LIVING HOPE THAT IS PRICELESS !!

JUST ATOP THE VINTAGE GREEN SERVER SITS THE ROSEMARY PLANT THAT WAS IN THE GARDEN LAST SUMMER ......TRANSPLANTED FROM THE PICNIC TABLE TO THE BRIGHT SUNNY WINDOW IN THE KITCHEN LAST OCTOBER WITH THE HOPE THAT IT WOULD SURVIVE THE WINTER ......WHAT A BEAUTIFUL HERB IT IS ......LUSH GREEN CONIFEROUS STEMS WITH A SCENT THAT LINGERS AROUND THE TABLE EVERY TIME THE HEAT COMES UP ......SUCH AN ESSENTIAL KITCHEN HERB ROSEMARY IS ......IT SERVES A PURPOSE IN MANY A DISH FROM CHICKEN AND PORK TO BUTTERED CARROTS AND ROASTED NEW POTATOES ......WITH THE ANTICIPATION THAT THIS PLANT WOULD LIVE THROUGH THE DETRIMENTS OF THE WINTER SEASON , HAPPINESS COULD BE FELT IN THE AIR TONIGHT......AS THIS
COLD AND DARK SEASON COMES TO AN END THE SCRIPTURE THAT COMES TO MIND THIS EVENING IS ONE FOUND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT , " See ! The winter is past ; the rains are over and gone . Flowers appear on the earth ; the season of singing has come , the cooing of doves is heard in our land ." SONG of SONGS 2:11-12 ......MISS ROSEMARY SITS ; AWAITING THE RETURN OF FRESH AIR & WARMER TEMPERATURES , HOPE HAS PREVAILED ONE MORE WINTER SEASON ......TO SEE THIS POT OF LIVING HOPE REMINDS ME OF THE HOPE THAT THE LORD JESUS GAVE WHEN HE BECAME THE LAST BLOOD SACRIFICE FOR ALL MANKIND ......GOD EXPLAINS IT BEST WHEN HE SPEAKS THROUGH THE APOSTLE PETER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT PROCLAIMING , " Praise be to the GOD and FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST ! In HIS great mercy HE has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the dead ,and into an inheritance that can never perish , spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you , who through faith are shielded by GOD'S power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time . In this you greatly rejoice , though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials . " 1PETER 1:3-6 ......THESE WORDS , EVER SO TRUE , ASSURE ALL THOSE THAT PLACE THEIR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST THAT HE IS THE LIVING HOPE THAT WILL SEE US THROUGH INTO ETERNITY ...... NOW THAT IS PRICELESS ....................................SUMMER

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

" No eye has seen , no ear has heard , and no mind has imagined what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM . But it was to us that GOD revealed these things by HIS SPIRIT . For HIS SPIRIT searches out everything and shows us GOD'S deep secrets. " 1CORINTHIANS 2:9-10 ........ THIS SCRIPTURE IS WONDERFUL AND HAS A PROMISE WITHIN IT FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND LOVE THE LORD . AND ALTHOUGH ITS CONTEXT ISN'T SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT HEAVEN , IT DOES REVEAL TO BELIEVERS THAT GOD DOES SPEAK OF THINGS IN HIS WORD THAT HE WANTS US TO KNOW ABOUT ........... WHEN HE SPEAKS OF HEAVEN HE WANTS US TO ANTICIPATE WHAT LIES AHEAD ........ ONE WOULD ASK IF HEAVEN IS BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION ? 2 TIMOTHY 2:7 TELLS US "Consider what I say, and may the LORD give you understanding in all things . " WE CANNOT ANTICIPATE WHAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE ................GOD GIVES US A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN ; A GARDEN , A CITY , AND A KINGDOM ARE ALL DESCRIPTIONS OF GODS PLACE WHERE HE CALLS HOME ..........SOME WOULD SAY THAT THESE DESCRIPTIONS ARE ANALOGIES BUT THE SCRIPTURES MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT OUR LORD JESUS IS PREPARING A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM WHEN HE SPEAKS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 14: 1-12 " Let not your heart be troubled ; you believe in GOD , believe also in ME. In MY FATHERS house are many mansions ; if it were not so , I would have told you . I go to prepare a place for you . And if I go and prepare a place for you , I will come again and receive you to MYSELF ; that where I am , there you may be also . And where I go you know , and the way you know . Thomas said to HIM, '' LORD we do not know where YOU are going , and how can we know the way ? '' JESUS said to him , ''I am the the way , the truth , and the life . No one comes to the FATHER except through ME . If you had known ME , you would have known MY FATHER also ; and from now on you know HIM and have seen HIM . " Phillip said to HIM , '' LORD show us the FATHER , and it is sufficient for us . '' JESUS said to him ,'' Have I been with you so long , and yet you have not known ME Phillip ? He who has seen ME , has seen the FATHER ; so how can you say , ' Show us the FATHER ?' Do you not believe that I am in the FATHER , and the FATHER in ME ? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on MY own authority ; but the FATHER who dwells in ME does the works . Believe ME that I am in the FATHER and the FATHER in ME , or else believe ME for the sake of the works themselves . " WE NEED TO ASK FOR GOD'S HELP TO REMOVE THE WAX PAPER FROM OVER OUR EYES SO THAT ANY FALSE INTERPRETATIONS ABOUT HEAVEN ARE REPLACED WITH SCRIPTURAL TRUTHS ..........IT IS TRUE THAT OUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL IS ALWAYS TRYING TO DISTORT GODS WORD AND DEVOUR US 1PETER 5 :8 '' Be sober , be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion , seeking whom he may devour . " NOW IF THAT ISN'T A LINE OF SCRIPTURE TO KEEP US SOBER !! ...........SOME OF SATAN'S FAVORITE LIES ARE THAT HE NOR GOD NOR HEAVEN NOR HELL EVEN EXIST ........ A VERY CLEVER WAY TO ROB US OF OUR JOY ............ROMANS 8 :38-39 IS VERY CLEAR TO SAY , " For I am persuaded that neither death nor life , nor angels nor principalities nor powers , nor things present nor things to come , nor height nor depth , nor any other created thing , shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD . '' TODAY MAY BE A GOOD DAY TO PONDER ON WHETHER OR NOT WE WILL SPEND ETERNITY IN HEAVEN ......... JOHN 3 : 16 SAYS, " GOD so loved the world that he gave HIS one and only SON , so that everyone who believes in HIM will not perish but have eternal life . " JUST AS ROMANS 10 :9 STATES , " If you confess with your mouth that JESUS is LORD and believe in your heart that GOD raised HIM from the dead , you will be saved . " WHETHER WE AGREE WITH GOD OR NOT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER BECAUSE HE HAS THE FINAL SAY BUT WHAT DOES MATTER TO HIM IS WHETHER OR NOT WE WILL ACCEPT HIS FREE GIFT OF SALVATION HENCE REMOVING FROM US OUR FEAR OF DYING JUST AS IN HEBREWS 2:14-15 SAYS, " Because GOD'S children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - the SON also became flesh and blood . For only as a human being could HE die , and only by dying could HE break the power of death . Only in this way could HE set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. " IS TODAY THE DAY ?? .........................................SUMMER

TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT THE WORLD WOULD BE LIKE IF JESUS WERE HERE WALKING IN THE FLESH RIGHT THIS VERY DAY ....... WOULD WE BELIEVE THAT IT WAS HIM ? HOW WOULD WE REACT TO HIS PRESENCE ? WOULD THERE BE MEDIA COVERAGE ON HIM OR WOULD HE JUST FADE INTO THE BACKGROUND OF OUR LIVES ? WOULD THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH IF HE WERE HERE RIGHT THIS VERY DAY ? I WONDER TOO IF PEOPLE WOULD BE EAGER TO MEET OR TALK TO HIM ? WOULD HE HAVE A LARGE FOLLOWING OR WOULD WE MOCK HIM ? WOULD OUR CHURCHES INVITE HIM IN TO PREACH HIS WORD ?WOULD WE BELIEVE HE WAS WHO HE SAID HE IS ? WOULD WE ARREST HIM FOR THE THINGS HE SAID ? WOULD THE ACLU DEFEND HIM ? WOULD WE DEFEND HIM ? THESE QUESTIONS POSE A MUCH LARGER CONCERN ..... PAUL TELLS US IN 1THESSALONIANS 4 & 5 "BROTHERS WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE IGNORANT ABOUT THOSE WHO FALL ASLEEP, OR TO GRIEVE LIKE THE REST OF MEN , WHO HAVE NO HOPE. " ch.4 vs.13 PAUL THEN GOES ON TO SAY , "NOW , BROTHERS ABOUT TIMES & DATES WE DO NOT NEED TO WRITE YOU , FOR YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME LIKE A THEIF IN THE NIGHT. WHILE PEOPLE ARE SAYING "PEACE AND SAFETY, " DESTRUCTION WILL COME ON THEM SUDDENLY , AS LABOR PAINS ON A PREGNANT WOMAN , AND THEY WILL NOT ESCAPE . " ch.5vs.1-3 AND STILL YET PAUL INSTRUCTS , " LIVE IN PEACE WITH EACH OTHER . AND WE URGE YOU, BROTHERS ,WARN THOSE WHO ARE IDLE , ENCOURAGE THE TIMID , HELP THE WEAK , BE PATIENT WITH EVERYONE.MAKE SURE NOBODY PAYS BACK WRONG FOR WRONG , BUT ALWAYS TRY TO BE KIND TO EACH OTHER AND TO EVERYONE ELSE. BE JOYFUL ALWAYS ; PRAY CONTINUALLY; GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES , FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS . " ch.5vs12-18........ AS I PONDER ON THESE SCRIPTURES, I COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE MUST BE READY FOR JESUS TO COME, JUST AS HE SAYS , "LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT" . ARE YOU READY ? IF SO , PRAISE THE LORD ..... IF NOT IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU TO MAKE YOUR HEART RIGHT WITH JESUS BY ADMITTING YOU ARE A SINNER ,REPENTING OF YOUR SIN TO CHRIST AND INVITING HIM INTO YOUR HEART ..... IN RETURN GOD GIVES YOU A NEW HEART, FORGETS THE PAST AND GIVES YOU HIS FREE GIFT OF SALVATION,SPENDING ETERNITY WITH HIM WHEN YOU DIE OR WHEN JESUS COMES BACK WHICH EVER HAPPENS FIRST ...... SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT .....................................SUMMER