Where's my mansion?

What a house!!!  I can't even imagine being "well off" enough to own such a thing, but obviously someone is doing quite well indeed.  Riches in an of themselves are not bad, its the condition of the heart and its reflection in how life is lived that counts.  Consider this passage from the book of Luke to see what I mean.

Luke 16:19-31 (WEB)
19) “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.
20) A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21) and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22) It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.
23) In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
24) He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’
25) “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish.
26) Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
27) “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house;
28) for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’
29) “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30) “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31) “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”

Attitude is everything!!!  Obviously, the rich man did not care for his neighbor or his family or he would have done something about it while he had the opportunity.  At death, its too LATE!!!  So, consider what you do, enjoy your wealth, but consider others and most importantly seek God's will in how you should live your life.  If you listen, learn and practice these things, your riches will be of the heart and you will be blessed by God.

Glorious!

What a beautiful sunset!!!  This unique blend of clouds at different altitudes gives the impression of the whole sky being lit up.  How glorious!!!  I can't recall ever seeing this before.  Yet, how many times have I said that on this blog?  How many different things in this world are unique and worthy of recognition?  The apostle Paul says something similar in his first letter to the Corinthians...

1 Corinthians 15:40-58 (WEB)
40) There are also celestial bodies, and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial differs from that of the terrestrial.
41) There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
42) So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.
43) It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
44) It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.
45) So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46) However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.
47) The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.
48) As is the one made of dust, such are those who are also made of dust; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49) As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.
50) Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
51) Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54) But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55) “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”
56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58) Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

The leap from considering our glorious surroundings to the glory that awaits us in the next life may seem like a large one at first, but then, all things have a beginning and an end.  Without the hope of something better awaiting us, how depressing this world would be!!!  But thankfully, Jesus has made a way for something better, something more glorious than any sunset could ever be... eternal life!!!  That thought and the expectation of the beauty that awaits in the life beyond makes life more beautiful in the here and now than any sunset, no matter how marvelous.

Remember WINTER ????

Yesterday, a good friend from New Jersey told me it was going to get to 100 there and I was quite surprised, because it was only going to get into the low nineties here in Florida and its still SPRINGTIME!!!  Its dangerous to be either too cold or hot and in fact it can be life threatening.  But, cold can be a good thing, as this verse from the book of Proverbs shows.

Proverbs 25:25 (WEB)
25) Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

When you are thirsty, YOU MUST DRINK!!!  Nothing else will do, you need WATER and that is that!  Ah, but when you finally have quenched this overwhelming need, relief fills every part of your being and no matter how bad you felt, suddenly you feel wonderful!!!  Its like that when you hear from relatives you haven't seen for awhile, but long to see every single day.  Its wonderful and for awhile you are on cloud nine.  Today, I saw a new show narrated by Morgan Freeman called "into the wormhole".  Frankly, it blew me away because of both its cleverness and scientific accuracy.  One of the episodes that was especially interesting to me was a scientific investigation of the existence of the human soul.  From what I saw, it would seem that scientists are very close to actually proving the existence of the soul.  It was welcome news, something like the joy expressed in the verse from Proverbs.  So, it made the whole day seem wonderful and THAT IS SOMETHING WORTH REMEMBERING!!!  You know, I think I feel thirsty all of a sudden!!!

Who are you?

How would you like to be in this position?  Can you imagine the amount of teasing this man must receive?  Yet, if it really, really bothered him he could always change his name.  Some names are better off not changed and here is a prime example.

Matthew 1:18-25 (WEB)
18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this; for after his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
19) Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.
20) But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21) She shall bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
22) Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”
24) Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;
25) and didn’t know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

How different the would would be if Joseph and Mary had NOT LISTENED TO THE ANGEL!!!  But, they did and Jesus fulfilled his ministry.  And am I glad they did, because without a solution for sin, where would I be???

What is better than this?

Its been over a year since I placed my "big boy's toy" on the blog, but it has received more hits than the combined total of the next best twenty posts.  Now, here is a new take, a modernized version of that toy.  Its like romper room meets star trek and the hybrid offspring of this union is this "far out" version.  I must admit I like it, but I am sure it still would make enough noise on the road to irritate most people.  I wonder, why do people always want something "new"?  Here is a passage from the book of Acts that may provide some insight.

Acts 17:16-31 (WEB)
16) Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
17) So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
18) Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19) They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?
20) For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”
21) Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22) Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
23) For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
24) The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands,
25) neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
26) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27) that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28) ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
29) Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
30) The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
31) because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”

After your physical needs are met, what then?  Why not try to find something to stimulate your mind?  Such was the case of the Athenians and in America of the 21st century it is true today.  How many people do you know that are retired or on disability?  I know a lot and I am sure that you do to.  Truth is, without God, nothing satisfies, nothing leaves you "complete".  It is only when the soul is made complete by its fellowship with God that true happiness is achieved.  God is not just another toy, like this big boy tricycle, he is the answer to all the longing within the spirit of man and that is better than any toy anyone could ever dream up.

Dreams

Alf; now there is a character!!!  This looks like a nightmare and for Alf, a very scary one indeed!!!  At one time or another, everyone has a nightmare.  Any number of things could cause one, although for the majority of us, its probably not "cats".  Here is a New Testament example of one.

Matthew 27:11-24 (WEB)
11) Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.”
12) When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13) Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”
14) He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
15) Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.
16) They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17) When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
18) For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.
19) While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”
20) Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21) But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
22) Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”
23) But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
24) So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”


Pilate should have listened to his wife, but then, how could the scriptures be fulfilled?  I guess dreams can be good things (even the bad ones).  So, the next time you have a nightmare, perhaps there is a lesson to learn in there somewhere.  Just don't have a heavy meal before going to bed, because, who knows, you may find yourself on a platter.

The prize

This brings to mind the old commercial that had the punch line: "That's a some spicy MEAT-A-BALL"  The sign says it the worlds largest meatball and maybe it is.  Certainly, it would take many, many people to eat this one.  I was thinking about food a lot today, as last night I took my wife out for pizza and we ordered a large.  Funny thing is... we each only could eat a couple of pieces.  To some, this may sound completely normal, but... I used to be able to eat four or five (and on a good day, more).  So, this little episode made me think of a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 11:8 (WEB)
8) Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

Things change, but I will remember the past fondly and look forward to the future with expectation.  Although "old age" may be just around the corner (perhaps closer that makes me feel comfortable), still the vanity of this life will pass into the reality of a spiritual existence that will last forever.  That prize is worth more than a thousand Earthly ones.  Which makes me wonder.... I wonder how big the meatballs will be in heaven?