It’s Not About Heaven

A little boy and his babysitter are walking along the street. Arriving at the corner, the woman begins to cross but at that moment glances behind to see the boy is not with her. She impatiently barks, “Hurry up!” but the boy pays no mind, because he is engrossed in something too wonderful for words. He has discovered that if he stands just the right way, that the little sticks he has collected along the path fall just so into the sewer grate. He can hear the water below; he can see his little sticks as they splash. Mesmerizing.

My wife once taught a delightful little 9 year old girl named Jennifer. During the parent/teacher interview, the mother complained of her daughter’s ‘dreaminess’ and how it took her forever to get home from school every day. Now, my wife knew Jennifer very well and in a flash of inspiration said, “Oh, but can’t you see? Jennifer isn’t trying to frustrate you. This is what Jennifer does on her way home from school: she gazes up in wonder at the beauty of the spring leaves. She stoops to watch the slow progress of a ladybug in the grass. For Jennifer, life is a marvel. She sees wonder and beauty all around her, and her imagination is boundless! She could very well grow up to be a great writer.”

For most of us, life is anything but marvelous and wonderful. The tedious monotony of everyday living is what most of us face day in and day out. We look forward to going to heaven just to escape from the dreary cares and worries of this life. But what is missing? The splendor and wonder and majesty of all that is glorious is hidden in the mundane realm.

What is heaven without being personally engaged with the living Prince of all that is heavenly, growing, basking, reveling in His boundless and intoxicating total love of and for me?

Rich

Fear Verses Love

I love this quote from the site I mentioned in this post on my other blog (read it here), “Christians are primarily led by circumstances - they have a survival mentality. They will do things when they are hurt or rejected or times are tough. Christians will do in the circumstances what suits them best. Sons are not led by circumstances - they are led by the Spirit. That's what sons are. (Romans 8:14); "Those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God". It didn't say they are going to be sons one day. If people are led by the Spirit of God then they are sons of God - they are sons! Christians in Christ are going to heaven when they die. There is no question about that. It's not an issue about heaven or hell. If you are in Christ you are going to heaven. But a son is someone who is not led by circumstances - someone who is led by the Holy Spirit.


A son doesn't live in fear. Christians do. Paul writes and says God has not given a spirit to fear again. A few weeks ago that word "again" jumped out at me. I had never seen that word - even though I had read that passage hundreds of times. So I had to ask; "God has not given us a spirit to fear again". What do you mean "again"? When was the first time we feared? The first time we feared was when we saw how severe the law of God is and the judgements of the law of God. When we saw that we felt the fear of divine rejection, we felt the fear that the Father would reject us because we had broken His law, we felt fear of wrath, we felt fear of being abandoned, we felt fear of God's disapproval.


And all condemnation produces stress, anxiety, worry and anger. Modern psychologists have traced all stress, all anger, panic attacks, anxiety - back to guilt and condemnation. The economic downturn in and of itself could not have caused the amount of suicide that is happening in Hong Kong and around the world IF people were taught about being sons because sons have a spirit from the Father in them so they will never fear again.


What's the fear? The fear that the Father will abandon me during the economic downturn - the fear that the Father is not able to supply me with what I need because I am not good enough and I am not holy enough so I will be rejected.


Sons are led by a spirit that will never put them in fear again!

I want to add here even though I’ve said it numerous times before, “It’s a revelation not a seminar!”
When I hear someone saying things like this, “Wow, what interesting concepts, or yeah, that’s a cool concept” I know this is someone still living as a Christian and not as a son!!
Our son-ship comes about because of a revelation! Jesus said; "No one knows the Son except the Father reveal the Son and no one can know the Father unless the Son choose to reveal the Father".

The following quote simply rocks my world; “Now who does the Son chose to reveal the Father to? The wise and learned? It is His pleasure to hide the revelation of the Father's love from the wise and learned, the arrogant and the self-righteous - those keeping the law. But it's His joy and His pleasure to reveal the love of the Father to those who come down in humility and believe that He has not called you to be a Christian but a son who the Father loves!


(v28); "I choose to reveal the Father to the child-like". So we cry; "Jesus reveal the Father!". How do you do that? The very next verse I am quoting in sequence says; "Come to Me all you that are laiden and heavy-burdened and I will give you rest". What is the revelation of the Father's love? Rest. Why? "I can do nothing without the Father". I am not going to bother trying because I can do nothing without the Father! My yoke is easy and My burden is light!

Rich