“_______, don’t miss out on paradise!”
Each morning, maybe like the rest of humanity, I reach for my phone to see who sent me a message overnight while I slept. Today, I was not disappointed.
Two text messages from my sisters.
An audio message from one of my daughters.
A news update of the current world’s news from KBC.
A few devotional messages.
&
A few advertisers who desire to “sell me” on an idea.
So, like most of the world of humans, I read the two text messages, listened to the audio message, read through the news articles, clicked on the devotions that subscribers had sent to me, & then I tapped on a particular advertisement that caught my eye.
“Nancy, don’t miss out on paradise!”
At that moment, my mind ran as fast as a mind can run toward the place called HEAVEN. That’s the “real” paradise—RIGHT! Now, clearly, the advertiser had another “paradise” in mind when they shared their hotel advertisement with me as I slept, but my mind did not run toward Jamaica or Europe or toward Alaska or even toward the South Pacific. May our minds run daily straight toward HEAVEN—OUR PARADISE!
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
(The Letter to the Hebrews 1: 1-4 NASB 1995 Translation)
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the world.
And He is the radiance of His glory
and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become so much better than the angels,
as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
Bible Scholars speak often about the “unnamed” author of the book of Hebrews, and oftentimes, they attribute the work to the apostle Paul. Regardless of the man who was given the Word of God to transcribe, the more important concept to focus upon is the “matter” (the focus) of which the author wrote.
The Letter to the Hebrews begins by describing the presence of God.
- God—spoke to the fathers in the prophets!
- God—spoke to us through His Son!
- God—appointed His Son heir of all things!
- God & His Son & His Holy Spirit—made the world & everything in it!
- God’s Son is the radiance of God’s glory!
- God’s Son is the exact representation of God’s nature!
- God’s Son upholds all things through the power of God!
- God’s Son made purification for all mankind’s sins!
- Then God’s Son sat down on the right-hand-side of the Majesty, our Father who reigns on high!
- God’s Son remains much better & has a much more excellent name than the angels!
May our minds run daily straight toward HEAVEN—OUR PARADISE!
In speaking with His disciples, before His crucifixion on the cross, our Savior spoke these words of comfort:
“Jesus said to him, [responding to the question Thomas asked]
(John 14: 6-7 NASB 1995 Translation)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.
If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
- Jesus Himself describes the way we can see God!
- Jesus tells us He is the only way to God!
- Jesus reminds us that He speaks the truth!
- Jesus promises us that He offers us life!
- Then Jesus helps us remember how no one can come into God’s presence except through Him!
- Amazingly, Jesus reveals how knowing HIM is equal to knowing GOD too!
- Astonishingly, the Son of God helps us understand: from the moment we know Jesus, the Son of God, as our personal Savior, in that instant, we KNOW GOD, are suddenly filled with GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT & SEE GOD!
May our minds run daily straight toward HEAVEN—OUR PARADISE!
“_______, don’t miss out on paradise!”
- Whose name belongs in the blank?
- Yes, I wonder—Who does not yet know Jesus as their Savior?
As a child of God, the Messiah and Redeemer offers us many beautiful promises, and one such promise of God to His children is revealed to us in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
(The Letter to the Philippians 3: 20-21 NASB 1995 Translation)
who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
Each day, I flip the page on a wordplay that sits on my countertop; it is not happenstance that today’s page encouraged me to think of five words that begin with the letter “E.”
ETERNITY—ETHEREAL—ENOUGH—EVERLASTING—ETERNAL.
Because of JESUS CHRIST & Because HE changed our name, we can claim all the promises of GOD!
- Jesus arose from the dead after He was crucified and died upon the cross!
- Jesus gave His disciples permission to touch His resurrected body!
- Jesus ate with His disciples before He ascended back to heaven!
- Jesus was visibly seen by over 500 individuals “AFTER” HE AROSE FROM THE GRAVE!
- Jesus ascended back to heaven and sat down at the right hand of Father God!
- Jesus has provided the redeemed “citizenship” in heaven!
- Jesus is who we “eagerly wait for.”
- Jesus will “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.”
- Jesus, “by the exertion of the power that He has” will “subject all things to Himself.”
One day soon, JESUS CHRIST will stand & HE will return to earth!
On that day, all who have chosen to receive the Salvation of GOD through the SAVIOR will rise up to meet JESUS in the air.
It is a promise of God!
It is the TRUTH!
We know—because God tells us within HIS WORD!
YES, today, may our minds run daily straight toward HEAVEN—OUR PARADISE!
&
May our minds dwell upon those whose names remain—unwritten!
May we in boldness witness to them: “_______, don’t miss out on paradise!”