Heaven’s Glory

Revelation 21:15-16 “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.” Dr. Henry Morris in his book The Revelation Record calculates the measurements of Heaven. A cube that is 1500 square miles is as large as the area from Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rockies. It could easily accommodate 20 billion residents, each having his or her own private 75-acre cube, or room, or mansion. That would leave plenty of room for streets, parks and public buildings. If God can make the heavens and earth as beautiful as we see that they are today, can you imagine what the new Heaven and the new earth will look like? The are few things here on earth that calm my inner soul, but going for a walk on the beach or taking a hike in the mountains in Hawaii come pretty close. I love to smell the salty air, put my feet in the sand and listen to the crashing waves of the ocean. I love the beauty of taking a hike through the mountains, following a stream of rushing water, walking through a bamboo forest and then coming around a trail to see a breathtaking waterfall. Being one with nature and God’s creation does something to the soul; it’s almost like the rat race of the world doesn’t exist, and for just that moment in time, I can breathe in His fresh air and I can hear His still small voice whisper to me saying, “All of these things were created by Me and for Me, for My pleasure and glory,” and I have given them to you for you to enjoy. (Col. 1:16.) As wonderful as it is to go to the beach or on vacation in Hawaii, unfortunately, I always have to go home, back to the hustle and bustle of real life, back to the crowds of people and all of the things that pull and tug on me, back to work and back to reality. I often think about the monks of Tibet and how spiritual they can be, sitting high in the mountains singing praises to God, but what would they be like if they had to live in the city and fight traffic each morning to go to a job which requires that you give your full attention. Sure, I can be spiritual when I’m walking on the beach by myself or hiking through a beautiful mountain trail, but add rude people, whiny kids, stop and go traffic, and the noise of the city, it seems that everything changes. Why does that happen? Why do I allow my situation and my circumstances to change my spirituality, to change the peace that lies within me, to alter my breathing and my state of mind? 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” God is able to transform me little by little and I know that this is a lifetime process, a journey that is fraught with problems, with difficulties, with pain, with sorrow and with grief. There will be deep dark valleys where the blackness threatens to swallow me up, where the seas rage and the wind blows right through the gaping hole in my gut that is left as a result of the grief I still carry. But there is also joy and peace, contentment and happiness, days that the wind will gently blow across my face, down times where I can walk in streams of living water and bask in the sun on the grassy slope of life. It is there I find the hope of Heaven and my eternal destiny and I can remember that this life is but a blip on the radar screen, and there are better things to come, more glorious than I could have ever hoped, dreamed or imagined. I find hope through trusting that He has prepared a far greater place for me, but in the meantime, He is continually holding me in the palm of His hand and He is preparing me for glory. – Melody

Our Last Day

Ecclesiastes 7:2 “Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.” In the first part of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is trying to find meaning in his life. In the second verse of this book, he states, “‘Everything is meaningless,’ says the teacher, ‘completely meaningless.’” The definition of meaningless is having no purpose or reason. The problem is he was looking for meaning and purpose without God. He hated life because everything he was doing seemed to not matter. In his quest for meaning, he then finds himself telling us it is better to spend time at funerals than parties. Most anyone I know, would tell you that they hate funerals and they usually go only if it is a family member or social pressure. This suggestion is not for us to think morbidly. It is to remind us that each of us will run out of time here on earth. We will run out of time to tell those we love how they have impacted our life. We will no longer be able to right those relationships that have been fractured. It is at funerals that we get a glimpse of what the future holds for us. No one lives on the earth forever. We can learn many life lessons in death. Psalm 90:12 tells us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. That reality is never more evident than at a house of mourning. I just recently experienced this after spending time with a good friend who was hours away from breathing her last breath. The house was full of those she loved and who loved her. All those unspoken words that needed to be said were finally released. There was nothing left unsaid. The finality of death shouts no more time, no more words. No more would of, could of, should of. Death is a gift given to the living. It is a reminder that we can make a change on how we live our life. Are we chasing things that really don’t matter? Are we loving those that are in our lives with the love of Christ? Do we need to change the direction on how we are living? We know we have no guarantees for another day. Bryce Morgan writes, “Knowing your time is limited should not lead you to waste your days, but to seize your days; to not take them for granted.” To live carefully and courageously. Right? That is wisdom. So do not put off till tomorrow what you can do today. There is no promise of tomorrow. Your last day is ahead of you. So how will you spend your last day? Lord, may we be doing Your work and living our best life on our last day! – Michele