Afterlife will be Amazing

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. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2

A prayer for the Ephesians- from Women’s Devotional Bible:

For this reason I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

The hymn “Praise the Savior, Ye Know Him” has these words for us:

Then we shall be where we would be, then we shall be what we should be:

Things which are not now, nor could be, soon shall be our own.

We will know others in heaven! After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Matthew 17:1-3

And we know that there will be work for us in heaven. We know happiness when we are working for our Lord. We can be sure we will be doing something wonderful while working with Him and for Him.

Prayer: Oh, thank you Lord, for your words about human death and raising to heaven because Christ died for us. Thank you for letting us know about heaven. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Wilderness

 

See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

    and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

 

Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten

    what he has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy;

    but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one

    as well as the other.

Therefore, no one can discover

    anything about their future. Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

When I think of the word wilderness and its meanings, I also think of the word “seeking”. Can we seek God in both meanings of the word “wilderness”?

Wilderness is one of those magical words that can mean something and its opposite. For example, I may compare my isolating and frightening experience to being “in the wilderness”. Or I may look at heading to the wilderness as a last bastion of peace & natural beauty, where I may be at one with nature and God.

According to Katie Orlinsky in National Geographic magazine: “Wilderness is a slippery term. It can refer to almost any environment: jungle, swamp, icebound tundra, open ocean”. She goes on to say that when referring to our national parks and preserves, it mostly means that we want to keep the area in its natural state, to not alter it or impose man-made modifications.

The term wilderness can be thought of as a paradox. I was thinking that our views on the wilderness and God’s presence can be the same. On one hand, we can feel that we have been banished to a wilderness, a place that is lonely and frightening, and without spiritual support. In the Bible many references to the word tend toward this banishment and being lost. However, it is also a place where we can fully hear God’s voice as well. Think of: God speaking to Moses in the wilderness, Jesus went to fast and pray in the wilderness. We can think of the wilderness as a place of solitude and beauty, where we can be at one with God. Where we can seek his presence and hear him more clearly without the “noise” of everyday life.

To paraphrase our final week’s study (Wednesday morning Bible study, a study on Esther): “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” Psalm 16:5. The Message translation: “My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!” The Jewish people were destined for slaughter. Through Modecai and Esther, a turnaround occurred that ended in deliverance. No matter what “lot” we find ourselves in, God will carry us through.

An Upper Room writer says: “we will all enter a wilderness at some point – financial crisis, sickness, isolation. But God will always make a way.”  

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your guidance and provision in all the kinds of wilderness I may find myself in, welcome or unwelcome. Thank you for the comfort of your safe arms. Amen

Donna Gustafson

Autumn

Henry David Thoreau wrote “Summer passes into Autumn in some unimaginable point of time like the turning of a leaf.” 

A sugar maple tree wearing shades of red and yellow caught my eye on a hot day. I looked again – it can’t be fall. Fall follows summer and I have been cooped up in the house with temperatures over 90. It is supposed to cool, it can’t be fall. 

But fall is upon us. As a child, I hated to see the end of summer. School (which I liked by the way) would begin. But it was not school I hated to see coming, it was the end of freedom that I hated to see end. Summer meant barefoot running, frequent visitors to the farm where I lived. Some chores, but lots of time for talking to sisters, mom and dad and also time for exploring the woods and the fields surrounding our home. Just wandering in the countryside looking at God’s world. 

This year, it feels different. I am ready to put the flowers to bed. To add bulbs in new places. As the hymn says, “In every bulb, there is a flower!” I am ready to let this year slide from fall into winter. For, I know, there will be a birth in a manger to celebrate and then the promise of spring. Spring will come and when it does, those same bulbs will bring cheer and hope for more tomorrows. 

So I am tucking my bulbs into the dirt, getting rid of junk, preparing for this season and whatever will follow. After winter, spring will come and renewed life in our world. Jesus gave us that hope with his death on the cross. I watch the last of the butterflies drink again and again at the butterfly bush. They have traveled many miles and need this drink and I am happy to provide it.  

I am not returning to school but I will be wearing shoes and watching the world put on its beautiful autumn show. The season will cool and winter will come, but I know in my heart that life in the bulbs and belief in our savior will bring us back to spring. God is putting his world to bed and there is promise for a new tomorrow. 

This time, when I saw another beautiful tree I just gloried in its beauty instead of moaning the loss of summer. Instead of being the end, I will take it as a beginning looking forward. 

Carolyn Olsen

Give Thanks

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. 

Words from Psalm 72

Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Psalm 72:19 

Words from Psalm 31

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
 

The Bible is The Book

When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. Exodus 31:18 

These were the 10 Commandments from God given to us.

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21 

All words in our Bible were written by people carried along by the Holy spirit.

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:13 

The troubled people in our lives need words from our God in the Bible.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food? Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2-3

Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Psalm 119:89 

Prayer: Oh Lord, Almighty God, teach us to help others with Your words from The Book. Some people are fearful because they have not read you created the world, the animals and us humans, and that you love us as much as we love our children. Some have not read that you gave your son, Jesus, to save us from our sins.  Your Book tells us we can turn everything over to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Harvest Time

 

As Long as You’ll Come Back for Me

"Let not your heart be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me….And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14: 11-3 

My six-year-old grandson and his dad visited me recently. During our conversation, my son asked my grandson if he thought he would be willing to sleep overnight at my place. In the past, when their family stayed in my house, they all slept in an extra bedroom or went to a motel with a swimming pool. My grandson answered quickly, “Yeah, as long as you’ll come back for me.” 

Isn’t that the promise Jesus made when he left us behind? John and several other Old Testament books record this affirmation—that Jesus will one day return to take us to our heavenly home. The challenge we face is to patiently live our lives based on the example Jesus provided when he walked the earth, for we know not the hour or day of his return. But we can find comfort in the promise Jesus made, “I will come again and take you to myself.” 

Prayer: Lord God, help us rest easy in the assurance that Jesus Christ will one day return to earth to take us home with him. Let us be patient, knowing that He will be back for each of us. Amen

Carol McClain

A Thought for the Day

 

Joy of Children

"Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents.”  Proverbs 17:6

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, who he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:1-3

My grandmother lived in a care center in northeast Lincoln when she could no longer live alone. Sometimes I visited her by myself and sometimes I took our young daughter with me. I noticed that when I took our young daughter, my grandmother seemed more alert. 

I learned about a rural church in southeast Nebraska that had a care center and also a day care for young children on the site. The children and the care center adults did simple art projects and shared daily snack time together. It was a special time that all looked forward to each day.

In my 25 years as a pre-school teacher and also a teacher in church settings, I learned so much from children. One time that I recall, I taught preschool children in vacation church school. Just before the last evening worship with the children and families, I took the children outside “to get the wiggles out”. We took our offering basket with us with coins given as children arrived that evening.

Outside the dandelions were blooming. The children asked if they could pick them. I told them they could each pick one special one. As we paused a moment at the sanctuary door, each child gently placed their dandelion on top of the coins in the offering basket. 

Children add joy to our lives. We can learn much about sharing joy from children.

Prayer: God, we are grateful for the gifts of joy that children add to our lives.  Remind us to learn from children and how they share joy. Amen.

Lois Poppe (reprinted from 2020)

Out of the Darkness

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 2 Peter 2:9

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. John 8:12

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Romans 13:12-13

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2

Many in our world and country today have moved away from trusting Jesus as their savior and walk in darkness. We need to return to Jesus and see the light. The Lincoln Journal Star reported today that $55,000,000 is being spent to build a new behavioral hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The shooters at mass murders are often mentally disturbed people who have anxiety and living in darkness. Mental health is such a problem today that a Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has been set up for hurting people who can call 988 like 911 when an accident happens.

People are craving the love of Jesus. These words from hymns give us what we need, but many people today aren’t listening to the wonderful hymns. Take these words into your heart. Let them guide your days and feel the peace of knowing Jesus.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus—Look into His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.   

What a Friend We Have in Jesus—all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. What peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble anywhere? We shouldn’t be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. Jesus knows our every weakness.

Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, please put people who know Jesus in the lives of those who are sad, lonely, fearful, and dangerous, to reach them and teach them to know Jesus and come out of the darkness. In Jesus name, Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Roots for the Living Water

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.  The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”  John 4: 13-14

Last August Walt and I went to Clinton, Iowa to visit our son Dan, his wife Stacy and their two little children. Dan was at work and Stacy suggested it would be fun to take Matthew and Kelsie to a playground they like. It sounded wonderful until we stepped out into the steamy August heat. We went to a lovely small playground on the shore of the Mississippi River. It was completely shaded by a huge cottonwood tree. I do mean huge! I think it would have taken all three of us with outstretched arms to encompass its girth. The bark was smooth with age and down one side an old lightning strike had weathered to a silver ribbon. I leaned against that silky smooth strip and looked up. There were only a few dead branches and the tree showed new growth on almost every limb. Across the way on a bluff the other cottonwoods were yellow with drought but this one was green and vital. The reason was clear. The roots of this tree were deep in the underground water of the river and the tall dike protected it from floods. Its very leaves whispered of life.   

Christ’s message to the woman at the well is His message to us. In His birth, life, death and resurrection, we too find the Living Water for our life. Roots that go down to that water can withstand the droughts life brings. Life Surrounded by prayer can withstand floods that otherwise would overwhelm us. Jesus finished His conversation with that Samaritan woman by saying, “God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us worship You with our spirit and with the truth of Your Son, Jesus. Lead us to that Living Water of Life that we may better serve You and more surely know the Eternal Life promised to life promised to us by our Lord. Amen. 

Dot French (reprinted from Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

Are You Willing to Accept Help?

Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite?  He is a good speaker.  And look!  He is on his way to meet you now.  And when he sees you, he will be very glad.  You will talk to him, giving him the words to say.  I will help both of you to speak clearly, and I will tell you what to do.  Aaron will be your spokesman to the people, and you will be as God to him, telling him what to say. And be sure to take your shepherd’s staff along so you can perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” Exodus 4:14-17

I don’t know about you, but often I have felt I can get through a bad situation without help from others. I have usually told myself I will be just fine if I pray a lot more. 

Being a Stephen Minister, I have gradually changed my way of thinking. I have found there is a lot of support within our Stephen Ministry Group. Sometimes people outside that group have offered help. I have taken that step to accept some of those offers of help. By accepting help from others, I found I can provide better care to a care receiver or just be a better friend to someone in need of a friend.

I think the first step to healing is accepting the help of others, whether they are within your group or outside your group. I did that and I found out that you sometimes help each other in the process.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the support group you have given me through the caring people in Stephen Ministry. Thank you for those caring people outside Stephen Ministry, who continue to lift me up with their support. I would ask for your continued help in caring for those persons grieving a loss or a broken relationship, and that you would provide Your Divine Intervention and Guidance.  Amen.

Dee Ann Dilley (reprinted from the Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

A Note on Ecclesiastes

The words of the Teacher, son of David, Kiing in Jerusalem: “Meaningless!  Meaningless!”  says the Teacher.  “Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.”  Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.  Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.  Isaiah 12:4-5

I would encourage you to sit down and read the book of Ecclesiastes sometime soon. It is a short book and can be read in one or two settings. Ecclesiastes is the inspired record of the intense search to find meaning and satisfaction on earth. Ask a man on the street, “What is life?” and his answer might surprise and amuse you. Ask the preacher of Ecclesiastes that same question and his answer will stun you: “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” This response is the conclusion of one of the wealthiest, wisest, most influential men of the Bible: King Solomon. We all have been there at some time in our life. I know I have. We ask ourselves many questions. “Where am I looking for satisfaction? Have I found it there?  If not, why? And what might Solomon’s counsel be to me?” This quest for meaning in life is not new. Over the centuries man and women have struggled with the same questions. Solomon realizes that all his vast possessions and grand pursuits will not bring ultimate happiness and fulfillment. Only by including God in the equation can the pieces of life be put together into a meaningful whole. 

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus appeared in human history and offered this solution to mankind’s desperate condition: “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). With Christ in the center, you can view life from God’s perspective and can see purpose in each part. The scripture of Isaiah 12:4-5 also gives us a guide as to how we can respond and find meaning. The three most oft-repeated phrases in the book of Ecclesiastes are vanity (39 times), under the sun (29 times), and God (40 times). This repeating shows us what is the most important to us. Try to summarize the message of the book in a single sentence. 

Prayer: Lord, be with us and guide us as we look for the meaning in life. Let us hear and respond to what your work tells us. Amen.

Marilyn Albin (reprinted from the Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

Words from Romans

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 

Words from Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. Psalm 24:1

Prayer

Be joyful always: pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

If asked to define prayer, most of us would quickly say, “Something expressed in words.” Prayer is really an attitude of the heart. I see it more fundamentally as our being in God’s presence. Sometimes words are appropriate and sometimes they get in the way. Often, they simply do not matter. Let prayer become the breath of your spirit. Let it be the beating of your heart. Where our whole selves are engaged in relationship with God, there prayer will be, even if words are not used.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to pray without ceasing.  Help us to make room in our hearts to place you first in our hearts. Amen

Peg Olmsted (reprinted from Eastridge Devotional Book, 2008)

Trust

Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? John 14:1-2

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Proverbs 3:5

I find these words applicable today as they were when first written. In times of trouble we need to put our trust in our Lord and not let our fears and worries rule our lives. One of my favorite hymns, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine,” is a comforting hymn. We sing it without stopping to wonder if we truly have that assurance. We need to trust and have faith that God gives us that assurance. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to put my trust in you each day and not let worries and cares rule my life. I am so thankful for your tender care and blessing. May my trust become deeper and my faith grow stronger. Amen. 

Joyce Miller (reprinted from Eastridge Devotional Book, November 2008)

Happy Labor Day!

 

Numbering Our Days

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalms 90:12

Where has the summer gone? That lament is being repeated by children who have returned to school, parents whose “to do list” has become a “not done list,” and older people who wonder what they accomplished this summer of retirement. The concept of a day changes as we move through our lives, some days last forever and yet the weeks whiz by. Only God knows the number of days we each have been allotted. Moving wisely through those days requires that we have a vision and purpose for our life.

Prayer: Dear Lord, guide me to live intentionally, wisely using the days you have given me. So that when I live my last day, my life will have made a difference, reflecting the plans you had for me. Amen

Carol McClain