Category: Heaven

God came to Earth

Lo, Jesus came heralded by a star

and so, each year candles flicker

and sweet carols rise.

What an infinitely small view man takes

of this cosmic happening

and Spiritual intrusion!

God came to earth.

The Creator became a creature.

The Prince of Peace became a pauper.

The Word of God a speechless child.

King he was in Heaven

Yet on earth a lowly vassal.

The Source of all knowledge

thought the world was flat!

The communicator of truth

spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.

God came to earth

to lie howling in his mother’s arms

and muzzling at her breast.

And yet,

We sing sentimental carols

of angel choirs and spotless shepherd boys

And wonder where our God has gone!

The living God

Daniel 6:26-27New International Version

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God
    and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
    his dominion will never end.
27 He rescues and he saves;
    he performs signs and wonders
    in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

Assension Sunday

Acts 1:6-11 New Living Translation

The Ascension of Jesus
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”

See the source image

Ascension Day is one of the earliest Christian festivals dating back to the year 68. According to the New Testament in the Bible, Jesus Christ met several times with his disciples during the 40 days after his resurrection to instruct them on how to carry out his teachings. It is believed that on the 40th day he took them to the Mount of Olives, where they watched as he ascended to heaven.
Ascension Day marks the end of the Easter season and occurs ten days before Pentecost. Depending upon the phases of the Moon in a particular year, Ascension Day is celebrated on a Thursday. However, some churches, particularly in the United States, celebrate it on the following Sunday.
Many Eastern Orthodox churches calculate the date of Pascha (Easter) according to the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar used by many western churches, so their Ascension Day usually occurs after the western observance.

Heavenly Beauty

Psalm 8:3-6 –

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.

They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God;
Both the rich and the poor,
the despised, the distressed,
They’ll sit down in the Kingdom of God.
And none will ask what they have been
Provided that their robes are clean;
They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God.See the source image
2.
They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God;
To be met by their Father and welcomed and blessed,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God.
The black, the white, the dark, the fair,
Your colour will not matter there;
They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God.
3.
They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God;
Out of great tribulation to triumph and rest
They’ll sit down in the Kingdom of God.
From every tribe and every race,
All men as brothers shall embrace;
They shall come from the east,
they shall come from the west.
And sit down in the Kingdom of God.

I suppose you could say this is part 2 of yesterday’s blog “God’s Creation” .

The Bible and this video gives us this wonderful image of heaven. A place where there are no wars, no evil. Everything is peaceful. I think the words of the above song are very fitting.

I Love to Sing

1 I love to sing of the Saviour
Who gave his life for me;
He fills my spirit with gladness,
For service sets me free.

Refrain:
How I love to sing,
How I love to sing,
How I love to sing of Jesus!
How I love to sing!

2 I love to sing of his beauty,
His greatness and his love,
A theme that thrills all creation
In earth and Heaven above.

3 I love to sing of his virtue,
His all-transforming might;
To sing of his great salvation
Be all my heart’s delight.

The Wondrous Love of Jesus

The hymn “Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus,” also known as “When We All Get to Heaven,” was written by Eliza E. Hewitt in 1898. Hewitt, a Philadelphia native, collaborated with composer Emily D. Wilson to create this uplifting gospel song12.

Eliza Hewitt was a schoolteacher who turned to hymn writing after a severe spinal injury left her bedridden for an extended period. During her recovery, she found solace in writing hymns and became an active participant in her church’s Sunday school and other religious activities2.

The hymn reflects the revivalist spirit of the late 19th century, capturing themes of hope, faith, and the promise of eternal life. It was often sung at Methodist camp meetings and other revival gatherings, where it inspired many with its message of joyous anticipation of heaven1

Candles for the Lord

Mathew 5:16

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Yes you guessed it the regular followers of my blogs, this is another blog about light only this time the song which was written by Joy Webb indicates it is a song of witness and testimony .  I’ve heard many different arrangements From Songsters(Salvation Army Choir) to instrumental videos and I think I can safely say  I like each respectively

How great the darkness, how deep the need!

How vast the problems of indifference, hate and greed;
A world rejecting the truth once known,

And slipping down into a nightmare of its own;
Is there a light that’s strong enough to go,

And metamorphasize the darkness that we know?

I am a candle of the Lord, with truth and love more powerful than sword!
o fan the flame, its single gleam diffuse,

And let my spirit be the light that You can use.
I am the candle of the Lord. Light mel Light me!

How bright the light is from soul to soul:

A myriad tiny flames expanding to a whole,

How strange the truth is when joined as one,
And what a miracle this shining could become;

It could transform the darkness that we know,
And clearly light the way mankind must try to go.

An Ordinary Man

Matthew 6:1-18 New International Version – UK 

Giving to the needy

6 ‘Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 ‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

5 ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 ‘This, then, is how you should pray:

‘“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

16 ‘When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Simple Prayers

How To Pray To God

Jesus shares some tremendous insight regarding how to pray to God in Matthew 6:5-13.

“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think prayers are answered only by repeating words over and over again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”Related image

In the above verses, Jesus shares how not to pray.

  • Verse 5: We are to pray in secret, not the way people did in His day — praying out loud publicly, primarily to just be seen, and heard.
  • Verse 6: Jesus asks us to go to a private place since our Heavenly Father already knows what we are going to pray about.
  • Verse 7: Jesus tells us not to ramble on and on, as people of other religions do, or be repetitious with words. God, our heavenly Father, would have us be specific about our prayer.
  • Verse 8: Jesus reiterates that the believer is not to pray repetitiously like the heathen.

Next, Jesus, teaches us how to pray.

  • Verse 9: Jesus says we should give honor to God and His name.
  • Verse 10: We are to pray for His Kingdom to come, and for His will to be done, that there would be a heavenly or godly presence here on earth.
  • Verse 11: We are to pray for daily provision.
  • Verse 12: We are to pray and ask for forgiveness for our sins, and for others who have wronged us.
  • Verse 13: We are to pray and ask God to keep us from being tempted, and to deliver us from Satan and his power.

Other New Testament writers describe other ways to pray. Paul, in Philippians 4:6, says that we should pray for everything with thanksgiving. Paul, who wrote several books of the New Testament, often began and ended his letters in prayer for the saints. Specifically, Paul prays for God’s grace, peace, love, and faith among believers.