I'm Too Busy: How will God view our excuses when eternity comes?

The church is full of hypocrites.

A God of love would never send people to hell.

Everyone has their own truth and their own path to God.

My teacher told me God doesn’t exist.

I went to church when I was little so it’s all good. Or, I’m a member of the local church so it’s all good. I’m covered.

I’ve done too many bad things. God doesn’t want me.

I’m a good person. God will let me in.

I can take care of that some other time. I’m too busy right now.

I don’t feel like it.

All that Bible stuff is too hard. I’ll just wing it.

I went to church but someone there made me mad. I won’t go back.

I’d go to church but someone already there hurt me. I’ll never go somewhere where he/she is at.

They are just after my money. They don’t care about me.

We’ve all heard these excuses for why people reject Christianity. We’ve probably even said or thought some of them ourselves.

I’m not even going to offer a rebuttal to them. Instead, I’m going to skip the debate and go straight to the point. I’m going to focus on the heart of the issue. These are all excuses we use so we don’t have to face the truth. However, when the moment of truth comes, our excuses won’t matter one single bit.

I’m not going to sugar coat this or try to make it politically correct. I’m going to put it out there and leave the rest up to you.

You will stand before God at some point. He’s not going to consider your excuses and make allowances for them. God won’t say, “Yes, I know. The church was full of hypocrites so I understand why you didn’t go. Please, enter into eternity with Me.”

You’ll never hear, “Your teacher told you I don’t exist so it’s not really your fault that you rejected Me. We’ll blame your teacher instead. Heaven awaits you.”

God isn’t going to look at the calendar on your smartphone and reply, “Wow, you’re right. You were really busy with your career and your children’s activities and civic responsibilities and taking care of your home and still trying to fit in some fun stuff. I can see why you never took time to learn about Me. Sure, we can make an exception. I have a spot prepared for you in heaven with Me.”

Do you see where I’m going with this?

We throw out excuses for our rejection of God’s truth as if they’ll make a difference in our eternal outcome. We actually think God will consider those excuses as valid “Get out of jail free” cards in a cosmic, eternal Monopoly game.

I mean, after all, God is love and His is a message of grace, right?

This is God’s Love

“God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

God is a God of love. As Creator of the universe, He has the privilege of defining love. He defined it as a sacrifice made by one person for the benefit of another person. He played it out by sacrificing Himself to pay the penalty for our sin so we might receive the benefit of forgiveness and eternity in heaven.

This is God’s Grace

“Since by one man’s trespass [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. … But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:17, 20-21).

God is a God of grace. Grace doesn’t make excuses and exceptions to get around the truth. That’s called lying and deception and they’re trademark signs of Satan, not God. God’s grace recognizes our sin for what it is without excuse. Instead, He forgives it completely and totally because of the blood sacrificed by Jesus.

A difference exists between excusing an offense and forgiving one. To excuse an offense means to pretend as if it wasn’t actually offensive or didn’t hurt you. To excuse an offense gives power to the offender. To forgive an offense means to recognize that the person’s action was wrong, it did hurt you, but you choose not to hold it against them. To forgive an offense gives the power to the one offended. The latter is God’s grace.

No one will hold your hand

When that moment comes and you stand before God, I won’t be there to hold your hand and offer false promises of security. Your excuses won’t be there still promising false justification. That moment will be between you and God alone; all that will matter is what you did with the message of love and grace offered by Jesus. Did you accept it or did you excuse it away?

Please click here to read a full explanation of what it means to accept Jesus’ gift of love, grace, and salvation. It’s eternally significant.

Generations: Valuing the legacy of a godly heritage

December may be the month we celebrate Jesus’ birth, but apparently it’s also the month of death.

The passing of four people in my life have warranted mention on my blog – all of them died during the month of December. Perhaps the glow of Christmas lights on homes and trees paled in comparison to the opportunity to experience the enveloping and penetrating light of the glory of God. Perhaps heartfelt tender Christmas carols dulled when given the chance to hear the angelic choir of heaven. I’ve shared the passing of all four with you because each one had a profound spiritual impact not only on my life but on the lives of hundreds around them.

Each one had a story – a reason for which I shared their life with you. For one, her life was a testament to Christ’s power in breaking us free from the confusion of abuse. For another, his story reminded us that the hope of heaven reunites us with loved ones. The third revealed lessons learned from one who lived life serving God.

Yesterday I attended the funeral of Jimmy’s granddad.

None of us are born holy; Granddad was no exception. In fact, quite a few of life’s years passed by for Granddad before the message of God’s salvation started to pierce his soul and transform his life. Somewhere, someone reached out to him as a young man and shared the message of hope.

 

Granddad later became a preacher himself; I would venture to guess that his fifty years behind the pulpit have changed thousands of lives. But even that isn’t the impact I want to share with you.

As I’m spending time with Jimmy and his family, I see a different kind of lasting impact – the impact of a godly heritage. It may not extend far but it runs deep. Granddad was already married when he humbled himself before God to receive forgiveness for his sins. He and Granny would have raised a family, worked their jobs, and lived their lives even if Granddad had never accepted Christ. It would have looked different but they would have made it happen.

But Granddad’s life changed when he accepted Christ. He studied God’s Word so he knew its message and power for his life. He shared God’s Word so others may know that same message and power. He prayed God’s Word because he knew therein is our power.

He studied for, shared with, and prayed for his children. His influence led them to accept Christ as their Savior. The transformation of this one man spread to the lives of his two children.

It led his children to find godly spouses when they grew up and create Christian homes of their own. Within time, four grandchildren were born and raised in godly homes. What was one became two and then doubled to four.

God decided one of the granddaughters could come to heaven early; her short life ended in her teens. Even in the midst of such a painful tragedy, however, the message of the gospel promised the hope of resurrection and eternal life for the young girl. Salvation was already a truth in her life, despite her young years.

The remaining grandchildren grew to adulthood, married Christian spouses, and started families of their own. One man’s influence became two, which doubled to four, and now has grown to ten great-grandchildren. All ten greats (as Granddad always called them), are being raised in three different godly homes where they also are hearing the message of salvation and the importance of a life transformed in service to God. One by one they are responding to that message. While some are still babies and toddlers, almost all of them have claimed the name of Christ and accepted His salvation in their own lives.

My oldest daughter was the first of that generation. Granny and Granddad drove halfway across the country to visit her when she was only a few weeks old. He held her in his arms and spoke that he never expected her to remember him. He thought God would call him home before she would form any memories. Yet, God blessed him with a long life. That same great-granddaughter is now 16. She wrote on her Facebook wall when she learned of his death, "Today my Great Granddad got to go to heaven. He was the one person who no matter how he felt would always have something to say about God's grace and how much he loved his family. Though I don't have many memories with him, because of long distances, I can't wait to make some with him in heaven. Have fun Great Granddaddy. Love you!"

If Christ waits a few more years before His return, who knows what might happen from those ten greats. Will they all accept Christ? Will they begin ten different Christian families of their own? What impact will they leave on the world? How will God answer the powerful prayers of the Great-Granddad who left a legacy of a Godly heritage for them?

In our instant society, we want to see results now. We want to see broad impact. But let us not forget, we do some of the most important ministry in the home to an audience of our children.

"Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

By Faith: Surrounded by witnesses of God's promise

I graduated from a Christian high school a couple years – um, decades – ago. Since it was a Christian rather than public school, we had a class verse. I heard it many times throughout my four years of secondary education – many, many times.

You may also be familiar with this verse – it’s a fairly popular one. Sometimes constant exposure to a particular passage makes us think we know what it says. However, sometimes we hear the words over and over while the message never penetrates our lives. Or, we get part of the message but more awaits us right beneath the surface.

Last month I asked my friends to share their favorite verses with me. I then picked one each day to use on our Grow Barefoot social media. This one happened to be on my list.

I made my picture to post on social media that day while pondering the verse. As I did so, a new thought occurred to me, “Who are these witnesses and why are they surrounding me?” For all these years, those questions had never occurred to me.

Who are the witnesses?

Never casually skim over a “therefore” in the Bible. We tend to divide one chapter from another as if their two topics aren’t related but when we see the word “therefore” we should pay attention because what we’re about to read is a culmination of what's been said.

It turns out the previous chapter is one of the most powerful and inspirational in the entire Bible! Followers of Christ commonly refer to Hebrews 11 as the “Hall of Faith” or the “Faith Chapter.” It lists a group of people known for their faith; people who sacrificed all – reputations, homelands, friends, prosperity – even their very lives.

What did they witness?

The Old Testament (OT) is the best source to understand the New Testament. In the OT, a witness served one of two possible duties. They either testified of the wrongdoing of another person like a witness does today in a court of law. Or, they testified to an agreement between two other parties, much like a witness at a wedding. In fact, even inanimate objects such as stones often witnessed an agreement between two parties. Remember that.

Going back to our cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12:1, no one has done anything wrong of which these OT heroes of the faith need to testify. So I don’t see that the first possibility fits our situation. The OT heroes of the faith are witness to an agreement made between us and God.

The book of Hebrews calls this agreement a “promise;” it begins describing the promise in chapter four…

Some may have fallen in the desert as they wandered for forty years (Hebrews 3:12-18) but “the promise to enter His rest remains” (Hebrews 4:1). The Israelites entered the Promised Land as they crossed the Jordan River but rest in a spiritual Promised Land still remains today.

• A land promised to “those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (Hebrews 6:12).
• A promise confirmed with an oath by an unchangeable God (Hebrews 6:17).
• A promise passed down through Abraham (Hebrews 7:6).
• A promise on which Jesus Christ founded and mediated a new covenant (Hebrews 8:6).
• A promised eternal inheritance made possible by Jesus’ spilled blood and sacrificial death (Hebrews 9:15).
• A promise for those who persevere in doing the will of God until the end (Hebrews 10:36-37).
• A promise passed down through Isaac and Jacob (Hebrews 11:9).
• A promise of a city built by God, of a country in heaven (Hebrews 11:10, 13-16).
• A promise of countless descendants through a sacrificed son (Hebrews 11:17).

We’ve been building through most of the book of Hebrews. We reach the final mention of the promise just a few words before our great cloud of witnesses. In Hebrews 11:39-40 we read, “These [the OT heroes of the faith] were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better…” (Click here to read what God had planned. It’s in an article I wrote a few months ago.)

Why do they surround us?

As I’ve studied through this, a single word keeps popping up in my mind. Gilgal. You may not be familiar with it; if you are, you may not see the connection. So here we go.

I mentioned earlier that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land after wandering in the desert for forty years. “After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua: ‘Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe, and command them: Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night’” (Joshua 4:1-3).

The men did as Joshua instructed. “Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan” (Joshua 4:20). The name Gilgal means wheel or a large circle of stones. The stones served as a memorial, in short, “that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is mighty, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:24).

What does this have to do with Hebrews 12:1? The word for “surrounding” means to lay objects around something or to encircle it with those objects. Joshua laid the stones in a circle at Gilgal to remind the people that God is mighty and they were to fear Him as they entered the Promised Land. Likewise, God lays the witnesses around us to testify of His might and to remind us to fear Him – not our circumstances. In other words, to live by faith.

So…

God has made this incredible promise to us that we may enter the Promised Land – an eternal home in heaven with Him. The great heroes in chapter 11 witnessed that promise and, by faith, held out for the greater home of eternity.

Their stories encircle us as memorial stones. But God didn’t give us only twelve stones; He set up so many stones around us that He couldn’t even list all of them in the verses of chapter eleven (See Hebrews 11:32-38). He set up so many that together they form an indistinguishable and seemingly unlimited cloud around us.

They stand as a witness to the promise made between God and us that by our faith He will bring us into the Promised Land.

They stand as a witness to remind us of His power in our circumstances.

They stand as a witness to fear Him, not our situation.

They stand to remind us to live by faith.

Good & Evil: Where will we live after a world of evil

“Boko Haram has emerged as one of the world's most dangerous and violent Islamic terrorist sects.”

This quote is from an article entitled Photo prompts speculation Nigeria’s Boko Haram leader killed in battle  at FoxNews.com (Warning: Link contains graphic images). We’ve talked about the atrocities of Boko Haram a lot over the last few weeks as we consider some aspects of Psalm 37. As you can probably guess by the title, the leader of this brutal terrorist group may be dead. But if you read the article, you’ll find that authorities don’t know for sure if he’s dead or alive. The man in the gruesome photos may be a body double. To further increase suspicion, neighboring militant groups have reported his death before only to be proven false later.

Perhaps he is dead, in which case I mourn for the state of his soul. Heaven doesn’t await those who reject the message of Jesus. Perhaps he is still alive, in which case hope remains for him. It’s happened before.

Either way, Scripture assures us of the outcome of the evil among us. That’s what we’re going to read about today in this final section of our study on Psalm 37.

We’ve already studied who we are as children of God in the midst of an evil world. We looked at what we should do and what God will do for us – His children – in an evil world. Today, we wrap up the study by comparing the final outcome of the children of God with the outcome of those who reject His message of salvation. Where will each group live for eternity?

Outcome for God’s Children

37:3 – Live securely. As a shepherd watches over his flock, God will watch over His children. That’s the message here; it’s a familiar one in the New Testament. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:14-16).

37:4 – Obtain our heart’s desires. If we delight in Him, He grants our heart’s desires. The first half is the balance to the second half. God doesn’t give everyone everything we want. But for those who delight in Him – who make Him their reason to be happy – He will grant you your heart’s desires. A key factor here is that when He is our reason to be happy, then the desires of our heart align themselves with what He would want as well. “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17 NIV).

37:11 – Enjoy abundant prosperity. I’m not sure about the word “prosperity” here. The Hebrew is the common word shalom which can mean prosperity but is more commonly translated as peace. In our world of war, I like the idea of abundant peace in the end for God’s children. “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

37:19 – Won’t be disgraced; will be satisfied. A reality of life is that hard times are going to come. Quite often, the presence of evil in the world causes those hard times. And yet, God’s children won’t be ashamed or disappointed during those times. They will be satisfied. “Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated – so also with the fish, as much as they wanted” (John 6:11).

37:24 – Won’t be overwhelmed. The idea behind this phrase is something causes you to be hurled or thrown down. God’s children fell; we’ve all sinned. Satan sinned too and the result for him was to be cast down from heaven. We sinned but God sent a Savior so that we won’t be overwhelmed – we won’t be cast down from God’s presence in the end. “Anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

37:37 – Will have a future. This phrase is similar to the ones we read in verses 11 and 24. When the end comes, the child of God will know peace. The evil will be cast into the lake of fire but the child of God will rest in His presence. “Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

37:3, 9, 11, 18, 22, 27, 29, 34 – Inherit the land and dwell in it forever. I saved the best for last; isn’t it amazing how these are building one on the other? What an example of God’s perfect word! God promised the land to Abraham for his descendants. This physical Promised Land symbolizes a spiritual Promised Land that awaits each of Abraham’s descendants – an eternity in heaven! You can read all of Romans 4 to see this but for now, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness. … This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all” (Romans 4:3, 16).

Outcome for the Evil

37:2, 10 – Will wither and wilt. The evil have no lasting place. They’re like a plant that is here today and gone tomorrow. “The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isaiah 40:7-8).

37:15 – Pierced by their own swords. Their own actions – their own choices – will bring them to destruction in the end. “The LORD has revealed Himself; He has executed justice, striking down the wicked by the work of their hands” (Psalm 9:16).

37:15 – Bows will be broken. God will not allow their wars and evil to continue. In the future, He will return a second time to reign in peace. At that time, He alone will be exalted among the nations. “He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; He burns up the chariots. ‘Stop your fighting – and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth’” (Psalm 46:9-10).

37:17 – Arms (or power) will be broken. The Hebrew word for “arms” is often symbolic of power throughout the Old Testament. It is even translated as such a few times. The power of God and the light of His truth are foundations for followers of Christ. Yet, for those who reject Him and choose evil, “Light is withheld from the wicked, and the arm raised in violence is broken” (Job 38:15).

37:20 – Will perish and fade away. They come to nothing. No one remembers the wicked in grandeur. The hopes of the wicked die with them. “As smoke is blows away, so You blow them away. As wax melts before the fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God” (Psalm 68:2).

37:9, 22, 28, 34, 38 – Will be destroyed. Wicked, evildoers, cursed, children of the wicked, and future of the wicked; God brings all of it to destruction. The outcome for God’s children ends with our freedom to inherit and dwell in the land forever. It’s not so for the evil. “For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous uprooted from it” (Proverbs 2:21-22).

So,

We’ve asked a series of questions and looked to Psalm 37 for answers. We could probably ask several more. But we’ve seen the truth already; we must decide what we’re going to do about it.

Who are we in a world of evil? We’re those who live differently from the ways of the world as we follow the way God designed for us to live.

What should we do in a world of evil? We can turn our focus to Almighty God as we trust Him and intertwine our lives with Him.

What does God do in a world of evil? He is there for us in ways we can never imagine providing us with all that we need.

Finally, what are the outcomes for both the good and the evil? Where will they live for eternity? This is the question where we face a decision. We’ve talked about the evil of groups like Boko Haram and ISIS. But we’re all evil. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and our “heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable” (Romans 3:23 and Jeremiah 17:9, respectively). We are among the evil until we choose to surrender to Jesus and give Him our sinful heart by faith. In His infinite grace, He forgives the evils of our deceitful hearts and makes us one of His children. He brings us into the sheepfold and allows us to be among those who inherit the land, as we mentioned earlier in this article. Click here to read more about finding a relationship with Christ.

Click here to read the previous article in this series.

Find Hope in the Midst of Sorrow

On the day this article publishes, I’ll be attending a funeral for a friend of mine, the mother of one of my spiritual sisters. It’s going to be kind of a sad day but not nearly as sad as the last few weeks have been as she lay in a hospital bed, sometimes incoherent, always in pain, her body weakening by the day.

But it’s also going to be kind of a happy day, as well. We’ll talk about that more later, though.

My friend’s mom passed away a few days ago. That night, I took dinner to my friend and her extended family who had gathered at her dad’s house. As we sat – looking through old pictures and telling stories of favorite memories – my friend said something that resonated in my ears.

“I don’t know how people who have no hope do this.”

I said almost the exact same words to my dad the day before we buried my mom.

We’ve all lost loved ones. Many of us have even done so prematurely. Sometimes death comes at the end of many years after a life fully lived. Sometimes the loss comes with the warning of disease and suffering; other times shock overwhelms us as accidents or tragic events cause the loss.

Early or late in life, with warning or sudden shock; such are only two examples of differences that define the last moments of our loved ones.

One more difference defines the passing of our loved ones. One more difference separates anguish from bittersweet sorrow. One more difference defines the moment as full or devoid of hope.

Jesus is that difference.

The triune God is the God of Hope because Jesus' death and resurrection made hope possible. He is the God of Hope because the Holy Spirit empowers us to overflow with hope. Hope - made possible by Jesus, given by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This was the difference in my mom’s death and the death of my friend’s mom. This was the difference for a couple who taught me about Him when I was a teenager. This was the difference for a man who lived a testimony of Him every day of his life. The rejection of the God of Hope has also made a difference for some I know who’ve passed on without Him.

There’s something you need to know about hope that comes from Christ. We use the word hope for an event or item that we wish or desire might happen. We hope to go on vacation this summer. Or, we hope doctors find a cure for heart disease. These things may or may not happen; we just hope they do. Scripture removes the uncertainty of hope, however.

Jesus never taught on hope because for Him the reality of the future is as certain as the reality of this present moment. He doesn’t wish He could return for us someday. He doesn’t aspire to offer us the same resurrection from the dead that He Himself experienced. He doesn’t dream of a kingdom on earth where He reigns in peace and righteousness. He is the reality and the surety of each of those coming events. His life and death guarantee their future fulfillment. So, in a relationship with Christ, hope is absolute and certain. It isn’t a wish, aspiration, or fanciful daydream.

My friend has the certainty of that hope for her mom just as I did years ago. The reason I spend hours writing my books and articles is so you also can know the certainty of the hope of a relationship with Jesus. Click here to read more about a relationship with Him. Use the comment section below or contact me on Facebook or Twitter if you’d like to talk even more.

Full of Faith

OK, so, I had kind of a "duh" moment today. I was driving around town while running errands. While driving, I thought about the Grow Barefoot focus this month - Faithful. I post a verse and thought every day on Facebook and Twitter  focusing on being faithful to God and to our kingdom work.

Faithful. Faith - ful. Faith full. Full of faith. If someone asked me what the word faithful meant, I would answer something like, "Loyal, committed, you stick it out to the end." That's a valid definition. However, the word's history shows it was originally used of someone who was full of faith. This idea of faithful being "full of faith" made me start thinking.

I will stick it out to the end because...
I will commit to the call of kingdom work because...

because I am full of faith.

I am full of faith that the Spirit will penetrate a loved one's unrepentant heart and transform their life.

I am full of faith that God will work in a situation that seems beyond repair.

I am full of faith that He will meet every need I have.

I am full of faith that Christ will return and establish a kingdom of peace and justice right here on planet Earth.

I am full of faith that after that time of Christ's reign, He will allow me to live in Heaven with Him for eternity.

I am full of faith that His blood was sufficient to cover all the nastiness of my sin.

I am full of faith that His Word is absolute truth.

And since I am full of faith in these and so many things - I will stay loyal, I will stay committed, I will persevere to the end.

What do you think of to keep you going on God's path? When it's hard to persevere, what promise helps you push through the hard times? Finish this thought in the comment section below, "I am full of faith that..."

A New Heaven; A New Earth

Life in Christ is all about new stuff. We looked at some of it in my previous article.

Grow Barefoot is also getting ready to release a new book, “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better.” I know many of you are looking forward to this release; please bear with us (and pray for us) as we work through some technical difficulties that are holding back the release.

In light of our focus on all things new, below are excerpts from the study where we discuss the new heaven and earth of eternity. Let your imagination wander and enjoy…

New Heaven and New Earth

Let’s enter the new heaven and the new earth together and see what awaits us in eternity. Other than some final closing remarks, the last two chapters of the Bible are dedicated to its description. The current heaven and earth may be good reference points for our imaginings of the new heaven and earth but we can’t limit ourselves to the nature of the current system. For example, we will read about a tree in these chapters. I see no reason to think the tree isn’t like a tree we have now. I also see no reason to limit its size, the intricacy of the leaves, the grandeur of its shape, or the vividness of its colors. We can’t know any of these things for sure, but we are free to imagine!

HOLY CITY

To get our imagination started, please read Revelation 21. A city may seem out of place in eternity but that is exactly where the description of the new earth begins. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (21:2). Scripture first mentions the current city of Jerusalem in Genesis 14:18 by the name Salem. Later, the name changed to Jerusalem. God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. The city itself was also the home of the kings of Israel, the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and the capital of the modern-day country of Israel. Hopefully you can see that God didn’t randomly select Jerusalem as the name for the Holy City. The new Jerusalem will be the dwelling place of the final King of Israel, the resurrected Jesus Christ. Indeed, John, the author of Revelation, records a voice from the throne in heaven saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

GOD'S DWELLING

The new Jerusalem is also the place where God will once again dwell among His people. He did so in the Garden of Eden; after He restores all things, He will do so again. The Garden of Eden was a place of paradise before the curse of sin, death, pain, oppression, thorns, and unfruitful labor. Likewise, in the new heaven and the new earth, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

INHERITANCE

We studied several verses in this book which refer to our inheritance as believers in Christ. Even one of our key verses says that we “may know…the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). The inheritance promised Abraham in the book of Genesis, which we share in as his spiritual children, finally comes to fruition in the new heaven and new earth. John was inspired to write, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:7).

END OF THE PATH

The outcome of the two paths we have studied throughout this book is also completed. A few verses earlier, in Revelation 20:15, the lake of fire awaits those who chose not to follow God’s path. Therefore we read in Revelation 21:8 that “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” have no place in the new heaven and earth. God created the lake of fire “for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan attempted to exalt himself above God, and thereby lower God’s position. Neither angel nor man will lower God; therefore, He condemned Satan and the angels who followed him to the lake of fire. Every man since who, in effect, does the same thing by rejecting His need for a Savior, receives the same destiny. Those who reject are those who have no place in eternity with God. Those who believe and follow have a place in the new heaven and earth. Later, in Revelation 21:27, John reiterates again, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

THE BRIDE

I’m sure many of us, if not all, have attended a wedding ceremony. In many cultures around the world, nothing compares with the beauty and elegance of a wedding. In an American wedding, the tension and excitement mount when the music shifts to Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” Heads tilt and necks stretch as attendees strain to catch a glimpse of the bride as she enters the room. Adorned in the most beautiful gown she will probably ever wear, she is stunning as she slowly proceeds down the aisle to her waiting groom. In this passage, one of God’s angels says to John as part of his revelation, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:9). John describes what the angel showed him, “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11). If you skipped the reading of Revelation 21 earlier, you’ve got to go back and read this part now. Verses 11-21 describe the bride in all her beauty; you’re missing out if you don’t stretch your neck so you might also catch a glimpse of the bride.

THE TEMPLE

Throughout history, the temple has dominated Jerusalem’s skyline. Virtually nothing surpassed the grandeur and beauty of the temples built by Solomon and Herod. Even now, with no Jewish temple, we recognize the city by the Temple Mount. Yet we read in Revelation 21:22, “I did not see a temple in the city.” The lack of the temple must have surprised John’s first-century mindset. Earlier I wrote that God allowed the Romans to destroy the temple in AD 70 because Jesus’ crucifixion was the final sacrifice and God the Spirit now dwells within man. Likewise, in the new heaven and earth, the temple is non-essential; God Himself is the temple.

THE LIGHT

Many of us are probably used to a city with no temple. However, I guarantee this next omission will be new and amazing for all of us. The city has no need of a sun or a moon to light the way. “The glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23). God created light and darkness, day and night, on the first day of creation. He didn’t create the sun, moon, and stars until the fourth day. Similarly, John separated the sun and moon from day and night in this passage. Later, in verse 25, he wrote, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.”

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this excerpt from “Everything We Need: God's Path to Know Him Better."

From Deity to Death: Jesus 8 Steps Down

So What? has been a popular article on this blog. It compares Jesus’ act of washing His disciples’ feet with Philippians 2:5-11. So, when my pastor preached an incredible sermon a few weeks ago on this same passage, I knew I had to get his permission to pass his message along to you! (If you haven’t read So What? – you might want to; you can do so by clicking here. Don’t worry, we’ll wait.)

His sermon, From Deity to Death, went through eight steps Jesus took in descending from His glory in heaven to His death on the cross. Although this sounds like it might make a good Easter sermon, our study of the book of Philippians brought us to this passage in mid-December – a time when the birth of Christ was forefront in my mind. This different holiday perspective led me to text our pastor later, “The step from deity to humanity was a greater descent than that from humanity to crucifixion.”

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God…” (Phil. 2:5-6)

Jesus let go of His equality with God

“…did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” (Phil. 2:6)

Jesus is the second person of the Godhead but He didn’t hold on tightly to what was His. All the glories of heaven were rightfully His and yet, He released them.

Jesus was our example to let go of our rights.

Jesus emptied Himself of who He was

“but made himself nothing” (Phil 2:7)

Jesus emptied Himself of any personal advantages or privileges entitled to the Son of God. He nullified His position and His power. Yes, He cleansed, healed, and performed miracles – but always in reference to the will of the Father.

He emptied Himself of His glory, the benefits of His attributes, and His position; He was now despised rather than glorified. He emptied Himself of honor, adoration, and eternal intimacy with the Father.

Jesus was our example to empty ourselves of what we think is due us.

Jesus took on the form of a servant

“taking the very nature of a servant,” (Phil 2:7)

Jesus became a slave, a bond servant in every sense of the word. He owned nothing – no land, no house, no animals. Even at His death, everything was borrowed. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45.

Jesus was our example of humility; He Himself said, “no servant is greater than His master” (John 13:16). Let me add something here – Jesus said those words as He washed the disciples’ feet. So What? See how once again these two passages are fitting together?

Jesus was made in the likeness of a man

“being made in human likeness.” (Phil. 2:7)

The Creator and King of kings took His place among common man. He wasn’t given, nor did He allow Himself to receive any special treatment. In the beginning, Creator God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26). However, sin entered the world. In order to provide redemption, God instead was now made in the likeness of a man.

Jesus was our example to sacrifice for others.

Jesus appeared as a man

“And being found in appearance as a man,” (Phil 2:8)

Jesus became 100% man. So thorough was His humanity that, apart from the declaration of angels, the Father, and Jesus Himself, those around Him wouldn’t have known that He was God in the flesh. Jesus appeared as a normal, regular person.

The King of kings – the Lord of lords – God in the flesh suffered. He wasn’t rugged and handsome; nor was He royal and kingly looking. He was unknown and rejected. Few realized that He was different.

Jesus’ success wasn’t about beauty, fame, power, fashion, or money. His number of followers didn’t even determine His success. His accomplishment of the task for which the Father had sent Him determined His success.

Jesus was our example that obedience to God is our definition of success. Our success is not about our appearance and how others perceive us. We don’t have to have special insight, a large following, glory, or money. We base our success on how God perceives us.

Jesus humbled Himself

“he humbled himself” (Phil. 2:8)

God became flesh, common man, unrecognized by almost all – but that wasn’t enough. Jesus humbled Himself; literally, He laid low.

In our early steps, Jesus lowered Himself in relation to God as He let go of His equality with God and emptied Himself of who He was. Now we see that He lowered Himself in relation to mankind – people whom He had created!

The peak of Jesus laying Himself low was during the latter days of His ministry – His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. Those He had created mocked Him, falsely accused Him, spit upon Him, beat Him, and scourged Him. They left Him naked and bloody.

Yet, He never defended Himself, never expressed bitterness, and never accused. He actually prayed for them. He didn’t demand His rights as God; He didn’t even demand His rights as a man.

Jesus was our example to lay ourselves low when others rise up against us.

Jesus obeyed unto death

“and became obedient to death” Phil. 2:8

Romans 5:19 says, “through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Jesus is the only one who will die solely because of His attitude of obedience. You and I will die whether we’re obedient or not, but not Jesus. The only reason He died was because of obedience.

He came to do His Father’s will – the theme of His life. Jesus chose obedience unto death because it was the will of the Father. Before His arrest, Jesus said, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” (John 10:17-18).

Jesus was our example of obedience – even in extreme situations.

Jesus died on a cross

“—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:8)

John the Baptist was beheaded, Steven was stoned, and Jesus could have died one of many different ways. But His way was the death of the cross. The death reserved for slaves, the lowest of criminals, and enemies of Rome.

Jesus became a curse because of the type of death He endured; “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13)

Crucifixion was a physical torment unlike any other. Jesus’ crucifixion was a mental torment as His people rejected Him. His was a spiritual torment as the Father forsook him. Jesus final step of humility was to be mistreated unmercifully.

Jesus was our example – not to allow ourselves to be mistreated by others for no apparent reason – but rather, that “it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:19-21).

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Eight Steps used by permission of Jerry Tharp (adapted from John MacArthur Commentary Series)

The Corn's Ready

On 12/12/12, a godly man awoke confined to a hospital bed. By the end of that day he had entered the glories of Heaven. This morning is bittersweet as I rejoice in the glory of his new location while remembering the impact he made on this life.

Old Ed was fun. For as long as he and his wife Betty were able, they hosted a huge picnic at their house every year. People brought a covered dish and their lawn chairs. Well into his 70's (maybe his 80's by the end?), he gave kids a ride on the Sea-Doo while parents relaxed on dry land. Many men half his age couldn't keep up with Ed as he twisted, turned, and sped over the waves.

Ed was our example to be fun.

Old Ed invested in people. Every Sunday morning, he taught children the truths of God's Word and how to live them out everyday. Our church recognized him for his dedication to that work when he finally had to retire from it. Our pastor asked him how many years he had been teaching - the answer overwhelmed us all. Although in different locations throughout the years, he taught children for about 50 years. How many lives do you change for good when you invest in children for five decades?

Ed was our example to invest in others.

Old Ed was generous. He was so generous, in fact, that this section may be a little longer than the rest. First I remember a few years ago when he and Betty invited my husband and I to join them at a local dinner theater. They had season tickets for some of the best seats in the house. But they didn't buy just two tickets every year; no, they bought four. Every show for every season was an opportunity to invite another couple out to dinner. Probably many friends and family enjoyed the benefit of their generosity through those tickets. And I do mean enjoy; few times in our life together have my husband and I laughed as hard and as frequently as we did with them that night. Don't forget, I already told you he was fun. So is his wife, Betty.

Again, Old Ed was generous. When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Germany. With international airfare, ground transportation, hotels, and food, however, the cost was high. Ed and Betty came up to me after church one Sunday to give me a little white envelope. They told me it was a little something to help with the trip. That one donation covered 25% of my expenses. God chose to work through Ed and Betty because He knew they would be generous with what He had given them. My heart for missions had been ignited on an earlier trip to Tennessee; that trip to Germany, however, expanded my vision to a global scale. Grow Barefoot probably wouldn't exist today if it hadn't been for the impact of those two trips. Don't forget, he was our example to invest in others.

But this section is remembering that Old Ed was generous. As I write this, I sit here wondering how many hours Ed spent each summer planting corn and tending it as it grew. Gardening isn't my thing so I really have no idea. But I know that because of him, for a few Sundays every fall, our family had fresh corn after church. Our church often has an announcement time at the end of the service. Every year when the time was right, he's stand up and announce, "The corn's ready. Come and pick as much as you'll eat." We'd go to church, hear his announcement, go pick some after church - usually in dress clothes, and make a meal out of it when we got home. Yum.

Ed was our example to be generous.

Old Ed was an encourager. He and Betty always sat two rows behind us in church. No matter how many times I had to quiet talking children or stop their rustling of papers, he'd come up to me afterwards. He'd encourage me with how well-behaved they were, what godly young women they are growing in to, or how much he appreciated seeing young people in church.

His comments weren't limited to my children, though. He read every one of my articles on here and often told me how much he enjoyed them. He'd call me the barefoot lady. At first I was surprised by this, but then later came to expect it. Sometimes his words of encouragement kept me writing for another week. How many ministries have fizzled out when a single word of encouragement would have been all it took to keep it going?

His encouragement didn't stop when it became harder for him to get out of his home. Even then, he resorted to social media - he set up his Facebook account. Through email and Facebook, his words of encouragement continued. When I scroll back through his Facebook page, I know his life online was consistent with his face-to-face life. He encouraged, he was honest, and he was a man of integrity.

Ed was our example to encourage others.

Old Ed was wise. His wisdom revealed itself through his stories. A story-teller through and through, his tales didn't only entertain. The experience of decades of living shone through the hidden lessons and subtle messages woven through his stories. I'm sure lesson-rich stories filled his Sunday school classes for the children. I don't know for sure, though, as I never attended those classes. What I do know, however, is that many a tense issue at a church business meeting was resolved by one of Ed's stories. Sometimes a wise story - an experience from your own life - is more powerful than the most eloquent of three-point arguments.

Ed was our example to grow in wisdom.

Old Ed loved his Savior and wanted everyone else to as well.  Later in life, Ed and Betty began selling off pieces of their farm for development. Houses were built and people moved in. People didn't get to live in those houses and stay closed off though. Ed made a point of building a relationship with every family that moved on to what had once been his property. Not only a human relationship, though, he also led them to a relationship with Jesus. You didn't know Ed long - minutes perhaps? - without hearing about his Savior. He wanted the world to know and he knew it started with him telling those around him.

Ed was our example to tell others about Jesus Christ.

That's why you don't get to read all of this article without hearing about Jesus. If you had known Old Ed as long as it took you to read this article, he would have told you about the Savior.

Ed was different than many of the men in this world. Our world is hard - not fun. It exalts focusing on oneself and devalues investment in others. The world says to keep what you've earned; you worked hard for it and you deserve it. Don't just give it away to others. The world is full of pessimism, griping, and complaining. Little room exists for encouragement. The world resounds with foolishness; wisdom deteriorates as right is called wrong and wrong is called right.

Ed was different because he had been transformed by a living God. In all humility, he knew he was nothing more than a sinful man redeemed by a holy God. He knew the only thing that could change him was acceptance of the gift of salvation. He knew that gift was offered because Jesus died on a cross and resurrected days later. Only because Ed allowed himself to be God's instrument to change the world was he able to impact thousands of lives.

The thing is, I didn't know Ed that well. Can you believe that? I know many others were closer to him, many shared more of their lives with him. Yet, he made this kind of impact to someone like me - someone on the fringe. Imagine the stories that those who knew him best could tell...

It's cold outside; the harvest has passed. Heaven doesn't work like Earth, though. That's why yesterday God said to Old Ed, "The corn's ready. Come and pick as much as you want."

How about you? Probably many of you who read this will have stories of Ed. What was the example he left in your life? What impact did he make? We'd all love to read about it in the comment section below...