether Adam and Eve saw a physical, pre-incarnate Christ, or whether they sensed the Holy Spirit in some form, or whether it was something completely different, I think that Adam and Eve felt a stronger sense of His presence at some times than others.

I don’t think this has changed for us today.  Picture us as walking through life’s garden with God.  Sometimes He walks beside us and holds our hand so we won’t get lost among the many paths.  At other times, I think He lets us sit and rest in a shady spot while He tends to some other areas of the garden.  He’s still there, and He’s watching us just as closely, but like the Father that He is, He knows that we need some time to sit and absorb all that we know about Him before we can walk in the new knowledge.  I cannot help but wonder if we are short circuiting this process when we grow anxious and try to hunt for Him when He would rather that we stay where He left us and learn the lessons He has for us there.

I can picture me stopping every few steps to admire some new variety of flower or bush, and asking for the name.  I also picture myself feeling very alone when God steps back to give me space to grow.  Actually, this isn’t so much a picture as a memory.  God has so much to show us, and we are not able to bear it all at once.  I think this may explain why He gives us space sometimes.  He will never truly leave us alone, but He may not “feel” as close all the time.

I think that the longer we walk with Him, the deeper we go with Him, the more we will cease to lean on feelings and at the same time the more often we will feel Him.  Rather ironic, isn’t it?  Our spiritual senses will grow more attuned to His presence as we stop relying on feeling and focus our faith eyes instead.  If we look, we will see God all around us, working in others, working through others, and even working through us.

I have had my ups and downs in my Christian walk myself.  I spent several years in my early teens without growing in the Lord.  I knew God was there, but I didn’t have fellowship.  I don’t always feel like He’s holding my hand now, either.  He did for some time last year when I was job searching.  And He was close again while I adjusted to the new schedule of working full-time.  But at other times, I do not “feel” Him as strongly.

Throughout, however, I now have an underlying constant.  I carry a sense of joy in my heart because I know He counts me as His child.  God has also given me His peace ; an assurance that He knows where the path ahead leads, and that He will lead me along it in His time.  I used to be anxious to know what was ahead.  I wanted to know how to prepare myself.  But when I was eighteen, God gave me His assurance that He knew what was ahead and was already preparing me for it.  With that settled, I have been better able to enjoy knowing Him ever more and more each day.  And that, I think, was His whole point.

I’ve probably raised more questions in this post than I’ve answered, but hopefully they are good questions.  Don’t feel afraid to ask them.  God has proven that He cares about us, and He wants fellowship with us.  We’re good at asking for things when we pray, but I think sometimes we forget that He’s not limited to answering “yes, “”no,” or “wait.”  But we don’t always slow down our busy lives enough to give Him the chance to give us a longer answer.

I challenge you to stop a moment to smell the roses, and while you’re at it, have a chat with the gardener about where He is leading you.

10 Years Later

I know.  Everybody and their little brother is going to be blogging about this today.  Often I would avoid adding to the cacophany of voices all saying the same things.  In this case, I have avoided the topic for long enough.

Ten years ago, I was twelve.  A seventh-grader, I’d been wearing braces for about nine months.  One fateful Tuesday morning, I was working on my Latin, trying to finish it up before we had to leave for an appointment with my orthodontist.  My memory is a little shaky on whether I completed the assignment or took it with me, but I do remember that as I walked out of our schoolroom/office, my mother was turning off the television.  The last image I saw was of a building being enveloped in an orange and grey cloud.

I figured it was some commercial, or maybe one of the action movies I’d seen promos for occasionally.  In any case, I didn’t think much of it.

At the orthodontists, they had the radio on.  Normally the station would have been playing music, but they had interrupted that to give breaking news.  I did not pay much attention, being much more interested in what was going on in my mouth than in anything going on at something called the “World Trade Center.”   I didn’t even know where that was.

Mom, of course, understood the import of what was coming over the radio.  So did the other adults in the office.  Still, I remained barely cognizant of it until later, when I saw a full broadcast.  That was when I recognized the footage I had seen before my appointment.  I had seen the shots of one of the hijacked planes hitting a tower.

As a twelve year old, I was shocked and a little scared, but normalcy returned fairly quickly.  Granted, I saw several pieces on TV later which dealt with the survivors and the families of those who died that day.  But I could not let myself be dragged down by it.   It would have been very easy for me to be overwhelmed by the things I was hearing, besides being fighting mad at the people who had attacked my country.  But I did not lose anyone I personally knew, although I have since met people who did, so the loss for me was more academic than personal.

Where do I stand, Ten years later?

I don’t have braces now, for one thing!  Seriously, though, I’m much more aware of the threats to our nation today than I was ten years ago.  Of course, that comes with being 22 instead of 12, but I also understand much more of the tireless efforts of our protectors to keep us safe.  And I still have confidence in the One who holds the whole world in His hands.

What does 9/11 mean to me, as a Christian?  It’s a dramatic reminder that we do not know the hour or the day when we will be called to give an account to God for our lives.  The people who died went to work that day just like any other.  They weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary.  That can happen to anyone, not just those who live or work in potential terrorism targets.  The other day on my way to and from work, I passed two fender-benders, both of which appeared to have occurred only moments before, and an ambulance.  People die every day from car accidents (the two I saw were minor).  Tragedies happen in workplaces.  People are murdered for whatever reason.  Our lives are fragile.

This being the case, 9/11 reminds me that I need to live each day as if it was someone else’s last.  My witness could be important to their future.  As for me, I know where I’m going.  Heaven isn’t just a someday for me.  I’m enjoying fellowship with my Lord here and now.  But I am looking forward to the day when I will see my God face to face.

It’s sobering to look back ten years and think how far we’ve come.  It’s sobering to look ahead ten years and think how far we have to go.  But in the words of a song by Jim Cowan, “when it’s all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters.”  Here’s Robin Mark singing it.

Have You Sent In Your RSVP Yet?

I think I’ve mentioned before that I love the Cathedrals and that I’m a George Younce fan specifically . . .

I’m definitely hearing it!

So, your invitation was sent out 2000 years ago, but have you responded?  If you haven’t, I’d get right on that before another day goes by.  If you have, aren’t you excited?!  I certainly am!  This is one wedding that I wouldn’t miss for the world!!!

Help, Hope, Home

Help, Hope, Home

Helpless                                                                                                               Helpful
Standing on the sidelines                                                  On a mission showing
watching your team lose                                                        others of the truth.
the game of life.                                                          Helping fallen brothers up.
Seeing years of hard work                                            Teaching them the way.
vanish suddenly.

Hopeless                                                                                                              Hopeful
Looking toward the future                                                Wondrous sights play
with nothing good in sight.                                            across your mind’s eye
Nothing that you do                                                             when you look ahead,
will make eternal difference.                             for Life has conquered Death.

Homeless                                                                                                    Home Awaits
Nowhere to say you’re going.                                                  Beyond the clouds
No place you feel at rest.                                                        He reigns, and when
Nothing is familiar.                                                                 the battle here is won
All is strange.                                                                          we shall join him there.

Trying to get a Glimpse

Here’s a favorite bunch of singers with a song I really enjoyed — you’ll probably recall me saying I like songs about going to heaven.  I discovered the Cathedrals fairly recently, and they immediately went to the top of my favorites list.  That George Younce could really sing through the floor!

Thanks to Benjamin Euler for posting the link to this!

Thanksgiving

So, am I mixing holidays here?  I’ve been posting Easter pictures on Thanksgiving, and of course you’re all thinking, “What’s going on?”

The simple fact is that despite all the commercialism that Thanksgiving has got caught in (mostly commercialism attached to Christmas shopping!), and despite all the emphasis on the meal, today was originally about giving thanks to God for his blessings.

My mother, with her usual perfect timing, has been covering early American history with TJ and BP, my youngest brothers.  For the last few weeks I’ve been listening in to bits and pieces of Genevieve Foster’s “The World of Captain John Smith” and James Daugherty’s “The Landing of the Pilgrims.”  The Pilgrims had a lot to be thankful for when they began the tradition of getting together for a meal and a game.  Granted, in the early days, they furnished their own entertainment: footraces, jumping contests, and such like.  These days, after the turkey’s history (or mostly history anyway) we tend to head for the nearest TV set and watch someone else work hard on the football field.

The point is, we have much to be thankful for, just as much as the first celebrants, the Pilgrims and the Indians.  The Pilgrims had survived a harsh transition to a new world, and the Indians had made friends with the strange men who carried fearsome thunder-sticks (muskets).  Today, I’m thankful for the Pilgrims’ perseverance, because if they had not stuck to that little settlement and paved the way, it might have been years or decades before another group with enough tenacity came to build our nation.

I’m also thankful for the things which drove the Pilgrims here.  Most of that first band belonged to a small congregation that called themselves Separatists.  They disagreed with many of the practices and doctrines of the Church of England, so they went to Holland where they could worship God in a Biblical way.  After a few years with the Dutch, they made the decision to go to America, where they would be free from the influences of other religions.  Well, that’s what they thought anyway!

Sometimes I feel like a Pilgrim myself.  The rest of the time, I know I am one!  The two epistles that Peter wrote talk about the Heart Pilgrim.  As a Christian, I am a daughter of The King, and someday he will call me home.  That’s why I do not find it strange that I am drawn to the songs about heaven (check out post here).

And this brings me back to my original subject in this post.  Why am I thinking Easter thoughts on Thanksgiving?  It’s because the thing I’m most thankful for this Thanksgiving is my salvation.  I don’t belong to this world any longer.  I have another home in a world to come.  God sent his son to the cross to die in my place, to pay for all the times I’ve broken His law.  I should have been the one on that cross.  Instead, Jesus was.  But, as in the photo, He’s not on that cross anymore.  Nor is He in the tomb.  On the third day, He rose from the dead, and after appearing to many (over 400 people), He ascended to heaven to sit at God’s right hand until the time when He comes back to reign.

So why don’t I have a picture of Him sitting beside the throne?  Well, it would be pretty hard.  No one has seen Him there and come back to describe it (unless you count a few near-death experiences), let alone taken a camera with him (I think the shekinah glory would overpower any camera anyway)!  The other shots are representative anyway, but for this I didn’t feel right about using an approximation.  I can see it in my mind’s eye, but even there I am blinded by the glory of God.  My mental image isn’t clouded, it’s dazzled.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?  The list usually includes family, friends, food, maybe even football!  I’m thankful for all of these too, but they are dwarfed by the thing my Savior did for me.

Perhaps you’ve never heard about the wonderful thing that God did.  Maybe you’ve never realized that Jesus came and paid the price for all the times you’ve broken His law (check out Exodus chapter 20 if you need a refresher on that).  Give it some thought today.  Yes, Jesus took your place too.  He is God after all, He can save the world, unlike most superheros.  But He won’t save us if we don’t want to be saved.  Saving us wouldn’t be worth it if all we did was grumble that we liked our old life better.  So He gives us a choice.  You have to ask.  And when you do, He takes care of the rest.

Now that’s something to give thanks for!

Heaven

Every once in awhile I catch myself singing “Sweet By and By” and think, “Is it normal to for a twenty-one-year-old to be thinking so much about Heaven?”  I mean, Heaven seems such a long way off, after I’ve had a family and all.  Then I come back to reality – Heaven is no further away than my heart, because Heaven is Jesus.

His Majesty’s dwelling place
Ever gushing fountain of Life
Angels hurry about His business
Vivid colors like none seen before
Embraces with saints we never knew
New Jerusalem, the Bride

 

I’m Just A Pilgrim (In Search Of A City)

My favorite songs are not among the top 40 hits.  Most of them aren’t recent releases, weren’t written by popular artists, don’t deal with hot topics in our culture  In fact, some people might even think the theme which runs through my favorites is rather disturbing.

I like “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Sweet By And By,” “Face to Face,” “This World is Not My Home,” “This Ole House,” “What A Day That Will Be,” and “I’ve Got a Mansion.”

Yep, I like to sing songs about going to Heaven.  Now you’re thinking, why did I start by saying that the theme is disturbing?  Actually, it’s only disturbing to those who hear me talk about how I can’t wait to get to Heaven.  I’d be willing to give up everything on earth – family, friends, future (which by the way means a lot because one of my fondest dreams is of raising children with my future spouse) – I repeat, I’d be willing to give up everything and go to Heaven this very minute if that’s what God wanted for me.

I think my preference in songs comes from an understanding that I don’t belong here.  My allegiance is no longer to this world, to the things in it.  I’m a pilgrim headed for another land.  That’s the theme of I Peter, and when you think about it, Peter knew all about being a pilgrim.  He had walked with Christ himself; Christ, who had no home here on earth (Matthew 8:20).  Sure, Christ grew up in a house that he could have called home, I’m sure there were plenty of friends like Lazarus, Mary, and Martha who would have been glad to have Jesus call their house his home, but Christ had a home in another land.  Should I be worried about my home and my stuff and my shortsighted dreams when I have a mansion in glory land that’s been prepared by the Master?

I think of another song, “It Is Well With My Soul.”  We sang it in church only this morning, and the last verse goes like this:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul!

I sing that verse with my whole heart behind it.  Some could tell you that I have a tendency to be hasty about a lot of things, but this is one area where I think being in haste can be appropriate.  I’m in haste for Christ to call us home.  People in my circles have been saying for years that this generation will see the rapture — that sounds great to me; I’m perfectly willing for it to come today! 

Now while that shouldn’t sound strange to my fellow Christians, I’m afraid it sometimes has.  I know others who feel as I do that have also gotten perplexed reactions to their joy in “death.”  We’re not anxious for death.  We’re happy about life after this world.  Death has little meaning for the Christian.  It’s simply a transition from this life to the next, and since the next life is so much better, it shouldn’t be surprising that we are in haste to make the change. 

I’m not saying that death isn’t sometimes painful, but it shouldn’t be frightening, and it is not lasting.  Death should frighten only those who have never met God and been transformed by the power of his love.  Christ defeated death when he died on the cross at Calvary nearly 2,000 years ago.  If you have trusted in Christ and given your life over to him, then you can say with Paul the Apostle, “O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?” (I Corinthians 15:55, KJV). 

Another thing I’m not saying is that I am in any way, shape, or form planning to take matters into my own hands.  I’m in a hurry to be with Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to go directly against his will and kill myself.  Suicide is self murder, and besides the amount of grief it causes those left to pick up the pieces, suicide is a way of saying to God, “I know better than you when I should die.”  I sometimes act like I know better than God, but I’m too squeamish to ever go that far!

I have taken hold of the promise of Heaven.  I can’t wait to be with God forever.  You’d think that more Christians would understand the longing to be with God, in his presence.  If we love someone, we want to know all about them, want to imitate them, want to be around them.  My desire for Heaven grows out of this love for God.  I know God is still teaching me many things here on earth (by virtue of the fact that he still has me here), and I understand that I’m not ready to walk those streets of gold, but that can’t stop me from longing for that glorious day when I see my God face to face!

Farewell, But Not Forever

Several weeks ago, I was saddened to learn that Sono Harris, homeschooling pioneer and mother of Alex & Brett Harris (of The Rebelution), Josh Harris (author of several books on courtship and a pastor in Maryland), and five other children, had been diagnosed with cancer. I’ve been watching the story of her illness unfold in the words of her sons here, here, and here.  Today, I learned that she has, in the word of an old friend of mine, “graduated” and gone to be with Jesus. (Read the post here.)  While I extend my sympathy for the loss that I’m sure the Harris family will be feeling for some time, I also rejoice with them in the knowledge that she will be waiting to greet us all when our time on earth is done.

Since we know that “the dead in Christ shall rise first,” (1 Thessalonians 4:16b), we can indeed rejoice that she has left this world of pain. How desolate those who have not this promise must feel when their loved ones pass on.  As a Christian, I can say with assurance that I will see Sono Harris in heaven, though I never met her on earth.  Though her work on earth is finished, her legacy and her influence will live on in her husband, children, grandchildren, and in every other person with whom she came in contact.  I hope that I can someday leave this world as peacefully and joyfully.

God bless you, Harris family, for the work you all do for the Master.

The Devil’s Beatitudes — Are You “Blessed”?

Some days I like to go blog hopping, following links from one blog to another.  I found Nathan’s Two Cents that way, and the first post I read there was titled “The Devil’s Beatitudes.”  Go read them for yourself, then come back and I’ll tell you what I think.

*   *   *   *   *

So, was it scary?  Did you come to the end and recognize yourself in the last line?  I couldn’t imagine what Nathan was talking about in his introductory words until I got there and saw what he was talking about.  I had indeed been seeing other people in those “blessed”s, and I’m none too sure that I hadn’t fallen into the trap of thinking that I’ve never been caught by the same mistakes.

I have been safeguarded against some of these errors by parents who have taught me to love Christ and to love my brethren in the Lord.  Nevertheless, it was good to be reminded of these dangers because no matter how good our training is, we can and do still fall short of acheiving perfection.  I’m sure we can all take these warnings to heart.  The question then becomes, what is our best defense against falling into these traps of the Devil?  My answer is simply to seek after Christ, desiring more and more of him, and to love the brethren.

Loving Christ is relatively easy.  He is so much worth loving!  Seeking after him is tougher because we tend to get caught up in the affairs of this world.  How do you seek Jesus?  That’s a relatively easy one to answer, but not always an easy one to carry out, as I can testify: read your Bible, of course.  The whole Bible is written about Jesus Christ, so you can really start anywhere, though I would advocate starting wherever you’ve been reading already.  The main thing is to be looking for Jesus in every line, searching out the things of God.

Seeking after Christ has some interesting results.  I mentioned that it can be hard to do because we get caught up in everyday affairs.  Well, when we seek Christ daily, eventually we see him in those everyday affairs.  At the same time, those everyday affairs become less important.  I used to think my choices of favorite hymns was odd, “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Sweet By and By,” but now I understand that choosing those hymns is merely a sign that I have been living the message of another of my favorites: “This World is Not my Home.”  In seeking Christ, I have learned to desire his presence.  Desiring to be with Christ in heaven should not be odd; I think it should be the theme of every Christian.

Now to the second part of our defense, loving our brethren in the Lord.  Loving other believers does not mean that I always agree with them, nor that I cannot think that they are doing something wrong.  Loving others really means caring about them despite the differences we may have and the annoyance they may cause.  When we care about other believers, we will want to spend time with them, share good things with them, encourage them in their Christian walk, and above all, help them find Jesus in a new way.

I think that when we take care to do these two things, we will be safeguarded from these beatitudes of the devil.  Even the last one can be avoided when we focus on the good in our fellow believers and try to cultivate it.  We might avoid a world of pain and harm if we would only keep that focus rather than trying to save our fellows from their errors.  I’m not saying we should be naive about people or that we should pretend their mistakes are no big deal, but really, it’s much easier to get along with people when you are thinking well of them than when you are always noting their faults.

Maybe I should call it separation of sin and the sinner.  We can love the sinner without condoning his sin, and we can love our brethren in the Lord even if their habits are not always Christ-like.

That’s what I think, now how about you?