Homesick for Heaven?

Randy Alcorn has written some of the best stuff about heaven and eternity. Sadly, too many of us rarely give the next life much thought. We are too busy enjoy the stuff and fluff of this life. And that's sad! Below is an excerpt from his devotional book, 50 Days of Heaven: Reflections That Bring Eternity to Light. I highly recommend it!

"Do you recall a time when you were away from home and desperately missed it? Maybe it was when you were at college or in the military, were traveling extensively overseas, or needed to move because of a job. Do you remember how your heart ached for home? That's how we should feel about Heaven. 

We are a displaced people, longing for our home. C. S. Lewis said, 'If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.'

Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us." 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A La Carte Thursday

I hope you glean something of value from today's a la carte offerings!

1. Michael Horton comments on Newsweek's cover article about the Islamic war on Christians. He offers up some helpful suggestions on how we as Christians can best respond to this growing threat. 

2. Scotty Smith offers a prayer for drawing strength from our tireless, hope-renewing God. I just love Scotty's prayers!

3. Ed Welch comments on his new book, Do Young People Worry about What Others Think? 


4. Ever get to feeling a bit dry in your love relationship with God? If so ... you might want to read this brief devotional from Ligonier Ministries, Developing a Passion for God. 

5. And on a lighter note ... John Branyan retells the tale of the Three Little Pigs in Shakespearean language and style! Quite clever!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj 

Distinctively Different!

Recently I have noticed a few cardinals feeding at my bird feeder, which hangs from a post just outside my home office window.  As you can guess, cardinals, with their bright red feathers are easy to spot when they arrive. And in the warmer months, I enjoy listening to their very distinctive song - especially when two or more of them are involved in putting on a concert! 

Just as cardinals in the bird world are distinct in both color and song – we as Christ-followers are to be distinct in the real world in all that we think, say and do.  Christ calls us to follow the way of the cross – which is a very counter-cultural path.  So if we are walking this path – denying ourselves, picking up the cross daily and following Him (see Luke 9:23) – we will be distinctly different from the masses around us.  Are you willing to stand up --- and stand out for Jesus?  

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

The Gift that Never Stops Giving!

During my prayer time this morning ... I used one of my favorite devotional books, the Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Here is an excerpt from the prayer that I used today ... it focuses on Jesus Christ.

"O source of all good, 

What shall I render to you for the gift of gifts, 

Your own dear Son, begotten not created,

my redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, 

his self-emptying incomprehensible,

his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:

He came below to raise me above,

was born like me that I might become like him.

When I was undone, with no will to return to him, 

and no intellect to devise recovery,

he came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost, 

as man to die my death,

to shed satisfying blood on my behalf, 

to work out a perfect righteousness for me. 

Let me clasp my savior to my heart, 

embrace him with undying faith, 

rejoicing that he is mine and I am his. 

In him you have given me so much that heaven can give no more. 

Amen."

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

A Pajama Lesson

Recently I saw something at the mall that made me look a second time. Someone wearing their pajama bottoms. And once I saw one person ... I saw some others as well. Not sure what that means ... perhaps too lazy to get dressed after rolling out of bed? Maybe rolling out of bed late with no time to change? Or perhaps the individual's only pair of jeans are in the wash? And it's not just here in Lancaster. The city of Shreveport, LA is considering a ban on the wearing of pajamas in public. And last year a school in the town of Middlesbrough, England asked parents to stop wearing pajamas when they dropped off and picked up their children from school. What's next? I'd hate to even go there!

I got to thinking about this earlier this morning. I was greeting our preschool students at they were being dropped off for school. Some of the students were wearing their pajama's. Today was "pajama day" in their class. After watching several of them skipping in the door, wearing their finest sleepwear ... I turned to a one of the teaches and said, "So, this is where these people who wear their pj's to the mall learned that it was OK to get "out and about" in your pajamas!"  Of course, I was just trying to be funny (but, as one four year old told me once, "You think you're funny but you're not!"). So ..OK .. the statement was a bit lame. But ... there is a reality behind my attempt at humor.

Children ... especially in their preschool years ... are incredibly impressionable. The foundation of who they will become as adults is laid during their early childhood days. So we who have little ones in our lives (i.e. children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, students, etc.) must be INTENTIONAL about just  what it is we are passing on to them. And among other things ... remember this truism, "VALUES ARE BETTER CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).  What kind of example are YOU to the children in your life? What truths are you impressing upon them?

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Thursday A La Carte

Here are my Thursday a la carte offerings for this week. Enjoy!

1. Al Mohler comments on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that reaffirms religious liberty. You will want to read this!

2. Recently someone shared about going through some tough times ... and how God seemed distant or uninvolved in their situation in spite of pleas for his help. Ray Ortland offers up some thoughts of encouragement when (not if) we go through such hard time.

3. Here's a great (and convicting) video (3:14) on the topic of evangelism from Way of the Master.

4. David Murray discusses some of the whispers you might "hear" after you get done praying ... whispers that come for our adversary ... I printed these out to place in my prayer journal.

5.  Talk about "sleight of hand!" This guy is really, really good!!! (my takeaway ... our adversary the Devil is even better at the deception game ... so beware!). Worth the 8 minutes it takes to watch!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

From Darkness to Light

As Mathew records his gospel account of Jesus Christ, he reaches back into Isaiah chapter nine and quotes this promise that was made of the promised Messiah:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 

   the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 

the people dwelling in darkness 

   have seen a great light, 

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, 

   on them a light has dawned.” 

(Matthew 4:15-16)

Jesus brought God's light to the people of Israel. The majority chose to reject that light. And thus, for the past two thousand years, the Jewish people have, for the most part, lived in spiritual darkness (see Romans 11:1-7). But there is coming a day, I believe, when God will do an incredible work among the Israeli people (Romans 11:25-27). I also believe that God has already begun to do amazing things in present day Israel. For the past decade and a half, I have had the privilege of serving on the board of Hebrew Christian Fellowship. In the past five or six years, God has providentially brought us into partnership with a number of ministries in Israel that are seeing significant growth. I encourage you to go to the Hebrew Christian Fellowship website. Once there, click on the word AFFILATES. This will take you a listing of the various affilate ministries that HCF is working with ... all at work bringing the light of the gospel to those who live in the land of Israel. This is indeed an exciting time to be alive!  

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj