Temporary by DEA

Good Morning Ladies (and few gents),

A Thought for the Day: “Broken hearts and bruised hopes heal in the hands of Jesus.” extracted from The Lord is With You by Gwen Smith.

One of my favorite scripture passages, and one that I have memorized and quoted to myself often over the years, is from 1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV, where the Apostle Paul writes: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “They say of some temporary suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that heaven once attained will work backwards and turn that agony into a glory.” Ah, do you agree?

Revelation talks about a New Heaven and New Earth; curse brought on by free will, rebellion, reverse equals free to be all we were meant to be—that’s seeing the shore. That’s not letting the fog deter nor distress us. Yup, what comes to mind is the lyrics of a Louis Armstrong’s song, I think to myself what a wonderful world it would be. That’s heaven; that’s HOME.

GiG, living hope will never fail. This life is just a preview and too many are willing to settle for less that is being served up in heaping helpings. Yet, the truth is a day is coming that will be filled with joy, unspeakable joy, peace, promise fulfilled.

1-5 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. 2 Corinthians 5:2-5 MSG

Oh, here’s more…

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

…He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11B NLT

GiG, do you see what I see? Our minds reach for more in a not so forever kind of place. We must remain steadfast, reaching for our forever home. It’s not an idea of working for it, but longing for it, and living in obedience because we desire the comforts of our real, true, home.

Augustine wrote, “The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have come to realize, is to feel ourselves to be at home on this earth.” It is tragic that so many are choosing to settle for what is on this earth. When heaven, our ultimate destination is so much grander—remain unshakeable.

Using an illustration from Max Lucado, I will end this week summarizing what God has so graciously taught me which is the importance of remaining unshakeable when many around me are being shook, rattled, and rolled. When so many are believing in and relying upon the elephant to rescue, the donkey to power up. This temporary home is just that—only temporary. The LAMB is eternal and in a forever place I seek to live.

Imagine a fish on the beach, gills flapping, and it is not happy. How do I make him happy? Cover him up. Provide him with a mountain of cash. Or a time share with a beach chair. Bring him a copy of play fish and a martini. Dress him in a double-breasted fin suit and people skinned shoes. Of course not, what will work best is to put him back in his element. Put hm back in the water. Never happy on the beach because he is not made for the beach.

GiG, the same is true for us. We were made for a forever kind of place. This country we live in, this city we live in, and the house we live in are all a temporary home for we who were made for forever kind of place. We’ll experience highlights but nothing compared to our true home and where we’re going.

May we be encouraged to remain steadfast, unmovable, and abiding in the work of the Lord. Yes, let’s be a light and make a difference. Let’s help others find TRUE NORTH and remain unshakeable in the process.

God’s Got It… so we can GROW—Sometimes we need bad things to happen to inspire us to change and grow.

Called to serve and encouraging others to thrive,

DEA