Eternal Life

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

John 5:24-25

"Eternal life" - living forever with God - begins when you accept Jesus Christ as savior. At that moment, new life begins in you. It is a completed transaction. It is a done deal. We will still face physical death, but when Christ returns again, we will be resurrected to live forever. In saying that the dead will hear His voice, Jesus was talking about the spiritually dead, who hear, understand, and accept him. Those who accept Jesus, the Word, will have eternal life. Jesus was also talking about the physically dead. He raised several dead people while he was on Earth, and at His second coming all the "dead in Christ" will rise to meet Him. God is the source and Creator of life, for there is no life apart from God, here or hereafter. The life that exists in us is a gift from Him, perhaps that greatest gift we will ever know. In this life, we are given a chance to find out what it is really all about. Love and forgiveness. Truth and honesty. Kindness and compassion. God teaches us what is important. He teaches us what really matters. The question becomes, are we paying attention?

God Bless you,

J.H.

Smile Son

Tim is leaving in two days on a mission to Mexico. So I was looking for some wisdom, inspiration, encouragement I could give him. I'm not good at that myself...so I look for a poem. This person was writing about Tim I think!



Smiling is Infectious

Smiling is infectious,
You catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner,
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized,
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile just like mine,
could travel around the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

Live Now

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag.

James 4:13-16

It is good to have goals, but goals will disappoint us if we leave God out of them. There's no point in making plans as though God does not exist, because the future is in His hands. What would you like to be doing 10 years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will you react if God steps in and rearranges your plans? Plan ahead, but do not hold onto your plans too tightly. Place God's desires at the center of your planning; He will never disappoint you. Life is short, no matter how many years we live. Don't be deceived into thinking that you have lots of remaining time to live for Christ, to enjoy your loved ones, or to do what you know you should. Live for God today! Then, no matter when your days end, you will have fulfilled God's plan for your life.

God Bless you,

J.H.

No Time Like the Present

As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says, "In the time of My favor, I heard you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

II Corinthians 6:1-2

How could the Corinthian believers toss aside God's message ("receive God's grace in vain")? Perhaps they were doubting Paul and his words, confused by the false teachers who taught a different message. The people heard God's message, but did not let it affect what they said and did. How often does God's message reach you in vain? God offers salvation to all people. Many people put off a decision for Christ, thinking that there will be a better time - but they could easily miss the opportunity altogether. There is no time like the present to receive God's forgiveness. Do not let anything hold you back from coming to Christ and getting your life right with him. He is the author and perfector of our faith. He is our Creator. Honestly, you can say and believe anything you want. But nothing you believe changes the Truth about who you are and who God is. You have been made for a purpose. God has a better plan for you than you have for yourself. All you have to do is acknowledge Him and believe.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Change

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

Galatians 6:17-18

The world is full of enticements. Daily, we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. We are constantly told what is "right" or "fun." The only way to escape these destructive influences to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did. Honestly,in the grand scheme of things, how much do the interests of this world really matter to you? It is easy to get caught up with the externals of life, if we are not careful. Beware of those who rationalize their actions and attempt to explain why we should do something that is contrary to the Word of God, with no concern for the inward condition of the heart. Living a good life without an inward change leads to a shallow and empty spiritual walk. What matters to God is that we be completely changed from the inside out.

God Bless you,

J.H

Sin and Temptation

For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that works within my members. What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:22-25

This inward struggle with sin was as real for Paul as it is for us. From Paul, we learn what to do about it. Whenever Paul felt lost, he would return to the beginning of his spiritual life, remembering that he had already been freed by Jesus Christ. When you feel confused and overwhelmed by sin's appeal, follow Paul's example: thank God that He has given you freedom through Jesus Christ. Let the reality of Christ's power lift you up to real victory over sin. The temptations of many kinds that we all face are real and powerful. We are all tempted by something; sometimes, on a daily basis. But temptation by itself is not sin. There is nothing wrong with being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted during His time in the desert. It is what we do in response to that temptation which may lead us to make the wrong decisions. God, in His wisdom, has given us the ability to make decisions; decisions to choose between right and wrong. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should do something.

Keep lookin' up,

J.H.

Delight Yourself in The Lord

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:4-6

David calls us to take delight in the Lord and commit everything we have and do to Him. But how do we do this? To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God's great love for us will indeed give us delight. To commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything - our lives, our families, our jobs, our possessions - to His control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can for ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us.

God Bless you,

J.H.