Halfway To Heaven

The gains of heaven will more than compensate

for the losses of earth.

My favorite gospel tact is titled "When I Think Of Heaven". It's written by Joni Eareckson Tada, who is paralyzed from her neck down because of a diving accident during her teenage years. Joni admits that thinking about heaven isn't always easy, especially since we have to die to get there, unless Jesus returns first! Yet God works through trials to help us focus our minds on heaven.

As one who lives, travels, and ministers in a wheelchair, Joni writes confidently about heaven: "There's not a doubt in my mind that I'll be fantastically more excited and ready for it than if I were on my feet. You see, suffering gets us ready for heaven. Heaven becomes our passion."

The apostle Paul knew that kind of passion. We groan for heaven, he said, not because we long to die, but because we long to really live, to be with out Lord forever. But until then, "we walk by faith, not by sight."

I recently heard about an elderly gentleman who was greeted in this way: "Nice to see you in the land of the living!" "Oh, I'm not in the land of the living." he replied. "I'm in the land of the dying. But I look forward to being in the land of the living soon when I'm in Heaven." That man's heart is already there! Can that be said of you? -JEY

Starting Today

Dedication to Christ is not just a one-time choice,

it's a daily challenge.

When Charles Swindoll was a young boy, he was greatly influenced by this remark from an old Texan: "The problem with the Christian life is that it's so daily."

It's true. Following Jesus is a lifestyle that builds on past lessons and decisions, but it also depends on our dedication day by day. We cannot live off yesterday's successes, last week's prayers, or the Bible stories we heard when we were children.

Each new day is both a challenge and an opportunity. Our faith will be challenged, and we can use that challenge as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God. Jesus Himself said that those who wanted to be His disciples were expected to be in a continual attitude of self-denial and obedience to Him. Here's how the Lord put it: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

As each day unfolds, we must pause and remind ourselves that this is a day dedicated to God, that it is to be used for His glory, and that it is best lived with a continual recollection of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Starting today, let's look at life that way. It's a daily commitment. -JDB

How To Treat A Friend

Christ's friendship

calls for our faithfulness.

Suppose an old acquaintance stops by unexpectedly at your home during breakfast. you offer to take the day off, but he insists that you keep your regular schedule. So you invite him to go with you to work, and he accepts. how would he feel if you then ignored him completely - didn't converse with him, failed to acknowledge his presence at coffeebreaks and lunch, and neglected to introduce him to anyone? We would all agree - that's no way to treat a friend!

Jesus told His disciples that they were His friends. and we who know Christ as our personal Savior have the assurance that we too are His friends. Do we, however, treat Him as our Friend?

Evaluate your friendship with the Lord by asking yourself these questions. Do I talk with Jesus in prayer throughout the day? Do I take time to read and meditate on His Word? Do I enjoy fellowship with Him? Am I concerned about what He thinks of my activities? Do I introduce Him to others? Do I ignore Him or respect Him? Can others tell that I have a close relationship with Christ?

Let's make certain that each day we give Jesus Christ the consideration He deserves as our Savior, our master, and our Friend! -RWD

Worship

There are many ways to worship God,

but only one God to worship.

Church people can get quite upset about music. Some Christians feel that God is particularly drawn to old hymns sung to the strains of a pipe organ. Others are sure that God enjoys choruses sung over and over again. Some clap their hands when they sing while other fold their arms.

Many modern Christians would be quite unsettled if they had to worship with the ancient Israelites. They might resent the loud, boisterous music. And talk about a praise band! The instruments in the orchestra - wind, string, and percussion together - sounded out their hymns to God. In the middle of the worship, people danced. Large chours sang their anthems heralding God's greatness. Unfortunately, many Christians would hear only the noise. What is worse, they would be angry because they couldn't fire the worship leader or quit and join another church.

One thing we dare not overlook in our disagreements about worship: God demands our praise! That is not negotiable. He would be dishonest if He said there was something or someone in the universe more worthy of praise than Himself.

Don't waste your breath arguing about how to worship. Worship! "Let everyone that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! -HWR

Daily Polishing

To be spiritually fit,

feed on the word and exercise your faith.

The engineer on the Norwegian-American liner Vistafjord had invited some passengers to visit the ship's bridge. After he explained the operation of the navigational equipment, one of his guests remarked that all the brass gleamed as if it were gold. "How often do you polish it?" the man inquired. "Every day," the engineer replied. "The minute you stop polishing, it starts to tarnish."

That comment was like the self-appraisal made by the great pianist Ignacy Paderewski. Talking about the need for daily practice, he said that if he missed a day, he would notice the difference in his playing. If he missed several days, the critics would notice the difference. And if a week went by without practice, the public would notice the difference.

Both the engineer and the pianist teach us the same lesson. We had better not be sporadic in our spiritual disciplines if we want to become more like Christ and if we want our lives to be attractive testimonies for Him. Like David, we should praise God every day. Like the Bereans, we are to search the Scriptures daily. And like Daniel, we need to set aside times to pray throughout the day. -VCG

Hearing And Doing

The way of obedience

is the way of blessing.

My son Steven's Little League baseball coach has to be the most patient man alive.

"Okay, team," he yells to the Tigers as they stand at their positions. "How many outs?" "One!" a couple of them reply. "Where's the runner?" "On first," one or two others offer. "Okay, if it's a ground ball, throw it to second," the coach reminds the 8- and 9-year-olds.

So, the batter grounds the ball to the third baseman, who seems paralyzed with the idea of knowing what to do. By the time he decides, it's too late. Everybody's safe.

Once again, the players were hearers but not doers. Time after time, the coach reminds his players what to do. Time after time, they do something else.

There's a bit of this tendency in all of us. God has told us what He expects of us, yet we so often fail to do it. For instance, in James 1: 13-16, we are told that temptation can lead to sin and its consequences. Yet how many times do we ignore that warning?

James tells us that if we are doers, we will "be blessed" in what we do. That's a pretty good reason to be a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer. -JDB

Boast Roast

People who sing their own praises

usually do so without accompaniment.

The owner of a small foreign car had begun to irritate his friends by bragging incessantly about his car's gas mileage. So they devised a plan to bring his boasts to an end. Every day one of them would secretly pour a few gallons of gas into the car's tank. Soon the braggart was boasting getting as much as 90 miles per gallon.

The pranksters enjoyed watching his exasperation as he tried to convince people of the truthfulness of his claims. It was even more fun to see his reaction when they stopped refilling the tank. The poor fellow couldn't figure out what had happened to his car.

This incident point sout that self-congratulation can backfire and leave a person looking foolish. There is something repulsive about talk that advertises one's own good judgment or abilities.

How much better it is to find our security and sense of worth in a quiet, personal relationship with the Lord! If we do that, we will become more interested in the needs and successes of others than we are in our own. We will speak of our concerns and accomplishments only as a means of encouraging others who need an uplifting word. Such an approach will win notice and approval - even though we're not looking for it. -MRD II