Have you ever thought about what Heaven will be like? I mean really thought about it. Have you studied it and searched the Scriptures to understand what it will be like to live in a resurrected body in a New Heaven and on a New Earth?
Think about this…
If you knew you were moving to Paris, wouldn’t you do everything you could to start learning about what Paris is like? Wouldn’t you want to know about the people, the geography, the customs, the climate, and the food? Of course you would. So why don’t we spend more time trying to learn what Heaven will be like?
Perhaps they know they aren’t right with God and they don’t have assurance that Heaven will be their destination when they die. Or maybe they’ve just accepted the common misconception that Heaven will be boring and uninspiring.
I remember the story of a preacher who stood up in church one day and asked the congregation, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Every hand in the church went up. Then he asked, “How many of you want to go TODAY?” You guessed it…not a single hand went up this time. Although nearly everyone wants to go to Heaven someday, few people want to die today.
In a tiny church with grass-woven walls, I met 8-year-old “Api Girl” and her family while sitting on a straw-covered dirt floor. I was visiting my son, a medical missionary in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Api Girl sat on the floor surrounded by her family—her 10-year-old brother, Mama Bubu (grandma), an aunt, and six cousins. But it was her Papa Bubu (grandpa) she stayed by, clutching his hand and leaning her head into his chest.
In the Pidgin of Papua New Guinea, Api means “happy,” but to the average American, her life appears very unhappy. Two years ago, both her mom and dad died. Now she lives in a small village without electricity or running water. She has bone cancer but no options for chemo or radiation. She is dying.
At some point, I can’t help but ask, “God, why is there so much suffering? Why this 8-year-old girl? My God, what do You have to say for Yourself about all this suffering?”
The Bible does not supply a full answer to everyone’s suffering stories—yours or mine or Api Girl’s—but it does give some solid clues, like big pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. Consider this piece from the Bible: The God of the universe has entered our suffering. His name is Immanuel—”God with Us.” God dying on a cross for us. The God who enters into our pain, sin, and anguish. Or consider this: We live in a fallen world—a world bent and broken and abnormal from sin and its consequences. Every Christian can say, “This broken world is notthe way it’s supposed to be!” And yet, it’s the way it is.
There are more pieces, but this is my favorite: God has a plan to deal with suffering—He will abolish it for good. The book of Isaiah drops dazzling image after image of this promise. God our heavenly Father will turn weapons of war into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4); He will create a new world where wolves dwell with lambs (Isaiah 11:6; Isaiah 11:9); God will become a stronghold for the poor as He makes “a feast of rich food” and wipes every tear from our eyes (Isaiah 25:4-8 NIV).
God has a plan to deal with suffering—He will abolish it for good.
Isaiah’s prophetic song of redemption reaches a crescendo in chapter 65 when the living God says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things [meaning all the pain and tears of the suffering] will not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). Then God declares two startling “no more’s”: “No more shall be heard in [Jerusalem] the sound of weeping or the cry of distress” and “No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days” (Isaiah 65:19-20 ESV, emphasis added).
The entire passage addresses the anguished questions I raised earlier, asking what God has to say about suffering. God replies, Listen to this: I will abolish it. With the full force of My wrath, I will vanquish it. I will enter the stage of world history and say, ‘No more’ to suffering. He will wipe away all signs of death and return the world to “very good” (Genesis 1:31). For the follower of Jesus, God’s response to suffering concludes in heaven, but it starts on earth and we’re given glimpses even now.
That day in the grass-walled church, Pastor Anthony—a chaplain from the Kudjip Hospital where my son works—opened his Bible and preached a 10-minute sermon. He spoke on the resurrection of Jesus from Luke 24, often addressing Api Girl directly. My son translated his simple but powerful message on how the risen Jesus fills us with hope for our own resurrection. It was beautiful. No one moved. No child even fidgeted. Everyone was listening. The message made me long for heaven, the place of God’s “no more.” Api Girl and her Bubus are genuine followers of Jesus, so it still makes me tear up to think of her glorious, joy-filled destiny in and through Jesus.
God’s response to suffering concludes in heaven, but it starts on earth and we’re given glimpses even now.
But there’s more. About 60 years ago, the gospel came to Papa Bubu’s village, and his father became a follower of Jesus. So Papa Bubu grew up in a Christian home. He still follows Jesus and is even an elder in his church. When we talk about Jesus, he smiles as his eyes glisten with joy. For centuries the men of the Western Highlands lived by strict laws of violence and revenge. Now this old man, transformed by Christ, never leaves the side of his granddaughter. When we all stand, walk outside the church, and look at the gorgeous mountains in the distance, he’s still holding her hand. Such tenderness! Such gentleness!
I recalled Jesus’ words in Revelation—I will wipe away your tears… Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:1-5). God’s pain-ending reign is coming. But it’s also already starting to break in now. On that straw-strewn church floor, I got a foretaste of God’s answer to suffering, and it was good.
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
“I felt like the rug had been pulled from under me,” Jojie said. “The shock of the discovery was like a physical blow.” She’d found out that her fiancé was seeing someone else. Jojie’s previous relationship had ended similarly. So when she later heard about God’s love at a Bible study, she couldn’t help wondering: Is this another scam? Will I get hurt if I believe God when He says He loves me?
Like Jojie, we may have experienced troubled relationships that left us feeling wary—or even afraid—of trusting someone’s promise of love. We may even feel this way about God’s love, wondering where the catch is. There is, however, no catch. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“Eventually, I realized God had already proven His love,” Jojie says, “by dying for me.” My friend discovered that since our sinful state separated us from God, He reached out to us by giving Jesus to die on our behalf (Romans 5:10; 1 John 2:2). Because of this, our sins are forgiven, and we can look forward to eternity with Him (John 3:16).
Whenever we wonder whether we can truly trust God’s love, let’s remember what Christ did for us on the cross. We can trust His promises of love, knowing that He’s faithful.
When or why have you found it difficult to trust God’s love? How can knowing Jesus died for you change your response?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank You for the great love You showed me by dying for me. Let Your love change me, heal me, and direct my relationships.
INSIGHT:
Reconciliation restores those who’ve been alienated. Paul uses the word reconcile more than any other New Testament author, often multiple times in a passage; for example, he uses it three times in Romans 5:10–11. He also uses it in Romans 11:15, 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, and 1 Corinthians 7:11 (related to human reconciliation).
Today’s passage highlights the necessity of Jesus’ death for our reconciliation to God. But that isn’t the end. Our reconciliation through His death leads to our salvation through His life. Paul writes, “How much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10). Notice that there are two different tenses used: we have been reconciled and we shall be saved. Paul says that both the death of Jesus and His resurrected life are necessary to our salvation.
Sometimes God will help you and fix the crisis you’re going through, but He doesn’t always do it. Even after you hand the problem over to Him and ask for His help, there’s no guarantee. You can see examples of this in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul was one of the greatest missionaries, establishing multiple churches across a large region, and God described him as “my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). During Paul’s ministry, he was imprisoned multiple times for his faith. He spent years under arrest and only once did God intercede and free him. Why? Did God help Paul in other ways or was there a larger plan?
Will God help you during difficult times? First, He reminds us we don’t have to go through struggles alone if we know Jesus. You are adopted into God’s family once you commit your life to Jesus. You become a child of God. On top of that, God comes to live within you through His Holy Spirit—providing assurances of His love and hope for your future.
Second, God desires to give us wisdom to help us through our problems. When we encounter trouble, many people begin trying to solve it on their own and they miss out on their best tools for solving problems.
God has made it clear He is ready and able to help you. The Bible says, “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2).
But sometimes your troubles continue longer than you want. God offers you strength and patience to persevere through hard times. Everyone encounters problems and life is full of them. But it’s better to go through times of trouble with God than without Him—and His plan for you is certainly the best.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Commit your life to Jesus and then strive to commit your problems to Him every day.
No earthly thing can truly satisfy your soul. Our souls are not designed to be fulfilled by earthly things because we were created by God and for God (Colossians 1:16). And because God is good, He has not created us for pain. Humans are designed for joy, but true joy is only found in God.
Since we all turn away from God and try to make our own way (Isaiah 53:6), our lives are filled with difficulty and trials resulting from sin. Sin brings suffering—whether it’s our sin, the sin of others around us, or the original sin of the first man, Adam. God does not enjoy inflicting pain on His creation, but He does pour out judgment. He also allows pain, and we can use it as an opportunity to grow in wisdom, faith, and perseverance.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2–5)
James said to consider the trials in life to be “all joy” because of the ultimate goal: becoming more like Christ. Rejoicing is not just a better way to live; it is the right way to live. In today’s verse alone we are emphatically commanded to rejoice always.
This world is passing away, but you will live forever. For the believer, pain is temporary, but joy is eternal. A day is coming when pain will be destroyed, and we will never feel hurt again (Revelation 21:1–7), but for now we must walk by faith through the trials.
People are always searching for peace to help them deal with their problems. Do not be tempted to seek man-made solutions, as there is only one true method of handling your life with confidence and assurance – and that is in the power of Jesus Christ.
If you commit yourself and your life to Him unconditionally, then you can rest assured that He will give you the grace required to handle every problem. You will thus be blessed with tranquility and peace far beyond human understanding.
Grace and peace become a reality in your life only through God, so don’t drift from Him and forfeit what only He can give.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Master, I thank You, because through Your grace You enable me to face and handle every problem that comes my way. Amen.
Article Shared From Grace for Today. Find their One Minute Devotional on Amazon at Mini Devotions Grace For Today – 180 Short and Encouraging Devotions on Grace, Softcover Gift Book for Women
You never need to feel spiritually inferior – especially in comparison to other believers. Remember that when God accepted you as His child, He did not do so on the basis of your knowledge, work or worthiness. In His grace He accepted you based entirely on your faith in Jesus Christ and your acceptance of Him as your Redeemer and Savior.
Jesus accepts you for who and what you are. All He asks is that you believe in Him and accept Him as the Lord of your life.
Joyfully respond to this invitation and experience the grace and love of your divine Father every day.
Today’s Prayer
Holy God, my heavenly Father, thank You that I can, through faith, claim the privilege of being called Your child.
It is a sign of God’s immeasurable grace that no person ever reaches a stage in life where one cannot start over. Each day that dawns is a new beginning.
Our God is the God of second chances.
Do not allow whatever may have happened in the past to cause you to lose sight of what the future may hold. If you wish to make a fresh start, make a firm decision to be done with your old life, even though it will still try to enslave you.
All new life comes from God alone. Continually affirm that new life flows through you as a result of God’s grace, and you will receive the inheritance of new life that is yours in Christ.
Lord of new beginnings, thank You that each new day Your mercies are new and I can begin again. Amen.
Article Shared From Grace for Today by Solly Ozrovech
Telling someone “God bless you” after he or she sneezes has, for many of us, become a nearly unconscious reflex—a need to fill the awkward silence after an abrupt and alarming sound. The ritual has lost its significance entirely for many. But for anyone paying attention to the things of God, it’s amazing to recount all the references to the divine in mundane circumstances. For instance, the term “holiday” comes from the combination of “holy” and “day,” denoting a significant day of liturgical observance. Even the word “goodbye” is short for the phrase “God be with you.”
Much like our trained reaction to a sneeze, perhaps it’s possible to train our spirit to pray with greater readiness and frequency, until praying becomes so much a part of us that it’s akin to breathing.
In one way, it’s frustrating that we’ve weakened these terms by saying them so frequently and thoughtlessly. By allowing the repetition to become an ultimately meaningless and automatic impulse, we miss out on a moment to be mindful of God in our daily routine—to connect with our loving Father and even extend His love to others as a result.
One way we can make the most of these opportunities, whether responding to a sneeze, saying goodbye, or some engaging in some other custom, is by making use of what’s called a “breath prayer”—a short, memorized portion of Scripture or brief phrase that brings the heart’s focus back to the Lord.
Christians have been using these prayers since the church’s earliest days and for good reason: They help keep us mindful of—and even engaged with—the Holy Spirit in our life. Much like our trained reaction to a sneeze, perhaps it’s possible to train our spirit to pray with greater readiness and frequency, until praying becomes so much a part of us that it’s akin to breathing.
Although habits like saying “God bless you” are now largely habitual, if we are mindful about what we’re saying, even moments like these can serve as a reminder to stop and connect—with God and the people we’re blessing.
Find relief in the ultimate Comforter, Jesus Christ.
Because we live in a fallen world, there will always be trials we must bear. They come in various forms—financial problems, health issues, family relationships, troubles at work, abuse, past regrets and sins, physical ailments, or the death of loved ones. They may make us feel burdened beyond what we can bear.
Jesus Offers a Solution.
The Invitation. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The living Son of God, who is sovereign over all things and has all power, is willing and able to come to our assistance. Nothing is too difficult or heavy for Him to bear.
The scope of this invitation is universal. To the unbelieving, He offers salvation. He bore the punishment for sins with His death on the cross, and offers all who believe in Him forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Since He was our sin-bearer, He will certainly bear our lesser burdens once we are believers. He invites us to come to Him with whatever is weighing us down.
The Spirit of God dwells within us, and He is reflected in what we think, say, and do.
We tend to separate our spiritual life from our physical life, but that’s not what God intended. He who carefully crafted each of us places high value on our physical being (Psalm 139:13). The human form is a masterpiece, which our Creator has entrusted to our care. And as with any other resource, He expects us to be wise stewards.
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians addresses some of the unsavory issues their city was known for. People in the church had been engaging in offensive practices, including sexual misconduct and gluttony (1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:21). They incorrectly regarded this behavior as separate from their spiritual lives, as if they could do whatever they pleased with their bodies and still be considered “good Christians.”
But the body and the spirit are one. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul declares, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?” The apostle reminds us that God’s Holy Spirit has come to indwell every believer. If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then His Spirit lives in you, and your body has become a walking testimony. What does your physical being say about your walk with Christ?
East Texas Diocese COOLJC 