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Epic and deep! Much gratitude J.D.
Prayers for calmness and peace in Jesus for you and your church this week.
Tacos!
For His Kingdom and Milwaukee’s Revival,
Jeff in Christ ✝️❤️
Founder, Jesus24365 Ministry (since 2024)
Member, St. Marcus Lutheran Church (since 2023)
Every Moment, Every Day!
http://www.Jesus24365.org
Living that eternal life right here on the front lines with SP thanks in no small part to seedbed.com!
We are like spectators at a parade, standing on the sidewalk and watching as the bands and marchers and dancers and floats go by, one at a time.
But if we could ascend in a balloon, we could see the entire parade, from the first prancing drum major, all the way to the last elephant, all at once.
Multiply that difference by…EVERYTHING…and that will be a small example of experiencing the eternal.
We will see how it all fits together, then. Our perspective won’t be limited to the moment the way it is now.
And we will again fall on our knees, and cry “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!”
As I was coming to the end of today’s WU Call I was reminded of the term JD used in the Discipleship Band Booklet I was given in 2018 or 19🤔.
There is the 1st half of the Gospel and the 2nd half of the Gospel. I had NEVER heard this before. It was revelational to me. It was what inspired me to continue the Daily Text now called The Wake Up Call!
I realized how stuck I was in the 1st half of the Gospel. I had said the sinners prayer in November of 1975. I “strived” to always believe and behave. Of which I failed over and over due to not living daily with the Biblical understanding of Christ IN ME..the Hope of Glory.
Now..as I walk thru the 2nd half of the Gospel, with/in eternal LIFE the Holy Spirit is teaching me to Behold and Become.
In a way it is a trap of the enemy to keep so many Christians living in the 1st half of the Gospel with the “knowing” of going to heaven when they die. Trusting in the knowledge of Christ rather than the KNOWING Christ..daily..intimately. OH..WHAT A DIFFERENCE HE HAS MADE IN MY LIFE
Jesus said that he who hates his brother is a murderer. In other words death and hate and destruction are related. We are to love one another. This is what makes eternity with God a good thing.
Recently I read up on Dante’s inferno. And while I don’t presume that hell actually looks like the book, the point is that hell was experiencing very negative things for eternity.
So it really does make sense that it’s not the time period as much as the experience that makes heaven or hell preferable.
And we can love one another right now. We can also hate one another right now.
The sad part is that one can be hated even if we don’t hate back. I would like to say that what makes heaven good is that there won’t be any hate. That those in heaven won’t experience the pain and suffering that hate brings. Life on this Earth brings pain and lots of ways. Yet I choose to try and live through it in love and strive against hate.
JD, I seem to be going through a process of coming to understand the kingdom of Heaven as “now but not yet”. Now, I find myself treasuring ways that you and others provide perspectives on that basic truth.
We are all and always eternal. Jesus’ focus was on life. We who are in Christ have eternal life as opposed to eternal death. The big change at mortal death will be redemption of our fallen bodies, but we have already restored relationship with God through Christ.
Some time ago I heard a secular phrase that I really like. “Happily ever after can begin at any time. “
I then transitioned it to the spiritual “Eternal life can begin at any time. “ Today’s entry reinforced that in a meaningful way.
I’ve never thought about eternity this way
Thanks for your way of thinking about it Blessings to you in all you do!
Listened to Wake Up Call about 9:45pm EST, posting this at a late hour.
“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1:2).
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11–12 (NIV)
WUC JD states “The deepest place of our soul, we remember Eden. We know that we know that we know we are not created for death. We are created for life, and not only endless life but eternal life.” This reminds me of a recent visit to my doctor.
May 8th , I had an appointment with my primary care physician who’s emphasis is geriatrics. We reviewed a lab report on my blood sugar and general health, four colds since Thanksgiving, prostate gland health, lifestyle, etc. Generally, a healthy man we would be 73 on May 20th.
Then a shift. He knew I was a pastor, a theologian. So, is the “Image of God” a metaphor or true? Yes, we are created in the Image of God. Is the son of god a human? Yes, God is Jesus. So, God has a prostate gland, and women do not. (A recent children’s church musical asking is God short or tall, belly button in or out? They also sang said God was resting, after creation, be quiet God is taking a nap.) Creation is now broken, dying because Adam and Eve did not love God. Eventually I said male and female both were created in the Image of God. They were created to live in peace with God, one another and creation, Shalom as the Jews would say. To be fruitful and multiply.
Finally, I said I always share the good news at funerals. We were never created to die. The doctor said it was impossible. There would be trillions of people. The conversation was over. He politely left the room.
Friends, the logic of One God, three in One was refuted. The story of Love did not seem to come through. I thought I did not a bare witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But, I did, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life. I give myself to you.
♫ Create in me a clean heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me…
Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me♫
Our Father… Holy, Holy, Holy is they Name. Your Kingdom has come. Thank you for your steadfast Love endures forever. I am your child. I belong to you. We belong to you. Right here. Right now.
DAle
As I am a recent widow, death has touched me in a deeper way. There is nothing natural about death. When God created Adam, he was hardwired to never taste death or decay. But of course God knew that her would rebel and already had a plan in place. As I watched my husband take his last breath I was angry that death takes away so much joy to those of us that must spend the rest of our time here on this fallen planet without them. And yet, I know my husband is healed, and the eternal life he was already gifted with when he accepted Jesus as his savior continues on, but in a body that will never be diseased and broken again. Thank you for your comforting insights!