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  1.  

    Fly!

    “And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
    As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop,
    and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
    And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times,
    and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.”
    Leviticus 14: 5-7.

    This was an ancient symbolic ritual that was to take place in commemoration of a leper who had been cleansed from his awful disease.

    Two birds were taken along with other items and one of the birds was killed. The living bird was then dipped a little in the blood of the bird that was sacrificed and let go, free to fly… free indeed!

    There is of course a significant meaning to what took place here; for the living bird was free to go because of the other who died in its place. And so it is with individual people who acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross in their place. There, on a cruel Roman cross He was suffering, bleeding, and dying as the Substitute for lost sinners to bring us back to God.

    When we come to understand what Jesus did in our place, and appreciate the forgiveness freely offered, we ought to appreciate the freedom that we have similar to that of the living bird let go.

    Jesus told us: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8: 36.

    Oh how wonderful it is to be ‘free indeed'! Perhaps that is as wonderful as it is to fly!

    11_Nov_Fly!1
    Courtesy of Pixabay.com
     

    But there is another incredible truth that the Lord brings to us through the metaphor of birds in flight...

    “… They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
    they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
    Isaiah 40: 31.

    If trusting in the Lord Jesus and His completed work with all of our heart enables a work of God to be done in our hearts to set us free from our sin, then it stands to reason that trusting in Him with all our heart now that we are His, brings to us strength and a liberty we never knew before!

    The day we trusted in the Lord Jesus and were reconciled to God was not the end of the story! From that moment on, every moment of every day has brought to us opportunities to get to know intimately the One who saved us by His grace. There is so much about our loving Lord He wants us to discover. One among a multitude of treasures to know is that waiting on Him is a good thing! Perhaps we might smart at such a thought!

    But knowing Him the way we ought to, gives to us the firm foundation upon which to build our hope, not only for eternity but for every day. And when we are encouraged in Scripture to wait on Him, then knowing Him intimately makes waiting on Him the most reasonable and common sense thing to do.

    The above passage of Scripture tells us that doing so changes our strength and gives to us “wings” so to speak, so that we can fly like the Eagle!

    It is not a presumptuous thing to seek to know the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. The Bible encourages us to: “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Job 22: 21. And also the Lord Jesus Himself encourages His people to do so, because He wants to reveal His wonderful character to us. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 30-31.

    The circumstances in life that would have otherwise brought us low are now the very thermals upon which we ride. And like the Eagle we can sore on higher planes to see things the way they really are.

    Knowing Him that well makes all the difference in our homeward bound journey!

    11_Nov_Fly!2
    Courtesy of Pixabay.com

    But there is a promise from the Lord Jesus himself that is echoed several times throughout Scripture that tells us that we have something wonderful to look forward to; an event that is soon to come that we may very well see in our lifetime. The Lord Jesus said ...

    "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
    In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
    I go to prepare a place for you.
    And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
    that where I am, there ye may be also.”
    John 14: 1-3.

    As this sad old world grows darker and deeper into depravity every day, we know that the event that Jesus promised is just about to happen. This world is headed for tribulation; the likes of which it has never seen before. The wrath of God is going to be poured out upon all those who have wilfully rejected Him and the pardon from sin He freely offers. Those who refused to humble themselves before God’s only provision of escape will have to face what is soon to come upon this earth.

    Each true child of God has something to look forward to of exponential proportions! Jesus our beloved Lord, Saviour, and Redeemer is going to come as He promised He would. He will call each of his people away from this scene of time into His presence to be forever with Him, delivering us safely from that wrath which is sure to come.

    But how are we going to be with Him? How will we get from where we are now to where He will be? The Bible tells us clearly the answers to these questions… 

    “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
    with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
    and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
    Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
    to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
    1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17.

    We are going to rise up from this earth to meet him in the air. We are truly going to know what it is like to fly! The bodies in which we are living at this present moment of time will first have to undergo a change because we cannot go to be with Him the way we are right now. The Bible tells us: 

    "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
    Behold, I shew 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 trump:
    for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
    1 Corinthians 15: 50-52.

    Perhaps this sounds like some strange fiction, but this is what the Bible tells us is actually going to happen. Every believer has this amazing event to look forward to … very soon! And concerning this incredible event the Bible tells us to “Comfort one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4: 18.

    This has to be the greatest encouragement one can give to another,
    and the greatest event the Christian has to look forward to.

    If the Lord Himself is encouraging us to get to know Him more and more, which will enable us to wait on Him more patiently, then surely waiting for Him with the same mindset will enable us to serve Him more faithfully. The more we know Him, the more we will long for Him.

    So be encouraged dear child of God, Jesus is going to fulfil His promise one day very very soon.

    And be warned dear friend if you find yourself unprepared, trust Him while you may before it is too late. God is merciful and waits patiently for you... but there will coon come a time when He will wait no more! You do not want to be left behind. It is my prayer that you will be among the multitudes of God’s redeemed people who are ...  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2: 13.

    Soon we will fly!

    11_Nov_Fly!3
    Courtesy of Pixabay.com

    ~~~~~

    Here's how to know for sure you can be ready for heaven and for the promised coming of the Lord Jesus.
    It's as simple as 'ABC'

    ABC

    ~~~~~

    >> Do you have any questions or comments about the above thoughts I would love to hear from you - 
          why not say hello down below! 

     

  2.  

    10_October_Now Is The Time 1
    Courtesy of Pixabay.com

    What a month September has been! Who would have known at the very beginning of last month that our beloved Queen Elizabeth II would leave this world after an incredible 70 year reign as Sovereign of Great Britain, the Commonwealth and other territories also.

    Many tributes have been made and many of her incredible quotes have been published which have given to us and insight into what an incredible character she was. Most important of all she left behind a clear testimony of who she was, who she belonged to, and where she is right now!

    This goes to show that the grace and mercy of our God through the Lord Jesus reaches the lost helpless sinner, what ever walk of life they find themselves in and in any circumstance. Everyone needs the Lord Jesus, everybody needs the Saviour; be they rich or poor, be they famous or unknown, be they Kings or Queens or ‘commoners’ so to speak. 

    Everybody is a soul in need no matter who they are. 

    During the events leading up to her state funeral, the lying in state of her Majesty was something of particular interest to me. For someone who likes ‘people watching’ I found the live Stream of people coming to pay their last respects fascinating.

    The incredible and intricate detail of the security of the coffin communicated the highest respect to begin with. Soldiers and men in ancient uniform kept vigil with sobriety and rigid attention. The changing of the guards took place regularly at 20 minute intervals with equal pageantry and detail.

    As I watched from time to time how well organised flocks of people filed through to allow each one have a private few seconds of quiet reflection, I noticed how many different ways people showed their respect. The look on the faces of these people betrayed the love and respect they had for this lady when she was alive. I suppose each one would like to have done so much more, but each one had only a few moments to humbly acknowledge the greatness of the person who lay in state, offer a gesture of respect, and then move on.

    There were different nationalities of people who expressed their respect in their cultural manners. There were elderly servicemen displaying their medals who stood to attention and saluted. There were people that bowed, while others simply bowed their head. Some of the womenfolk curtsied while others just stood in quiet reflection dabbing away a tear or two. There were all sorts of people, young and old who filed past and quietly did what they came to do and moved on.

    As the camera zoomed out to give a broad shot of whole Hall and the two lines of people filing past either side of the coffin, I noticed a partially sighted woman with her guide dog. As she approached the correct area she paused and turned to the coffin, her dog at her side was looking up at her waiting for an instruction. She then slowly and deliberately bowed her head as others were doing, then looked at her dog and prompted him to do the same … and he did! After having done so she quietly acknowledged the dog’s obedience and then moved along as well. It was one of those precious little moments that I don't think anyone noticed.

    Sometimes the camera zoomed in and focused on certain people doing certain things of interest and I was sorry that this was overlooked… but I saw it, and it made me smile… and I know God saw it as well, I wonder if it made him smile?

    I began to think how amazing it is that people travelled for miles, and were prepared to queue for hours, and for some this meant queuing into the night just for a few seconds to pay their last respects to this precious woman. I expect most of those dear people felt that this was the least they could do for someone so special, even if it was for just a moment of time.

    There, in a casket laid the lifeless body of somebody that thousands and thousands of people loved. She was faithful, and to the best of her ability kept the promises that she made, and now she was gone.

    All this reminds me of Someone far greater than the greatest of Kings and Queens and rulers of this earth no matter how good or bad they have been. This precious One came to the Earth so long ago with a specific purpose of going to the cross for lost sinners like you and me. How wonderful it is to know that He who died on the cross is alive today, having been risen from the dead three days after he died and was laid in the tomb.

    In this life only we have the opportunity to bow the knee to the beloved living Lord Jesus. Today while we are alive is the time to make sure our destiny is fixed and Heaven bound because … “the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins …” Matthew 9: 6, Mark 2: 10. It must happen here on earth when we are alive, not afterwards, and not anywhere else. Certainly every knee will bow to Him in time or in eternity. Humbly bowing the knee to the Saviour while we are alive brings us into eternal blessing, but those who leave it until too late will bow the knee to the righteous judge instead of the merciful Saviour!

    The incredible thing about the grace of God is that we do not have to go out of our way to do this…  He did!

    He left the heights of heaven, the hosts of adoring angelic beings, and His Father’s Throne to come into this world that was foreign to His sinless nature. And here in this foreign land He did everything that was needed to satisfy the righteous claims of a holy God against our sin, and so procuring our salvation and eternal security. All that anyone needs to do, and everyone must do is acknowledge their sinful condition before His holiness, trusting in His mercy to save them … right where they are. There are no sacrifices to be made, no queuing for hours waiting for our turn. He was the sacrifice and it is He who waits for folks like you to trust Him while you may.

    It was estimated that there was 250,000+ people that were able to make it to pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II, and I am sure that everyone of them were glad they went, and felt that the sacrifice they made to get there was worth it. It is my prayer that you will humbly bow your knee and your heart before Him, and acknowledge the living Lord Jesus as your Lord and Saviour while you may, because you will be eternally glad you did. And having done so I know that He will consider the sacrifice He made on your behalf was definitely worth it also!

    10_October_Now Is The Time 2
    Courtesy of Unsplash.com

    Related Video

    This song was created for the Christmas season a few years ago but goes perfectly well with the above thoughts.

    Enjoy :)

    ~~~~~

    Here's how to know for sure you can be ready for heaven and for the promised coming of the Lord Jesus.
    It's as simple as 'ABC'

    ABC

    ~~~~~

    >> Do you have any questions or comments about the above thoughts I would love to hear from you - 
          why not say hello down below! 

     

  3. 09_Sept_The Overcomer 1Courtesy of pixabay.com

    The Lord Jesus said:

    "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!
    John 16: 33

    Each of us as a matter of course have been through or are going through a trial of one sort or another, and of varying degrees of intensity.

    It is very easy to grow weary and wonder if perhaps this is our lot! Sometimes the trials come one after the other in quick succession with hardly a moment to breathe in between. Sometimes they are expected and other times they take us by surprise.

    However, in the midst of such tribulations in our lives there is hope.

    It is an incredibly wonderful comfort as a Christian to know that God knows all about what we are going through.

    From His dimension outside of time He has seen everything happening from before the foundation of the world. This puts a whole new perspective on the trouble is we must face. For the Christian when we remember these things we know that we are not alone and God knows the outcome. It is good to fervently pray that we will respond and react in the appropriate manner and remember that God does not waste the trials and suffering that we pass through. There is a purpose for all of these things.

    Humanly speaking we would have preferred it if the Lord had said “In the world you ‘might’ have tribulations”, but he didn't say that. He said “In the world you will have tribulations …” It is a done deal! This is certain, because this is the territory in which we live and there are battles that we must fight on a daily basis.

    And why is that? Why does life have to be so difficult and fraught with one obstacle after another? Is it not because as a Christian we are in foreign territory? This is not our home. We are just passing through. 

    We are foreigners in a strange land,
    homeward bound, and soon to arrive in the presence of our beloved Lord and Saviour.

    Here we are, certain to meet with opposition and frustrations simply because this is the territory in which such things thrive. It's a bit like swimming in the ocean and wondering why we are getting wet. The ocean is a liquid environment and we must choose to either swim or sink, but wet we will get!

    But thankfully, Oh, so very thankfully, our beloved Lord did not leave us with the promise that we will go through tribulation - full stop! But He told us and encouraged us to “be of good cheer”! There is only one possible reason why we should be of good cheer in the midst of tribulations that are often times overwhelming, and that is because of a promise that He made and only He can fulfil … “I have overcome the world!”

    We may be living in a territory in which trials and tribulations abound ... ‘but God’ has already overcome the world in which we are living, and He already knows the end from the beginning, and we can confidently trust in ‘The Overcomer’.

    He has overcome every obstacle known to mankind, the greatest of which is the question of sin. This is a dilemma in which we find ourselves with no hope of ever finding the way out other than through the Lord himself.

    He, the Perfect Man bore in his own body the punishment that we deserved, because of who we are and what we have done as sinners. He overcame the impossible by becoming the sin bearer in our place. And all who have abandoned themselves to Him trusting Him fully know of a certainty that our sin no longer has dominion over us.

    The Overcomer has enabled us to be overcomers also!

    The Bible tells us not to “trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” 1 Timothy 6: 17.

    But what about those who know nothing of sins forgiven and the promise of a home in heaven? Where is the hope in this world that is full of trials and tribulations, groaning in the midst of wars and endless suffering?

    The world without Jesus knows nothing of love, joy, or peace, but in the Lord our ‘Overcomer’ is the most perfect, pure and eternal love; because it is the love of God. He is the generous Giver of ‘joy unspeakable, and full of glory,’ (1 Peter 1: 8,) and whose ‘peace is perfect and passes all understanding.’(See Isaiah 26: 3, & Philippians 4: 7.) All this and so much more for everyone who will dare to trust Him.

    The Christians hope is the Overcomer, that is Jesus the beloved Son of God… and that Overcomer is available for all who will humble themselves before Him and trust in Him as well.

    Our Overcomer can be yours also, and it is my earnest prayer that all who read this will not waste a moment of time, but humbly receive what He has to freely give while the opportunity is still here.

    09_Sept_The Overcomer 2Courtesy of Unsplash.com

    ~~~~~

    Here's how to know for sure you can be ready for heaven and for the promised coming of the Lord Jesus.
    It's as simple as 'ABC'

    ABC

    ~~~~~

    >> Do you have any questions or comments about the above thoughts I would love to hear from you - 
          why not say hello down below! 

     

  4.  

    I expect it's happened to all of us at one time or another… when something ‘just so happened’ to take place at an opportune moment of time, and it felt like a coincidence!

    Perhaps you might have been thinking of somebody, and they called a little while later on the phone, or you bumped into them in the shop!

    Perhaps a song was running through your mind over and over, and later on you switched on the radio or the television and the same song was playing there!

    In my own life there have been times when something was on my mind, or certain things were been happening at that time, and then during my alone time with the Lord I opened up the Scriptures and I just so happened to read something that went perfectly with what was on my mind, or was perfectly timed to bring help in my present circumstances.

    Something like this happened in the Book of Ruth. An unfortunate set of circumstances caused a widow by the name of Naomi to leave the land of Moab where her former husband moved and settled a long while before. In this land she was also bereft of her two sons also leaving their young widows without support. Now it was just Naomi and her two daughters in law. She decided to return to her homeland in the land of Judah where God was blessing His people.

    Now was the time when each of the young daughters in law had a choice to make - would they go with Naomi or stay in their homeland of Moab? One of them returned to Moab but the other devoted herself to her mother in law and went with her leaving Moab behind forever. Her name was Ruth.

    There was talk in the land about the return of Naomi and her companion, and all eyes were on this stranger from Moab. But this was a woman beyond reproach and not only devoted to her mother in law but to the customs of the land… AND to Naomi’s God, the living God, the God of Israel.

    08_Aug_And It Just So Happened 1
    Courtesy of pixabay.com

    Before long when food was needed Ruth suggested going out and seeking grace from one of the land owners to glean ears of corn while the reapers were working. And it isn’t long into this account that we come across this little statement that caught my attention:

    “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers:
    and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.”
    Ruth 2: 3.

    Elimelech was the name of her late husband, and she ‘just so happened’ to find grace and permission to glean in the field belonging to this highly respected and wealthy man called Boaz… a near kinsman!

    Well, would you know! What a coincidence! … or was it?

    I have lived long enough to learn that there are no such thing as coincidences! When something happens like this you can be sure that God orchestrated events to bring this all to pass!

    He lives outside of our time domain and knew all about the events that brought Naomi and Ruth back into the land of Judah… just at the beginning of the barley harvest! He knew that there was an important role for Ruth to play in not only history but in the genealogy of our beloved Lord Jesus!

    And so, just at the right time, and just in the very place where she would be noticed God brought her to the field of the man Boaz, where she worked hard, found favour and eventually became the precious wife of this influential man.

    How could Ruth possibly have known that through the earlier tragedy in her life she would eventually leave her homeland and begin a new life in Judah being the wife of Boaz and eventually become the great grandmother of King David!

    And if we continue down through the generations we eventually arrive at the birth of our Lord Jesus whose ancestors can be traced back to the said Boaz of Judah and Ruth the Moabitess! And back still further of course we will find more fascinating characters, which we will not cover this time.

    We can read over and over in the Bible when events just so happened at just the right time in the lives of people that God used for His glory. All these things were not by chance or coincidence but ordered by God for a specific purpose.

    It stands to reason that our God who never changes but is always the same
    operates in exactly the same manner as He did in the Bible.

    And so the next time something ‘just so happens’ it would be good to ask ‘why?’ Seeing as there are no coincidences with God, but everything has a purpose it would be both very interesting and beneficial to seek out the reason why God arranged something to happen that grabbed our attention.

    08_Aug_And It Just So Happened 2
    Courtesy of pixabay.com

    A few years ago there were a number of incidences, (not coincidences), that grabbed my attention, like puzzle pieces, and I brought them before the Lord and prayed earnestly about them… and waited!

    It was only after circumstances became intense and my prayers matched the intensity of my circumstances that the Lord brought before me a portion of His Word that ‘just so happened’ to be part of my scheduled reading for that very day, and there was the answer to my heart cries add verbatim! Had He brought answer to my prayers earlier on, the answer He gave to me would not have had the impact that it did on that day. His timing was perfect!

    There is one very important thing I have learned that is well worth bearing in mind, and that is when God is trying to get our attention it is initially with the intention to bring about His divine purpose in a matter that will bring to Him honour and glory.

    So it is good and perhaps comforting to look at our circumstances and remember that God knows from His viewpoint exactly where we are, what is happening, and the reason why. We are not left all alone to the uncertainty of ‘chance’ or ‘fate’. God has a divine purpose for all the ups and downs in our lives and the many ‘just so happenings’ along the way.

    Perhaps it is not always clear to us at the time, but later on, when we look back we will probably bless the Lord with all that is within us when we realise what God was really up to all the time. Oh, the blessing that followed, the deeper appreciation of His character that developed, and most important of all, the delight He received. All of these eternal things that time will never diminish.

    For Naomi, it looked like her life had fallen apart and she was returning home in shame and poverty. For Ruth, it looked like she was an unwelcome foreigner destined to a life of hardship for the rest of her life. But there ‘just so happened’ to be a field that belonged to Boaz! And the rest is history!

    I would encourage you to read this wonderful account in the book of Ruth, found in the Old Testament of the Bible. It consists of just four chapters jam packed with wonderment and blessing.

    ~~~~~

    Here's how to know for sure you can be ready for heaven and for the promised coming of the Lord Jesus.
    It's as simple as 'ABC'

    ABC

    ~~~~~

    >> Do you have any questions or comments about the above thoughts I would love to hear from you - 
          why not say hello down below! 

     

  5.  

    07_July_The One & Only Man
    Courtesy of pixabay.com

    There is no doubt about it, the precious Lord Jesus is truly unique in every way. There is no one like Him! He is the One and Only Man that ever lived on earth in perfect union with God. Everything He did and said delighted the heart of His Father because His heart was pure and holy through and through!

    The Bible tells us that “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23: 7. All of our actions and words betray the condition of our heart and our inmost thoughts. The same thing applies to this precious Man. Because His heart was pure and sinless in every way, so were His words and deeds!

    His inmost thoughts manifested themselves in the beauty of His character. They rose to the surface and blessing and challenging all who came near enough to Him to listen to: “the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth.” Luke 4: 22.

    There was no one on earth who could ever do the marvellous things He did! He could heal those who were sick, sometimes with the touch of His hand, other times with just the spoken word. With the same authoritative word He could command the elements and they obeyed Him. Demonic entities also had to surrender to His authority. He had the ability to more than amply provide food for a large crowd of hungry people with the meagre provisions originally intended to feed just one! Even when it looked like all was lost when loved ones had died, He was able to raise these dear people from the dead! He did it on three occasions at different stages of decease. 

    Take a close look at the life of this precious Man and you will be looking at what God is like in all circumstances and situations of life. He was the only One of whom God could declare: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…” Matthew 3: 17 & 17: 5, both before His earthly ministry and at the end of it. Everything in between those identical statements was carried out in faithfulness and in sweet perfection… as well as all He did before and afterwards. :)

    He was the One and only Man ever to walk this earth with all of the answers to the dilemmas of mankind, but sadly He was rejected and crucified on a cruel Roman cross. Because of envy He was delivered by the religious hierarchy of the day. He was a threat to their status and they stirred the crowd to have Him put to death.

    And so it was, just when they thought that they were having their own way, a victory of a very different kind was being accomplished by the very Man they were crucifying!

    The death of Christ was not something tragic that happened to Him,
    but rather, it was something that He was accomplishing.

    This One and only precious Man lived a sinless life was because there was not a sinful gene in His body. From the moment of conception right up to the moment He dismissed His own Spirit, He was sinless. He made the perfect substitute to die in the place of the sinner like you and me… and so He did!

    This is what the love of God looks like. It knows no measure and has no comparison. The love of God loves the unloveable, reaches out to the lost and broken. The love of God is prepared to cleanse sin of the deepest dye, and establishes the goings of His trusting people.

    The precious love of His was the reason why Jesus ever came to earth.

    And the love of God was demonstrated to us in its fulness when: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 8. No one else ever loved like He did, and no one would ever have gone that far!

    But this is not the end of the story! This precious Man after He died was taken down from the cross by loving hands and given an honourable burial in a tomb hewn out of the rock especially for Him. There His body was laid to rest, but… three days later He rose again from among the dead. 

    He showed Himself on various occasions to different people, some of which had difficulties processing the fact that He was really alive! He invited folks to touch Him and handle Him so that they could see that He wasn’t a ghost. He opened unto others the Scriptures revealing to them the things concerning Himself. He gave to His close disciples instructions, and brought to remembrance the things He had told them prior to His crucifixion.

    Then at the appointed time: “He led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” Luke 24: 50-51. And it is from this place and at this time we read something quite incredible: And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1: 10-11.

    “This same Jesus”, and not another will one soon day come again to receive His people as they saw Him go to heaven. It is going to be this One and only Man that came to earth all those years ago to accomplish the will of God for lost sinners who will come to receive His people home to be with Himself. He who was qualified to come and do all He did, is the very One whom we as God’s people will see with our own eyes one day very soon. 

    The desire of His heart is to be the One and only love of our life. The One that we look to for all things, because He is the cheerful Giver of all that we need, and the One who: “Satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107: 9.

    It is He and no other Who is our means of being acceptable to God and who can secure a place in heaven for every needy sinner. It will be He Himself and no other who will come as He promised He would to take His waiting people away from the wrath to come.

    What an honour and privilege it is to represent Him in this place of His rejection. What a ‘blessed hope’ and comfort it brings to our hearts knowing that He will soon come from heaven and take us hence away. And oh, we have so much to look forward to; for while we are passing through this foreign place on our homeward bound journey to heaven, we know that although: “Weeping may endure for a night… joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30: 5.

    ~~~~~

    Here's how to know for sure you can be ready for heaven and for the promised coming of the Lord Jesus.
    It's as simple as 'ABC'

    ABC

    ~~~~~

    >> Do you have any questions or comments about the above thoughts I would love to hear from you - 
          why not say hello down below!