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April 27 Prisoner at HeartI was a prisoner. Trapped in my own home. Miserable and alone, my own soul had become my prison. Chains held me down, cutting into my wrists and ankles. The darkness of my surroundings had long since seized my vision. My throat remained parched and sore, dying for just a drop of cool water to refresh my spirit. I loathed my decisions that had led me here. A byproduct of desires fulfilled by the world. I hadn’t noticed it at first. In the beginning, I hadn’t even seen the bars. But one by one, my sinful choices had led me down the dim hall, beckoning to me, calling me to come further into the dungeon. All I’d seen was light. Then the chains had tightened their cool grip and I had realized what I’d done. What a fool I’d been. What a sinful wretch I had become. And all because I’d been too proud to quit. All because I hadn’t wanted to admit I was wrong. And now I sat in complete isolation, my very soul crying for relief. Then I saw it. A glimmer of light. Closer and closer it came until I crouched in the shadows and hid my face, ashamed of the state I was in. And yet I yearned to reach out and be embraced by the light. I knew there was forgiveness. I knew there was love. Could I swallow my pride this once to accept the salvation being offered? My past deeds would be erased. The chains of my mistakes, guilt, sorrows and addictions would no longer hold me prisoner. The dungeon where I sat would be overthrown and I would be free…free at last to be enveloped by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. I slowly raised my face and cried out to God. I was sorry. So sorry. I wanted His love. I knew I’d been wrong. I wanted His assurance and peace. One by one, the chains fell to the ground. My prison of guilt and sin crumbled before my eyes until nothing was left but a clean late; a pure heart to be welcomed into the family of God. Tears streamed down my face as I wept in sweet joy. I was free. So free. God wrapped His mighty arms around me, never to let me go. And I knew that was where I belonged. My soul had been rescued at last. Has your soul been rescued? April 17 The Greatness of HeavenI love to read Jesus’ parables in the Bible. Drawing parallels is a favorite thing for me to do, and what’s better than reading those that my Lord has drawn? When I was younger, my grandmother and I used to play Bible trivia games. We would often run across the same question, “What is a parable?” We would always give the “official” answer and say, “An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” Though sounding nice, I like to think of them more as “Jesus’ way of trying to make the people understand.” Or, “Lessons Jesus taught in an attempt to speak to the finite minds of the people.” Quite frankly, that’s what parables were. The people at the time (and even now) couldn’t fathom the depths of what Jesus was saying. So, instead of getting upset with their mortal brains, Jesus spoke words they could understand, using stories they could relate to. Now, I’ve titled this blog, “The Greatness of Heaven,” so I better get to talking about Heaven. As of late, I’ve been just sitting of the edge of my seat, waiting for Jesus to come again so I can get off this earth and get to Heaven. I’m so tired of dealing with the issues of life – and yet I know that I’m here for a purpose and God is molding me into what He wants me to be in His Kingdom when the time is ready. But my yearning for Heaven reminds me of a couple of those parables Jesus told. There was once a man who found a treasure in a field. Wanting that treasure so badly, he buried it again, went home and sold all he had, just so he could afford to buy that field and gain the treasure. Another man was in search of fine pearls. Finding just the right one, he went away, sold all of his possessions, and returned to purchase the pearl. In today’s world, we might wonder about the competence of these two men. But think about things you’ve wanted bad enough that you’d do almost anything to get it. You dreamed about it. You talked about it. You ate and slept it. Now…what if that energy was put towards the reward of Heaven? What if getting to Heaven was so important, that it consumed one’s life? What if the goal of Heaven could be dreamed about, talked about, and just about ate and drank? Jesus’ point in those two parables wasn’t that the men were foolish. Instead, he wanted the people to understand that Heaven is something to be sought after. It’s not just something “up there” in the clouds that maybe we’ll see some day. It’s a place very real that Jesus is preparing for His followers. Those who do not follow Him will never get to see it. Who are you? Are you willing to put your heart and soul into reaching the goal of Heaven? Or is your soul already bought by things of this world? My eyes are set on Heaven. I hope to see you there. April 10 Order in the Court!“Mr. Hampton, do you know why you are here today?” Mr. Jenkins asked. Mr. Hampton nodded to his lawyer. “Yes, sir.” “Can you tell the court?” “I’m here to defend my belief.” Mr. Jenkins sifted through a stack papers. “And what might that belief be?” “That God exists.” A low stirring of murmurs traveled across the stuffy courtroom. “Thank you.” Mr. Jenkins approached the stand. “Do you have any proof?” Mr. Hampton thought for a moment. “I have evidence of my faith.” “Objection!” The young prosecuting attorney flailed his arm in the air in attempt to attract the judge, in case his loud announcement failed to reach his ears. “The witness didn’t answer the question!” “Sustained,” the judge declared. “Please restate the question.” The defense lawyer apologized. “I’m sorry. Mr. Hampton, do you have any proof that God exists?” “No.” Whispers and nudges again made their rounds. The judge tapped his gavel on his desk. “Order, please.” Mr. Jenkins nodded. “Judge, may the witness freely explain himself?” “Of course. Please proceed. “ Mr. Hampton shifted in his seat. “What I have done has proven bad enough to have me arrested and brought here. But despite this treatment, I cannot back down.” “He’s admitting his guilt!” The prosecution attorney spouted. “Mr. Figs,” the judge reprimanded, “let him continue.” Mr. Figs plopped back down in his chair, crossing his arms to pout. “I cannot prove the existence of God,” Mr. Hampton continued, “because He does not personify Himself as our tangible minds can comprehend. I can only give a tangible example of God’s power. Take space, for example. It has been said that it all simply ‘happened.’ That everything came to being as a result of an accident. But I beg to differ.” “Objection!” Mr. Figs was on his feet again. “The witness has already stated he has no proof!” “Overruled,” the judge stated sharply. “Mr. Hampton, continue.” Mr. Hampton rubbed a sweaty palm on his pant leg. “Yes, take space for example. How many stars are there? Billions. We think we’ve counted them all, and then find more. We thought our galaxy was the only one, then we discovered there were more. Think of how our planets hang together in orbit. Now scientists even believe a planet exists beyond Pluto.” “Objection!” By now, Mr. Figs was red in the face from his exhausting jumps out of his chair. “They haven’t yet proven a planet exists!” “Sustained.” The judge looked at Mr. Hampton. “Please state facts when referring to scientific discovery.” Mr. Hampton tried to start again. “I need not use more evidence than the few plants we have discovered. None orbit too fast or slow. They never collide. They never get too far away from the sun. And all are so very different in composition. Take Mars and Jupiter. And then Earth. Earth has every element perfect for human life.” “Objection!” Mr. Figs desperately interrupted. “If Earth were perfect, how could humans die every day?” “Overruled,” the judge ordered. Mr. Hampton ignored Mr. Fig’s observation. “Outer space is full of wonder and majesty. Just the fact that we don’t burn up from the sun or freeze to death should be evidence enough of God’s ultimate wisdom, whether He used a big bang or not. Think of the moon that reflects the sun just right to guide us at night. The sun that sustains its heat and light without man’s help.” “Objection!” Mr. Fig fought to loosen his tie. “That the sun sustains itself is beside the point.” The judge rolled his eyes. “Overruled.” Mr. Hampton attempted to conclude “I chose space to talk about because it is the closest thing to a tangible form of God’s power I could think of. But there’s evidence out there that we can see every day. Trees, mountains, oceans, new life. Everything working together to sustain us. I may not be able to prove God’s existence, but I challenge anyone to disprove it. It says in the first book of the Bible that God created the Heavens and the Earth. I believe it with my whole heart and will not deny His power.” Silence. Mr. Jenkins glanced at the prosecution. “Your witness.” Mr. Figs stared at Mr. Hampton. “I…have no further questions.” The judge rapped his gavel on the desk. “I find the defendant guilty of expressing his belief in God. However, there will be no sentence served until one can disprove his theory. This court is adjourned.” April 03 Before & AfterBefore: Sadness Loneliness Guilt Anger Hate Depression Turmoil Hurt Dissatisfaction Shame Destination: Death After: Happiness Eternal Family Freedom Peace Love Hope Joy Satisfaction Forgiveness Destination: Life …And you wonder why I chose to follow Jesus? |
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