LIFE & LIGHT

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  James 4:14,
    
Does Eternity Really Matter?    (Received today,  from a church in Texas)
Every day is a gift. The longer I  live, the more I realize how valuable each day is. We’re not going to be here forever. It’s easy to live uptight, frustrated, and worried, but in the big picture, most of the things that are upsetting us don’t really matter. Is it worth losing your joy over bad traffic or something someone said that was offensive? If you found out you only had a day to live, you wouldn’t even pay attention to many things that upset you now.   If you let a grouchy boss or a bitter relative keep you from being happy, it’s your fault. You are as happy as you want to be. You have to put your foot down and say, “This is the day the Lord has made. I’m not going to let what people do or don’t do, what they say or don’t say, or what I have or don’t have keep me from being happy. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to enjoy this day.”    A Prayer for Today:   “Father, thank You that this day is a gift from You, and I’m not going to live sour and defeated. Thank You that I have the power to not allow what others say or do or what I don’t have,  steal my happiness. I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to keep my joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
    
A few days ago I entered into another decade at 90 yrs. old.   And totally realizing now that being happy or full of the Holy Spirit in God’s Peace, Love and Joy is totally a personal decision.  There are many things in my life at this point in time that I could use to become unhappy and hateful but I refuse.  Mostly it would be a pride reaction if I did.   It would be to try to save my life and really in the end, loose it.  Jesus taught about it this way, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it, but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity]. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul?   Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  Matt. 16:24-26.   (Our soul is created to live for eternity.)

John shares about it this way:   “Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.  (Will be granted a new eternal body for the soul to live in.)

So from our Creator’s point of view we are living in a temporary time dimension with an eternal soul in a temporary body to learn how to truly love HIM, ourselves and each other and to submit to Jesus as Lord in order to secure a new eternal body that is not locked in time.   In other words unless we decide to change our citizenship from this world to the Kingdom of God,  our eternal soul will not be given a new body.   And Jude relates to what it will be like to be an eternal soul without a new body from God:    “Woe to them! For they have gone the [defiant] way of Cain, and for profit they have run headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of [mutinous] Korah. 12 These men are hidden reefs [elements of great danger to others] in your fellowships when they feast together with you without fear, looking after [only] themselves; [they are like] clouds without water, swept along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted and lifeless; 13 wild waves of the sea, flinging up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of deep darkness has been reserved forever.  Jude 11-13:   As also Jesus taught: “I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  12 While the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger].”  Matt. 8:11-12.   And also taught: “For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away.   And throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place [of grief and torment] there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]. Matt.25:30    Peter also taught about it: “These [false teachers] are springs without water and mists driven by a tempest, for whom is reserved the gloom of black darkness.   For uttering arrogant words of vanity [pompous words disguised to sound scholarly or profound, but meaning nothing and containing no spiritual truth], they beguile and lure using lustful desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error.  “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and majesty and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

So really,  the use of fire in the Holy Scriptures is metaphorical so as to convey how painful the experience would be to be found, not worthy of receiving a new body.  Fire would have no effect on a spiritual soul.   But Jesus came to save us from is being an eternal soul, with total recall of the life lived, of being totally alone in absolute darkness for eternity.  And if your minister is not also inclusive of these truthful warnings you are not being given the total truth of God in which to make a valid decision for your eternity.  Our Creator God is not going to allow the destructive Pride & Rebellion of earth to contaminate HIS timeless Holy universe.  Only those who find humility and obedience in Christ Jesus will live with their Creator God for eternity in LIGHT.  All who have rejected God’s Light & forgiveness in Jesus will be consigned to utter darkness for eternity.   I did not say this,  Christ Jesus did.