Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
There are times when words won’t come. We have said all we know to say every way we know to say it. We are not giving up or giving up on God. We are desperate for his help and strength. We are simply exhausted from wrestling in prayer. Can you relate?
The fear of insignificance arises when we compare ourselves to the standard of the world. However, when we realize that we have “peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us,” everything changes!
Stephen was a man “full of God’s grace and power” who “performed amazing miracles and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). When opposition came against the early Christians, he was one of the first to be arrested. As he faced the accusers during his trial, all who saw him said “his face became as bright as an angel’s” (Acts 6:15).
After a windy day, dead branches lay all over our yard. Dead branches are, well, dead. No leaves; no life. We either throw them away or put them on top of our firewood to be used for kindling. Okay, my wife, Lori, either throws them away or puts them on top of the firewood.
Heaven is actual existence. Heaven is not a state of mind. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to get it ready. He promised he would come and take his followers to be with him. We will not float forever in a mental neverland. Heaven is real.
Jesus’ words in today’s passage were spoken to a woman in despair. Her brother, Lazarus, had died, and she felt the sharp pains of grief; but Jesus reminded her that while physical death was inevitable, spiritual death was not. Those who believe in Jesus “will never ever die.”