Homesick

Last week I received an invitation to my fortieth High School Class Reunion. I guess that’s the official notice I’m now “old.”

It was exciting to hear our class is getting back together. Just thinking about visiting my hometown, seeing old friends and catching up with them made me a little homesick.

When I go, there are some places I’d like to visit. So I went online and started looking up addresses. What I discovered surprised me.

On some Google Maps there is an option called “Street Level” view. When I clicked on that, I saw that I could virtually “drive” through the streets of my hometown. It was amazing!

First I looked at my grandparents’ house. Across the street was the building where my great-grandfather had a meat market. A few doors down was a building that held a neighborhood store where I bought penny candy as a child.

Then I checked out the two houses my family lived in. I went by the schools I attended.

There was the gas station where I used to get air for my bike tires. I went by the appliance store once owned by a friend’s father. Downtown I saw where Joe’s Diner used to be.

It was almost an “out of body” experience—like I was THERE. Wow. I didn’t want to leave.

The feeling that came over me is hard to explain. Was it nostalgia, homesickness or a longing to go back to a simpler time?

There was a real sense of connection to my past. And even though I wasn’t there any more, somehow I felt like I still belonged there.

Dorothy had it right in the “Wizard of Oz.” There’s no place like home.

Then I thought, “You know what? Heaven is like that.”

Now hold it for just a minute. How is Heaven like looking at your hometown online?

Well, it’s like this: The Bible gives us a virtual picture of Heaven. We’re not there but, when you read about it, you can “see” it in your mind’s eye. Sort of a virtual reality.

In Heaven you’ll have that hometown feeling forever. And when you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re being welcomed to a combination high school and family reunion—and then some!

In his book “90 Minutes in Heaven,” Don Piper, describes his experience entering heaven like a reunion or a homecoming. It was a place where he felt he completely belonged.

Some people think that Heaven is a place where we’ll sit on clouds and play harps. But that’s just a result of someone’s active imagination.

According to the Bible, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him – but God has revealed it to us.”

In the Bible we read about a heavenly city. It’s called a “paradise.” Jesus will be there. It’s a place where there will be no more tears. We’re told people from every nation will be there.

It’s common now for people to pre-arrange their funerals. Have you made advance arrangements for eternity? Everyone will spend forever somewhere. Where will you be?

The Bible says, “The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, that’s all you need. Be sure you are trusting in him and his death on the cross for your sin.

The Bible is like God’s “Street Level” view of Heaven. It gives us just a glimpse of the ultimate hometown! One of the best parts? --It’s a place you’ll never want to leave.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Sweet Poison

Revenge is a poison we drink believing it will destroy our enemy. It ends up destroying us.

Why we do it is hard to say. Maybe human beings are hardwired to get revenge. Perhaps getting even is our automatic response to a personal injustice.

One thing is certain. When someone else hurts us deeply, vengeance—evening the score—is our first thought. It’s what comes naturally

History is full of conflicts started by vengeance. The very first one involved Cain and Abel. You can read about it in the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter four. It ended with murder.

In America, the Hatfields and the McCoys come to mind. On the international scene, Arabs and Israelis may have the longest running feud. And they are by no means the only ones feuding.

Conflicts started by revenge can go on for years and generations. Eventually those getting even forget the reasons and simply react with a primal instinct: Get revenge no matter the cost. Make sure the perceived enemy “gets what’s coming to them.”

But no matter how sweet revenge tastes, the result is as bad for us as our enemy.

“Now hold on just a minute! How can something that feels so good be so wrong?”

Well just think about it. Can you name one example where revenge ultimately solved the problem? Neither can I.

“But what about justice?”

What about it? Justice is not about getting even but about punishing wrongdoers in a fair and impartial way. And if you want justice, be careful because justice is a sword that cuts both ways.

Imagine that there is an impartial, all-powerful judge who could dispense justice for all wrongdoers. Where would that leave us? We have all hurt another person at some point.

To be honest, what we really want is mercy for us and justice for our enemies. Is that fair?

The truth is that we are all self-centered and self-serving with little concern for others. If we do what comes naturally and avenge ourselves, we destroy any hope for peace and harmony.

Vengeance only leads to prolonged conflicts. War. What our hearts truly yearn for is peace. And if we really want peace we must turn to the Prince of Peace.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you: Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Then he said, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Later the Bible adds, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord…. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Impossible? Yes, but as Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

Peace with man starts by making peace with God. And the Bible says, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If you would like to know how to have peace with God, go online and type stepstopeace.org in an Internet browser address window. Then follow the steps and pray with America’s spiritual counselor, Billy Graham. You’ll be glad you did.

Man’s solution to conflict is revenge. God’s solution is peace and forgiveness through Christ.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” not the revenge seekers. So if you want peace and God’s blessing in your life, it’s time to stop drinking the poison of revenge and trust Christ.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

No Doubt

Is a crisis of faith good or bad?

Some time ago it was big news that Mother Teresa revealed she had a crisis of faith. Critics said, “See? How can God be real if someone like her doubts her faith?” But others nodded and thought, “She was a real person, just like me.”

The Fox News Channel recently showed the program “Escape from Hamas.” It chronicled the life of Yousef, a Muslim from Gaza.

Yousef’s father was one of the founders of Hamas, an anti-Israel terrorist group. After seeing the fear, hatred and torture of Muslims by other Muslims, Yousef had a crisis of faith.

When he compared the Bible with the Qur’an, Yousef was struck by Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies.” He said he knew then that Jesus was from God.

Yousef now lives in America. He has found peace with God and with his former enemies. And he is sure he has found the truth.

Now hold on just a minute. How can anyone know for sure they have the truth?

Unfortunately some people view certainty with suspicion. Since they have doubts about God, religion and faith, they think no one else can be sure of the truth. How sad.

What they fail to realize is that some people may have already gone through a crisis of faith. In many cases a crisis of faith leads to the truth. It did for me.

When I was a child, I lived by my parent’s faith. I knew God was real because I saw how he answered my parent’s prayers. But my faith was a second-hand faith.

As a high school student I began to explore my beliefs. In the Bible I found the answers to my questions. I learned God was faithful, not only to my parents, but to me, as well.

When it came time to choose a college, I prayed for guidance. And God answered my prayers in such a specific way that I had no doubt it was God!

After I got married, I can still remember my father’s advice to me as a new husband. He said, “It’s time you lost your parent’s faith and got your own.” And I knew exactly what he meant.

Until then I had taken excursions into faith, exploring it. But it was time for me to live it.

I learned that doubt and faith are not mutually exclusive. Convictions and strong beliefs arise through our doubts, not in spite of them. When doubts drive us to search for answers there is nothing quite so exhilarating as discovering the truth.

Jesus who said, “I am the truth” also said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The truth about Jesus sets us free from sin, a guilty conscience and from our doubts.

Someone once said, “Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.” I like that.

Maybe you’re a skeptic. That’s OK. The Bible doesn’t condemn those who doubt.

When Jesus encountered “Doubting Thomas” after his resurrection, he didn’t belittle Thomas. Jesus invited him to come and examine the evidence. To see that it was really Jesus. Alive.

And he invites you to do the same. Listen to Jesus’ invitation to non-believers. Jesus said, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

Examine the evidence. Read the Gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles. Look at the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Ask God to show you the truth and he will.

So is a crisis of faith good or bad? It’s a good thing if it leads you to the truth and to peace.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Much Ado About Something

For some folks, New Year’s Eve is the biggest party all year. But why celebrate a new year?

That’s the question that came to mind as I watched a report last week showing fireworks and New Year’s celebrations around the world. And it’s hard to come up with a logical answer.

Maybe it’s like the title of Shakespeare’s play, “Much ado about nothing.” But I think not.

In some countries the New Year is a major holiday like Thanksgiving in the United States. But while every country doesn’t agree on the date (most do use January 1), all seem to agree it should be celebrated. Cultures that keep yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations.

Perhaps it’s a collective sigh of relief: “We made it through last year and survived!” Maybe.

But I suspect it has more to do with the feeling of a fresh start. A turning of the page, as it were. Regardless of what happened last year, we feel like anything is possible in the New Year!

Now hold it right there for just a minute. Why does turning the calendar page to January carry so much emotional power?

Could it be that something deep in the human heart longs for a “clean slate?” A “fresh start?”

Life is such a “do it yourself” mess, isn’t it? Who hasn’t thought, “I know I could do better if I just got another chance”? And a new year seems to offer us that chance.

But every year we discover that a “second chance” isn’t the answer we thought it’d be! We still make mistakes. Life is still a big mess.

As we become wiser and more self aware, we slowly begin to realize that the problem is more than just making bad choices. It’s WHY we make those choices to begin with.

Sooner or later we realize that human beings are completely selfish. At first we think it’s just other people. But if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves, we realize we are selfish, too.

What if you could go back and start life over and know what you know now? You could certainly avoid the bad choices and mistakes you’ve made along the way, couldn’t you?

The truth is, you’d make other equally bad choices. Then what? A third or fourth chance?

In the Bible God offers everyone an amazing solution: A truly new beginning. To be born again. But not as the same old person. Instead God gives us the power to make right choices.

God’s solution is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth. It begins when we put our trust in Jesus Christ to save us from our sin and from ourselves.

When we come to God through Christ, the Bible says God forgives and forgets our mistakes. Then he gives us a new nature capable of living right and choosing right.

The Bible adds, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God.”

This is where other religions fall short. They lack the ability to change us on the inside.

To read about it yourself, pick up a Bible and start in the third chapter of the Gospel of John.

Now don’t misunderstand me. Christ’s followers can still make bad choices. They can still be selfish. What has changed is their main motivation. Life is no longer all about them. It is about God and pleasing him and serving others.

Only God can give us a true fresh start. For golfers it’s the ultimate “Mulligan” --a “do over” for your life!

A new life in Jesus Christ—now that’s something worth celebrating!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!