Six Words I Long to Hear

 "His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"

Matthew 25:21

There is nothing in the Bible that speaks of reincarnation. In fact, Hebrews 9:27 tells us it is appointed for every person to die only once and after this comes judgment. We only go through life one time. No second chances. So the spiritual decision we make here on earth has eternal consequences. Those who reject Christ will face an eternity separated from God. Those who receive Him will live forever in the light of His presence. Living the Christian life isn't easy. Christ never told us it would be. But He promised to walk with us and help us through this life into the next. And when our time is over and we've remained faithful to Him we can be assured of hearing Him say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I don't know about you, but those are the six words I long to hear more than any others. 

My "Goel" Lives

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. 

Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;"

Job 19:25-26

Here Job tells his friends of the hope he has in his "Redeemer". In the original Hebrew the word for "Redeemer" is "Goel".  A Goel frees someone by either of two particular methods: the Goel may pay a debt for that person, or the Goel may fight to free the person. "It seems that Job found consolation not only in the fact that he had a Goel, a Redeemer, but that this Redeemer liveth. He does not say, 'I know that my Goel shall live, but that He lives,'—having a clear view of the self-existence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And you and I looking back do not say, 'I know that He did live, but He lives today.' This very day you that mourn and sorrow for venerated friends, your prop and pillar in years gone by, you may go to Christ with confidence, because He not only lives, but He is the source of life; and you therefore believe that He can give forth out of Himself life to those whom you have committed to the tomb. He is the Lord and giver of life originally, and He shall be specially declared to be the resurrection and the life, when the legions of His redeemed shall be glorified with Him. If I saw no fountain from which life could stream to the dead, I would yet believe the promise when God said that the dead shall live; but when I see the fountain provided, and know that it is full to the brim and that it runneth over, I can rejoice without trembling. Since there is one who can say, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life,' it is a blessed thing to see the means already before us in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us look up to our Goel then who liveth at this very time." (Charles Spurgeon)

Soul Thirst

"Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him 

a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

When we become physically thirsty water will quench our thirst, but eventually we will become thirsty again. The thirst of our souls, which is the longing for a meaning relationship with our Creator, can only be satisfied by Jesus. And when we meet Him and begin a relationship with Him, our soul thirst is satisfied forever. "Water and life both satisfy.  Water is limited in its quantity, limited in the sense that it’s from outside, it brings limited satisfaction, but life is perpetually reproducing by the grace of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It’s something inside of us, it’s lastingly satisfying because of course it is ultimately the Holy Spirit.  Our Lord is speaking about the Spirit when He says He will give the leaping fountain of living waters, the Holy Spirit who will bring eternal life." (Dr. S. Lewis Johnson)

The Will of the Father

"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:40

If we want to know what God's will for humankind is, here we have it. It is His will that everyone who looks upon Christ with spiritual eyes, seeing Him as Redeemer and Lord and trusting in Him for their salvation, would live forever with Him in Heaven. "Men are by nature blind, their eyes are shut to all that is spiritually good; it is the Spirit of God that opens blind eyes, and illuminates the understanding: and in His light men see not only themselves, their sin, and want of righteousness, and their lost state and condition, but Christ, and a beauty, glory, and excellency in Him, ability and willingness to save, a suitableness in Him for them, and a fulness of all grace; they see righteousness, peace, pardon, cleansing, wisdom, strength, grace, life, and salvation, and go out of themselves to him for all." (Gill) 

Tracking with God

"Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, 

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Psalm 23:6

After every new snow at our homestead deer, rabbits, elk and who knows what else traipse through our yard, leaving fresh tracks. Sometimes I can't find an end to a particular path, especially a bunny track, and I wonder if a predator followed him and brought him to an early demise. In my own life there are times when I feel the hot breath of the enemy on the back of my neck and I am tempted to worry and fret about my future. But then I remember that only God's goodness and lovingkindness (mercy)  follow me when I walk with Jesus. He goes before me and behind me. All the days of my life. And should my life end, I will dwell with Him in Heaven forever. These aren't just some nice words that we often here quoted at a funeral. They are the promises of a God who loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. 

Bright Future

"joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light."

Colossians 1:11-12

Through Christ, we are qualified to share in eternal life -- "the inheritance of the saints in Light." We are no longer under condemnation. We have no reason to fear the afterlife. This knowledge should fill the Christian with inexpressible joy, overflowing into grateful thanks to God the Father. Even in the hardships of life, we can give thanks. For we know there is something better to come. Our future looks bright. 

Another Life

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Matthew 16:26

Jesus taught that there is a cost to discipleship.  “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25) These are hard statements for some people to accept. They want an easy believism that demands nothing of them. Jesus made it clear to His disciples that their lives would not be easy, but that He would never abandon them. They would walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but He would walk every step with them. The Lord said there is another life beyond this one. And all who receive Him in this life will be received by Him in the next. For the one who rejects Christ in this life, there is no hope. That person has exchanged something of temporary value for the gift of eternal life. But until he breathes his final breath, he still has an opportunity to come to Christ. "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life." John 3:16 Amplified Bible

No Sting in Death

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

John 5:24

These words bring hope to every person who has placed his trust in Christ. The moment we say "yes" to the Savior, God writes our name in His Book of Life. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and will never face judgment.  When I think of Calvary, my heart swells with gratitude. Because of Jesus, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

Death Pardon

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1

Jesus came to earth to receive sinners and to change them. To change them from dead men walking to freed men living. This could only happen through His sacrifice on the cross. My sin and yours condemn us to death -- eternal separation from God. Jesus stepped in and took our place on death row. He died in our place and God said, "By His blood you are pardoned." Now if we reject this great gift of salvation -- God's pardon through the shed blood of Christ -- then we remain condemned and dead in our transgressions. For there is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). But everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 2:21). We are justified before a Holy God by faith in Christ (Romans 5:1). When we place our faith in Him, we are no longer condemned. Eternal life is ours.

Give Me Jesus

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

Mark 10:21-22

The rich man came to Jesus for an answer. He wanted to know how to gain eternal life. Jesus tested him by reminding him of the commandments, and the man replied that he had kept the commandments since boyhood. And then with love Jesus confronted the man with the real obstacle to his faith: his wealth. It was his idol; more valuable than God Himself. Anything that prohibits us from following Christ will keep us from eternal life. It could be money, or status, or a relationship. It could be fear of being mocked or criticized by others. Jesus said we would have to "count the cost" of being His disciple. That scares some people and they walk away. They don't understand that when they give up whatever stands before them and God, they gain so much more. A relationship with the Savior is far more precious than money, or fame. His friendship is more precious than friendship with all the people in the world. As the old song goes, "Take the world, but give me Jesus."

Music to Our Ears

As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

1 John 2:25

Jesus has promised eternal life to all who abide in Him, who abide in the truth. To speak of abiding in truth is not popular these days. We live in an age of relativism, where our culture claims truth is subjective. But Jesus made it clear that there is absolute truth. He said there is only one way to God, and that is through Him. And He promised that all who come to Him and receive Him as their Savior will live with Him in Heaven. To the unbelieving, this sounds like foolishness. But to those of us who have placed our trust in Christ, this wisdom of God is music to our ears. 

Precious Words

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."

John 10:27-28

These words of our Lord become more precious to me every day. He is The Good Shepherd and I am His precious lamb. When I am afraid or sad, I hear His voice reassuring me that I am not alone, He is near. If I go my own way, He warns me to turn around and follow Him. In those times when someone offends me, my Shepherd reminds me to forgive them as He forgives me. In the morning, in the afternoon, in the night -- His voice guides and directs me. This is the joy that will never be taken from me. I am His eternally and no one can ever change that. If you know the Lord Jesus, these words are for you, too. Praise His name!

The Glory of the Unseen

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

My first husband was diagnosed with a terminal heart disease at the age of 47. Something beautiful and wondrous happened in Jim's life as he walked through his serious affliction. He began to see it as "light" in comparison to the glory He would one day receive in the presence of Jesus, his Savior. As Jim's physical body became weaker and weaker, his inner spiritual life became stronger and stronger. God spared Jim's life for twelve years, and for that I'm grateful. He was with me to see our son marry and have children of his own. We enjoyed playing with our grandchildren and came to see every day as a gift. But, like Paul, Jim had his eyes on his eternal prize. He understood that what he had on earth was temporal, a small blip on the radar screen of eternity. Never losing heart, Jim rejoiced in what was to come -- the glory of the unseen. Praise God!

The Joy of Life

"For with You is the fountain of life;

         In Your light we see light."

Psalm 36:9

David called the Lord the Fountain of Life. All life proceeds from Him, both biological and spiritual. It is the condition of our spirit that determines the joy of life. When we are in touch with the Fountain, then our parched spirits are refreshed and we experience all the delights of communion with Him. But there is more. Jesus said those who came to Him would receive living water (John 4:10). This living water is eternal. It never stops flowing, but will continue beyond the grave. We understand this when we stand in God's light. The darkness of sin -- of doing things our own way -- keeps us from seeing the truth that we are spiritually dehydrated. But when we step out of the dark and into His glorious light of truth, then the reality of our condition is exposed and we come to the Fountain of Life for living water. This is when the joy of life really begins.

Walk By Faith

"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--

for we walk by faith, not by sight--

we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

The world thinks it strange that we believe in a God we can't see. But God has made Himself known to us through His word. We know He exists because the Bible tells us He does. For each of us there comes a time when we must choose whether we will lay aside our unbelief and live by faith, or remain obstinately skeptical. It truly is a choice. Once we make the choice to believe, we are no longer governed by the temporal things of this life, but rather live in light of eternity. There is so much more, something so much better, to come. As Christians we have the assurance that when our spirit leaves our earthly body we will be present with the Lord. This is a promise God has made to us, and we look forward to that day with confidence and joyful anticipation.

The Christmas Story

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Philippians 2:5-8

The Christmas story is the story of the cross. Jesus was born to give His life on Calvary as a sacrifice for our sins. He willingly died in our place. And because of His sacrifice we may have forgiveness of our sins, a personal relationship with God, and eternal life. But only if we acknowledge our need for a Savior, humbling ourselves and acknowledging our sin. To believe that Christ lived is not enough. The Bible says even the demons believe that. We must receive Him as our Savior and Lord. God's Son -- the perfect sacrifice for our sins.    

In His Grip

"and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."

John 10:28

Through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Him. He promises this to those who believe on Him and trust Him for their salvation. His grip is firm and can never be broken. No matter how bleak the day may be, we can take joy in knowing that we are safely and securely in His hand.

No Sting in Death

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 15:56-58

A friend reminded me today that we are blessed "because we are saved". So true. There will come a time when each of us will breathe our last breath. For those who have received Christ as their Savior, there will be no sting in death, but only a victorious celebration in the presence of our Lord. For this reason, we will stand firm in our faith and never stop serving the Lord Jesus. A time is coming, dear ones, when we will receive the reward of faithful service. Our toil is not in vain. Thanks be to God.

Our High Priest

"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:11-12

Under the old covenant, the priest entered the tabernacle once a year to offer the blood sacrifice of an unblemished calf or goat as a sin atonement. First, he offered a sacrifice for his own sins, and then he offered a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The repeated sacrifices year after year by the priest were a constant reminder to the people of their sinfulness and separation from God. Then Jesus Christ, the pure, spotless lamb of God, gave His life blood and entered the heavenly tabernacle.  The perfect sacrifice for the sin of all people, for all time. Once for all. He was the sacrifice and the sacrificer. The new covenant was ushered in. Those who accept Christ as their personal Savior receive the forgiveness of sin, direct access to God and eternal life. Jesus Christ -- our High Priest.

To Whom Shall We Go?

"Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." 

John 6:68

John writes that there were followers of the Lord who turned away and left Him. Jesus asks his twelve disciples if they, too, will leave. Peter answers the Lord with great wisdom. Whom would they go to? No one else has shown them the way to eternal life. The Pharisees have only burdened them with the law, it can't save them. Jesus, on the other hand, has promised them eternal life if they will believe on Him. It is not through the law that they will be redeemed, but through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The same is true today. Jesus has the "words of eternal life". To whom else shall we go for salvation?