Heaven Chapter 2

So, I read Chapter two in Heaven by Randy Alcorn.  This was a really good chapter that made me think.  

Randy Alcorn says this, "We can not anticipate or desire what we can not imagine."  This is why he believes God has given us little bits and pieces of Heaven in the Bible. "To fire up our imagination and kindle a desire for Heaven in our hearts."

This makes complete sense to me.  I like how he talks about 1 Corinthians 2:9. 

However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" the things God has prepared for those who love him.

But you also must read verse 10.  

These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

What we couldn't have known about Heaven, God has revealed to use through His Spirit.  So God has explained to us what Heaven is like.  He hasn't told us everything by any means.  But He wants us to understand and anticipate it.  

Colossians 3:1 says:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

I like what Randy says about this.  "Our minds are so set on Earth that we are unaccustomed to heavenly thinking.  So we must work at it."

"If you read History, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.  The Apostles themselves, who set foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied wit Heaven.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.  Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."

- C.S. Lewis

I have never read this quote before until I read this book.  C.S. Lewis does make a very good point.  His last sentence reminds me of Matthew 16:26.  "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"  The Christians that have their minds set on Heaven will be the ones who make the most difference on Earth. 

Lord,

Thank you for the wonderful, indescribable place that you are preparing for us.  Thank you for describing it in your Word so we may imagine and anticipate it.  Help me to keep my heart and mind focused on things above.  I don't want to waste my time focusing on things in this world that will not last.  

Amen

- Mallory

Heaven Chapter 1

John 14:1-3

 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

So, it's been too long since I've written on here.  I'm ashamed at how much I've been slacking on getting in the Word everyday. . . And I have no excuses.

 I decided to pick a special spot to do my devotions.  I picked my roof.  It isn't very high, and it is so incredibly peaceful and beautiful.  I'm sitting there right now.  I think this will be my new writing spot as well, to give me some inspiration and a quiet place to think :).

I've also decided to go through the book "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.  It is a HUGE book, and I've only read one chapter so far, but I already enjoy it. 

 The first chapter was titled, "Are you looking forward to Heaven?"  It talked about how people have misconceptions of Heaven.  Lot's of people have this idea that in heaven you will sit on a cloud and sing and play a harp for the rest of eternity.  Even some Christians believe that.  Where they got that from I don't know, because it sure doesn't say anything like that in the Bible.  

I also learned some interesting statistics.  

3 people die every second

180 every minute

and nearly 11,000 every hour

That means that more than 250,000 people every day go to either Heaven or Hell!

That just blew me away when I read that. 

There are so many opportunities that God has given me, that I've turned down.

Thinking, "Oh, I won't sit with that person with no friends.  Someone else will sit with them. . ." 

Or, "I really don't need to invite this person to church, because I know they will say no."

Stuff like that that I do is sinful.  I'm ignorant.

This next passage was in the book:

Psalm 39:4-5 

 4 "Show me, LORD, my life's end
   and the number of my days;
   let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
   the span of my years is as nothing before You.
Everyone is but a breath,
   even those who seem secure."

It is humbling how David says that the span of my years is as nothing before God.  Everyone is but a breath. . .

And yet, God longs for us to have an intimate relationship with Him? Astounding.

-Mallory

James 5

Today I'm finishing the book of James.  

This what the "Bare Bones Bible Handbook for Teens" says about this last chapter in James:

 Chapter 5:7-20     Forbearance of Faith

James ends by asking his readers to be patient as they endure suffering.  They can take comfort in knowing that someday the Lord will return.  They are to follow the examples of the prophets and men like Job, who suffered with patience.  In all such cases, the Lord, was merciful.  Therefore, James's readers are to pray in the midst of their suffering.  and sickness. They could be confident that prayer makes a difference.  James closes by urging his readers to reach out to those who stray form the truth. and stop living God's way.  He states that their souls are in danger of eternal separation from God.  

Putting Meat on the Bones:

Christians often hurt their witness to others by their actions.  They say they trust God and are His people, yet they continue to live in a worldly way.   Claiming to have true faith and giving all the right answers while still pursuing worldly goals can have a bad effect on how unbelievers view the gospel.  

Fleshing It Out in Your Life:

James reminds you that genuine faith changes lives.  You must put your faith in Christ into action.  It's easy to say you have faith, but true faith produces loving actions toward others.  Your faith must not be head knowledge only, but it must be lived out by heart actions.  The proof that your faith is genuine is a changed life shown by practical Christian living.  James 1:19 says believers are to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry."  You can't get much more practical than that!

When has your tongue gotten you in trouble?  How can you use your words for righteous purposes?

It someone who just met you were to spend a couple hours with you, would he or she know you are a Christian? Why or why not?

What is your biggest temptation to be worldly?  How can you counter that temptation with God's wisdom?

Life Lessons from James:

- Genuine faith will produce real changes in your life

- Temptation is not sun, but if it's not dealt with, it can lead to sin

- Being wealthy is not a sin, but selfishness is.  God gives you money to help meet the needs of others

- Prayer plays a key role in the ministry of the local church

- God does not favor some people more than others, and you shouldn't either

Where to Find It in James:

The benefits of trials ....................................James 1:2-4

The solution to a lack of wisdom ...................James 1:5-8

The nature of temptation ...............................James 1:12-15

The fact that faith without works is dead .........James 2:17

The untamable tongue ....................................James 3:1-12

The patience of Job ........................................James 5:11

The Divine Nature of God: God is...

The giver of wisdom (1:5)

Not tempted by evil (1:13)

The giver of every good gift (1:17)

Unchanging (1:17)

The Faith of Lights--the creator (1:17-18)

The Righteous One (1:20)

Our Father (3:9)

The giver of grace to the humble (4:6)

The lawgiver (4:12)

The sovereign Lord (4:15)

Alright, well I hope that that information was helpful if you have any questions about James.  Now, back to talking about chapter 5.  Here is the passage:

James 5

Warning to Rich Oppressors

 ¹ Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. ² Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. ⁴ Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵ You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.^[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Patience in Suffering

 ⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. ⁹ Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

 ¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 ¹² Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned.

The Prayer of Faith

 ¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

 ¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

 ¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

I like verse 7.  It says that the farmer waits patiently for rain.  We actually went through this passage in our small group at youth group last week.  I like this because it kind of is saying that we have to go through the hard time (waiting for the rain) to get to the good (when the rains come).  The passage title is "Patience in Suffering."  When something hard comes up, do you immediately go to God and expect Him to fix it?  I do.  This is basically telling us to be patient when we are suffering.  God will get us through it, but maybe not right away.  Maybe He wants to teach us something along the way.  

Be patient, my friends, and let God work.

-Mallory

James 4

Today's reading is James 4.  My commentary says this about this chapter:

Conflicts of faith

"Worldliness is putting physical pleasures and things before God.  It is harmful to faith, and it produces greed, envy, fighting, and pride.  The only thing that overcomes worldliness is submitting to God with a humble heart."

James 4

Submit Yourselves to God

 ¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

 ⁴ You adulterous people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

   “God opposes the proud
   but shows favor to the humble.”^[c]

 ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

 ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

 ¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I really like verses 13-17.  In verse 14 it says:

 "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. "

That really makes me think.  It is true, our lives are so short. Now think about this.  Our lives are so short, but yet God cares enough about us that He sent His ONE and ONLY son, to die for nations of people whose lives are soooo short.  This is how much God loves us. And in John 3:16 notice what it says.

"For God so loved the World that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

God loves the WHOLE WORLD.  He loves me, you, your neighbor, your mom, your dad, your grandpa and grandma, your friend, your friend's neighbor, your friend's parents. . . I think you get the point :).  Many of you probably know these passages already, but its nice to be reminded that you are loved, itsn't it? :D

So, if you ever feel like no one in the whole world loves you, your wrong.  There's God, and His everlasting love is inexpressible.  

- Mallory

James Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Evaluation of Faith  

My commentary says this to give us an idea about chapter 3:

"James refers to the tongue as another test of how true faith acts-- faith tames the tongue, or the mouth. He then says wisdom is a further evidence of faith. Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, you can know the kind of wisdom a person posses by his or her actions. James also shows the difference between human wisdom, which leads to confusion and chaos, and God's wisdom, which leads to peace and goodness."  

Here is Chapter 3:  

James 3  

Taming the Tongue  

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Two Kinds of Wisdom 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

I like verse 9 a lot. Isn't it ironic that we praise our Lord, but trash talk, gossip, and lie with the same tongue? It definitely makes me think. A lot. Out of our same mouth comes praise AND cursing. It shouldn't be that way. Our life should be a life of worshipping God continually. We can't be two-faced and do both.

Think about this today.  Are you cursing and praising your God with the same mouth?  What can you do to make your life a continuous praise to God?

- Mallory

James Chapter 2 (Continued)

James 2:14-26

Faith and Deeds

 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”


   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.


 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.


 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.


This is a great passage.  It says that good works will come from genuine faith.  It also says that faith without works is dead.  But, I don't want to confuse you with this.  Think about the thief that was next to Jesus on the cross.  He didn't get a chance to perform good works, but Jesus said:

Luke 23:43
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

My footnotes in my Bible say that the thief showed that he had great faith.  He saw Jesus dying on the cross but believed that He would come into His kingdom.  This shows the amazing faith he had.  I mean, put yourself in that position.  Would you still believe that Jesus would come into His kingdom if he was stuck on a cross dying?  It would be hard for me to believe.  

So think about the thief and the amazing faith he had as you go about your day.

- Mallory

James 2:1-10

Today I'm just going to focus on part of chapter 2.

Favoritism Forbidden

 1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.


I really like the first few verses with the poor man and the rich man, because it is so true in our culture today.  I see examples of it all the time at school.  A new kid might come to school, and people will judge them just by their looks, even when they haven't met them yet.  I mean, who are we to judge?

And I LOVE verse 10.

 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

In my footnotes it says, one sin, small or great, makes a man a sinner and brings him under condemnation.  It is basically saying that all sins are equal, and it doesn't matter what sins you have committed, you are still a sinner either way. Plus sins are all equal in God's eyes.

It doesn't matter if you've stolen, lied, gossiped, murdered, cheated, swore, committed adultery or idolatry. . . . .

And even thinking about doing a sin is just like doing the real thing.


Well I will end with that.

- Mallory