Difference between Heaven and Hell

I recently found this short story while looking for a story to drive home an area of culture that God wants to see in His Church.  

The short story validates that Heaven and Hell will be occupied by people, but there is one unique difference between these people that we often overlook when thinking about these places of eternity.

Let's let the story show us what that difference is.

"A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell.  The Lord said to the man, 'come, I will show you hell.'  They entered the room where a group of hungry people sat around a huge pot of cooking stew.  Everyone in the room was starving.  Each person held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arms that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths.  The suffering was terrible. 

'Come now, I will show you heaven' the Lord said.  They entered a room identical to the first, the big pot of stew, the group of people and the same long-handled spoons.  But here everyone was happy and well nourished. 

'I don't understand' said the man.  'Why is everyone happy here and miserable in the other room?  Everything is the same.'  'Here', said the Lord, 'they have learned to SERVE each other.''

The difference between the people of Heaven versus the people of Hell is simply Heaven is made up of people who care about one another enough to serve the other.  And God is not waiting for us to get to Heaven to start serving.  Instead He is watching us now to see if we are practicing this ever important trait that will be seen in all those in Heaven.

So what are you waiting for?  Humble yourself today and begin serving others.  This will be your Heaven on earth.

Obeying Christ's Teachings

Hoping you are enjoying the weather (the warmth of the sunshine - feels like Spring doesn't it?)  Question is:  How long will it stay this way?  We shall find out.

I wrote that last week in an update I sent out to the church.  Well, obviously it didn't last very long as temps got a lot colder and even today we have been dealing with sleet and snow.  I just find it amusing how things can change so quickly:))))))))

And that leads me into my thought for today.  

Just found out on Sunday that our church was told by a business in the warehouse complex that we were using their dumpster for our trash.  Needless to say, this surprised me as we had had difficulty with this same situation back when we were remodeling The House during the summer months.

So when confronted the first time about our misuse of the dumpsters, I determined to find out what dumpster is used for the site (you see you can only go on what someone else tells you).  And in asking, I was told that we were to use the green dumpster on the concrete pad sitting beside the orange dumpster.  And that is what we have done over the past months.

Well due to the latest confrontation , I once again had to ask some questions, not as ammunition to use against the business, but rather to find out the truth (we don't want to be doing something wrong and give this business or anyone else the impression that the Church can do whatever it wants without any consideration for others).

And what I found out is that the green dumpster is not the site dumpster; it is the orange dumpster.  We have been using the wrong dumpster for months:((((((

So what do we (I) do?  Well, first I humbly must go to this business and apologize for the church's actions - that we had gotten our lines of communication with Rental Properties mixed up regarding the site dumpster.  Second, I will willingly offer to this business restitution for our usage.  And third, we will use the ORANGE dumpster for our trash - hopefully this is right this time.

Change can occur even when the routine of what we are doing seems right and true.  There are times we are doing things wrong - sometimes knowingly, other times unknowingly.  In either case, just because we are doing something over and over again, and their seems to be no consequence to what we are doing, does not make it right and true.  You see, we have to be open to hearing what the Spirit is saying to us internally and through others.  Then we have to humble ourselves and seek the truth.  And if the truth means change, then we must seek forgiveness and do the right thing.

It would be so easy for me to simply let the misunderstanding that has occurred fade away with time - just use the correct dumpster and nothing else will be said.  But that is not what Jesus has taught and commands me to do.  He has taught, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." (Matt 5: 23-24)

If the Church is to be the Church that Christ is calling it to be, then it has to do the tough things because Christ commands it to.  You see, our gift, if done God's way, will be a blessing to Him and will bring us His favor.  But, if we give our gift our way, God is not honored.

So, take some time today to reflect on the things you are doing in life - some may be routine - and ask if God is asking you to change.  If He is, then honor Him in making the change by doing it His way, not yours.

Time to start blogging again

Wow!  There's a part of blogging that is fun and exciting because it allows one the opportunity to express what God is doing in one's life.  Yet there is also a part of blogging that takes away from the excitement, and it is "finding the time" to blog.  And this is where I have found myself over the past months:  "How do I fit blogging into the ever increasing time constraints placed on my shoulders due to trying to develop disciples for Christ's Church?"  So to answer this question, I am hearing in the back of my mind, "Just get-r-done!"

LHH has completed some chapters in its book - the chapters of getting started, meeting in an elementary school, and meeting in homes.  All of which have developed the church to become more like the Savior we are following.  And now we find ourselves in the next chapter of our new home, which we are calling "The House," trying to find ways we can reach out to the community where God has moved us.  

God has steadily grown us in all chapters written.  Yet there always feels like, warranted or not, there is pressure to be bigger and to grow faster.  After all, we live in a world that says success is based on how much you have and we are bombarded with it everyday.  And in church circles, that means numbers of people, programs offered, monies received, and size of buildings.

But this seems so contradictory to everything we know about God and how nature clearly shows us that not all things seem fair or are fair.  In fact Jesus made it very clear that it is not the powerful who enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who are humble and meek.  Paul made it very clear that the Church is a Body made up of many parts, some parts more significant than others, yet all having great value to the Body.


Yet knowing this, I have still found myself thinking a lot lately on what God desires for His Church.  And questions such as:  1.  Does a church have to be large to say that they are effectively fulfilling the Great Commission?, 2.  What does a church really have to look like in order to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" from God when it is all said and done?, 3.  Is there a lifespan to a church that makes it appear to have God's favor?,  etc

Yet, the more I think, the more I hear these words, "To be effective as a Church for the cause of Christ, you must only remain faithful."  

So how big a church is does not always represent its heart.  The church could have little love for Jesus, yet do things that draws people to attend.  On the other hand, there are big churches that have great love for Jesus and are seeing great multitudes.  So size doesn't represent the heart of a church.
  Right in my neck of the woods is a Hispanic Church Plant that meets in a small business space beside the Big Lots store.  They might have 30 chairs.  Yet, if they are touching souls for the cause of Christ, especially the Hispanic culture that have migrated to our area, then praise God for His little Church.  

And the more I think on these questions, the more I realize that God would prefer a thousand little 30 seat churches meeting in store fronts who are sharing the Gospel over just 1 large church of a 1000 in a community who is also sharing the Gospel.  I say this because the math speaks for itself:  1000 churches x 30 followers = 30000 followers.

So the conclusion I am getting is that LHH is a church that will and must reproduce many small churches in rural and small town areas.  The more churches LHH can produce, the greater impact for Christ that the Church can have on this community and its surrounding areas.  

But it takes an acceptance that big is not always better.  It takes a church, despite its size, who continues to value discipleship and the mission it is called to in sharing Jesus Christ.  And in the end it takes a church of small churches to all have the same vision and understanding of what God wants for them - "To Reach Up, To Reach In, and To Reach Out.

Anniversary Number 1

It was on this date, some 11 years ago, that life came to a screeching halt as we watched in disbelief what was happening in front of our very eyes.  We wondered, "Is this actually happening?  Is this real?  Alright, quit playing with our minds."  But when we knew it was true, we cried and we became angry.  We began to search for answers as to "Who did this?" and "Why?"  Obviously through the years that have passed, we have found some healing and life has somewhat returned to life as we knew it.  Yet, the pain is still there as we remember those who lost their lives that day due to the hatred of some.  We also vividly remember those who gave their lives to save others, and we thank them and their families for their sacrifice.

It was also on this date, just 1 year ago, that the life of a church began.  LifeHouse Church Hedgesville came into existence after God provided vision and dreams to JD and Caroline about the church He was looking to have brought to the Hedgesville area.  God also directed them to connect with LifeHouse Church East, our beloved friends in Hagerstown, where the vision and the dreams could be nurtured and given freedom to grow.  So with the blessing and favor of LHE, LHH was launched.

In LHH's year of existence, we have seen growth and God's blessing and favor.  Souls are being changed.  Lives are being discipled.  People are committing their lives to the only Savior, Jesus Christ, this world will ever know.  Their commitment is shown through their desire to give up selfish ambitions to hear God's voice and follow Him.  It's an exciting time in the life of LHH, and greater things are yet to come.

Yet, there has also been pain and struggle in this year's time.  LHH has had to think on the fly regarding decisions about its future.  LHH has had to go from meeting in a school for the first 10 months to meeting in homes these past 3.  But despite what seemed so uncertain, it has become clear that God is moving and the community of LHH is stronger for it.

We have clearly seen that God does work all things together for good, and we are looking forward to many more anniversaries.  But as we celebrate, we also ask for your prayers as many more decisions have to be made.  We know that our hardships are preparing us for the bounty of many more souls to be transformed into Christ's likeness for the Kingdom of God.

So thank you God for one year.  Thank you to all who have prayed and given to LHH.  May God's blessings be upon you and His Church.

In Christ,

Pastor JD

I've been thinking......

It's been such a long time since blogging.  How do you find time in the midst of real changes that have happened consistently over the past few months; both personally and in the church?  Thank God for His wisdom during this season and for His wonderful grace.  It amazes me how God is our provider, our redeemer, our ever-present help in time of need.  

I've been thinking a lot lately about the church and the gifts God grants through the Holy Spirit to her.  So I thought I'd take some time to write what has been on my mind and share with you God's intention for His gifts.

Often in our minds we have a picture of what church should look like, sound like, and even feel like.  But in my experience of life, church is often formulated on the opinions of man versus what God desires.  Think about it.  There are some who claim that all forms of apostolic gifts (manifestation of gifts from the Holy Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, discernment of spirits, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc) ceased in the first century church with the passing of the apostles.  They don't trust the unknown so therefore it can't be from God.  There are some who claim that all these forms of apostolic gifts are still evident and available and that the church is not full of the Spirit if these gifts don't prove evident each Sunday in a worship service.  They overly trust themselves and exert that those not having such gifts are not filled with the Holy Spirit and do not have proper faith.  

I, like the apostle Paul, believe that God is in the business of designing His church to meet the needs of the community in which He places it.  It would be unfair for me to say that either extreme is what God desires for LHH.  Instead, I have come to realize through experience and the study of God's Word that the manifestation of gifts are not for man's benefit, but so that God can use these gifts to bring glory to His name and draw people to Him.  

1 Corinthians 12 -14 give great evidence for what God desires of His Church.  Paul, inspired by God, wrote in chapter 12 verses 4 - 7, 10, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines."  

He then goes on and discusses the body - how it is made up of many parts - yet they work together for the full functioning of the body.  He concludes his thought on the body with verses 27 - 31, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles (those who walked with Jesus and witnessed His ministry and resurrection), second prophets (those who speak truthfully what God desires to be heard at that time), third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts."  It's important to know that Paul was dealing with a church that was claiming to its members that some gifts were more important than others - that these gifts created positions of power and self-advantage; particularly that tongues outshines them all.  So he clarifies, "You think tongues is the most important?  Well, you're wrong!  Look where it falls in the list of importance."  

He goes on to address in chapter 13 that no matter what gifts persons have been given (from the gift of the "little toe" to the gift of the "brain" - insignificant to significant), if love is not evident, the gifts are futile and useless.  In fact he said, that where evidence of the gifts is ringing true, God can remove and still them.  But he then concluded that even though the manifestation gifts may cease in man's faith experience, faith, hope, and love will not.  He said, "And now these three remain (and will always remain - my words):  faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  

Finally, he says, "If you really want any of the spiritual gifts, if you eagerly desire a gift, desire the gift of prophecy - IT RANKS SECOND.  This is the gift that God can use for the edification and building up of His Church because it will be speaking the truth of God to those who need to hear it."  In verse 24 he summarizes why this gift is so important, "But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare.  So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'"  

So often people think of prophecy as a word from God that speaks of future events.  And this is true.  The Bible is full of events that did happen and will happen.  Yet, in humility, God can use anyone at any time to state what needs to be stated to bring about the change that He is desiring in a person's life or in the life of the church.  Where prophecy goes awry is when self is involved - self-glorification, pride, or a sense of "Will this benefit me?"  Prophecy is the Word of God going forth to bring about conviction, encouragement, and change.

As a Church, we need to be open to God's leading.   We need to be open to what God desires to be lived out in us and through us.  We are to pray for one another and encourage one another to persevere in the faith.  After all, it's all about His Kingdom anyway.  But though I desire gifts that draw and attract people to me because of what my gift has to offer, I must be sure to take myself out of the picture so that I truly become the vessel God wants me to be.  I encourage you that if the Holy Spirit blesses you with a gift as He has determined to give it, feel blessed.  But beware, your blessing is only PART of the Body so allow it to function in its role within the Body.  Then you will truly be fulfilling your destiny in God.

The Beatitude (Blessed 5&6)

This past week has been a whirlwind, yet God was in it.  There were great blessings of joy to be found.  Finding out from Peggy’s (Caroline’s stepmother) pastor that she had gone from a faith of clichés to a faith of truly understanding the gift of Christ’s salvation before her passing was extremely awesome.  Coming home to receive the news that God had softened the Board of Education’s stance of their school usage policy to allow us 3 more months was great celebration.  God is certainly good and sometimes we have a hard time seeing his work.  Yet despite our failure to recognize His goodness and His ways, He still continues to show Himself day by day if we have the faith to trust Him.

And you know what?  Sometimes in the noise of the wind, when life seems to be at its most hectic pace and nothing seems to make sense, we get to see some answers by taking time away from the daily activities of life.

And that’s what you’ll notice about Jesus and His times of teaching.  Many times when things were getting hectic with the crowds coming for His services, Jesus would get away.  Jesus didn’t often teach in the chaos.  He separated Himself from it and found seclusion.  And it was in these places that Jesus’ disciples were able to hear the voice of God more clearly.

As we have discussed over the past couple Sundays, Jesus went up on the mountainside to get away from the crowd gathering around for healing.  And His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them.  He began teaching them about the Kingdom of Heaven and the characteristics that God is looking to see in those He recruits for His Kingdom. 

And so far we have looked at four of these Beatitude statements, and have begun to realize that they are not separate entities, or a prescribed linear outline of what needs to be done to enter into the Kingdom.  Instead, we are seeing that the statements work together in making the recruit, the person, into a Kingdom minded individual.

Think about it; meekness and humility (poor in spirit) are seen in those who are truly sorry for their mistakes against God, and through their repentance they desire more of God and His righteousness.

Today’s teaching comes from Matthew 5: 7-8
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Look at verse 7 – Blessed are the merciful……

Beyond your experience with God, have you ever received mercy from someone?  What did it look like?  What did it feel like?  Why did you receive mercy?  What did you have to do first in order to receive it?

Mercy is granted only when a person acknowledges the wrong he/she has committed against another.  It can only be granted by the one who has been wronged.  And it can never be automatically assumed that mercy will be granted.  As Jesus taught us in prior statements in His sermon, in order to obtain mercy a person must humbly come before the person he/she has wronged and admit to sinning against that person – asking for a pardon – hoping mercy will be granted.

Jesus tells us through a parable in Matthew 18: 32-35 what happens to those who fail to be merciful:  Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’  In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

So Jesus’ Big Idea about mercy is this:  Mercy begets mercy.

Mercy is really receiving something we don’t deserve.  It is by the grace of the one offended that we are granted mercy.  And the beauty of mercy, when granted, is that it provides us with the opportunity to live again – to start afresh.  By receiving mercy there should be gratitude and a willingness to grant mercy to those who have wronged us.

I think we must be careful to realize that the master Jesus was referring to in His parable is God the Father.  And we see that God initially granted mercy to the servant, but took it away, because the servant was not gracious and would not forgive those who sinned against him.  Though God is very forgiving, He judges those who refuse to forgive.

And that’s what we see about mercy.  It goes hand-in-hand with forgiveness.  I mean, if we want to receive mercy we have to ask first for forgiveness.  Mercy is given to those who seek forgiveness from God.  And in receiving forgiveness from God, He asks that we do the same for others who have sinned against us.

In Matthew 6: 14-15, Jesus tells us, “If you forgive, the Father will also forgive you.  If you don’t forgive, neither will your Father forgive you.”

Those are tough words that Jesus gave a little later in His Sermon on the Mount.  Yet we can’t throw them out because we don’t want to believe that God requires me to forgive someone who has hurt me – hurt me badly.  We must forgive; we must show mercy in order to receive the same in return from God.  If you believe something else, it’s a lie and you are calling Jesus a liar.  I think we better take to heart what Jesus has said.  He certainly knows God better than we do.

But don’t show mercy because you must.  Instead show mercy because forgiveness leads to mercy, and mercy leads to hope.  Mercy is the greatest gift we can give because it is the greatest gift given to us.

Now look at Blessed are the pure in heart….

Understand that Jesus is not talking about perfection.  He said “pure in heart.”  What does this mean?  What does it look like to be pure in heart?

Jesus’ Big Idea here is this:  Purity results from repentance.

I really believe that when we look at what Jesus has been defining for us in His previous statements of the sermon, we see what pure of heart looks like.  He says in my paraphrase, “A person who is pure in heart is a person who mourns his/her sins, is humble and meek, and longs to know the righteousness of God.”

Paul addresses Timothy in 2 Timothy 2: 22 about purity of heart.  He writes, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

According to the Apostle Paul, purity is a pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace.  Purity is not mere words spoken, like “I believe in Jesus.”  But rather it comes from the acknowledgement that “I believe in Jesus because without Him I am doomed to my own failures and to the eternal judgment of death that awaits me.”  Purity comes in response to God’s mercy offered to me when I acknowledged before Him that I’m messed up and I have wronged Him.  Purity is the result of nothing I have done or can do, but solely comes from Christ who lives within me when I allow Him to come in and cleanse me.

So in conclusion, blessed are the poor in spirit (the humble); blessed are those that mourn (those that regret their sin against God); blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (those that long to know God’s ways); blessed are the merciful (those who forgive others because they have been forgiven); and blessed are the pure in heart (those that repent of their sins and acknowledge their need for a Savior.)

Why are they blessed?  They are blessed because God will pour Himself into them; God will comfort them and give them the strength to overcome; God will deliver them from the bondage of eternal death and eternal torment to an everlasting life of peace, joy, and happiness.

I don't know about you, but I’d rather be blessed than cursed.  I’d rather admit my need for change now while I have the chance than throw away the opportunity forever.  I’d rather tell others what they can have rather than tell them what they cannot.  I’d rather seek the righteousness of eternity than pursue the joys of the finite.

God is good and the life I can have in Him is far greater than what my nature, my world, tells me is great. 

The Beatitudes (Blessed 3&4)

In review, we concluded from the first two verses that Jesus has disciples that follow Him no matter where He goes, and that He takes the time to teach those who seek after Him.

And Jesus begins His earthly ministry by teaching His disciples about what God is looking for in people – people He wants to recruit for the Kingdom of Heaven.  He wants the disciples to clearly understand that this Kingdom is the antithesis of any earthly kingdom they had ever heard of or experienced.

Where the kingdoms of earth used their authority and power to oppress, steal from, and abuse those subject to them, the Kingdom of Heaven would be made up of a King who would not force His subjects to submit to Him.  In fact the King wants people to willingly choose to be part of His Kingdom.  And in order to choose, a person has to realize that his sins against the King are enough to keep him out of the Kingdom.  In order to enter the Kingdom, he has to humbly confess his sins to the King, and in doing so, the King grants him a pardon.

Jesus says in the 1^st two beatitudes that the Kingdom will be made up of people who humbly mourn – who humbly regret having sinned against the King.  And in their humility, they choose to admit this to Him.  He makes it clear that the Kingdom of Heaven will be made up of people who are sorry for hurting the King.

Now let's look at Beatitudes 3 & 4.

Verse 5 says, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

We often hear people say that to be meek means you are weak – a doormat for people to step on.  Yet Jesus says it is blessed to be meek, and then He goes on and says that those who are will inherit the earth.

To us that seems completely contradictory.  We know what we see.  We know what we have felt.  The bully always seems to win out.  

I remember in 6^th grade picking up some coins that some other kids had thrown down while waiting for the bus.  There was a thug nearby that grabbed me by the collar and told me to handover the coins I had collected.  That day I was a doormat and I handed over the coins.  I certainly didn’t inherit the earth in my meekness and innocence at that time, nor have I since.

I think all of us can say through our experience that it’s not the meek in this world, on this earth, that assumes authority here.  In fact, it seems, and is for certain, that the proud, the arrogant, the greedy, the bully, are often the ones who have control of the things of this earth.

So what is Jesus talking about – the meek shall inherit the earth?  Again, if we look at His words literally, we miss the point.  And His point is not that the meek shall inherit the earth of today.  Instead they shall inherit an earth of the future.

In Revelation 21:1 the apostle John shares what God shows him will take place at the judgment of Satan and humankind – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away ….”

Jesus was giving His disciples this Big Idea:  Seek to be meek; there’s a new earth awaiting you.

Jesus was telling His disciples in His sermon that God is looking for those who are humble, who mourn over their sin against God, and who are meek.  These, not the all-powerful bully who uses his authority to rule and dominate over those who are weaker, shall see the new Heaven and the new Earth.  It is these who will one day experience true peace and eternity with God.

You see; if people knew and understood what Jesus taught about the Kingdom of Heaven in the 30’s and 40’s, they wouldn’t have followed a nut, an antichrist, called Adolf Hitler.  Hitler claimed to be Christian, and was purging the earth of those he felt were a detriment to Christian Dom, yet his actions were completely the opposite of what Jesus taught.  Hitler, though he believed he was fulfilling God’s call to rid the earth of evil, was the antithesis of Jesus and will not see the new heaven or the new earth.  

In fact, everything Hitler ever wanted to accomplish was fulfilled here on this earth, and now his final eternal destination is Hell – certainly not very appealing.  His heaven, while alive, was here on earth.  Whereas, those in Christ know that their only taste of hell will be here on this earth, and heaven awaits them.  Hitler’s situation went from not very good to God-awful bad.  The Christian’s situation, those who truly are followers of Christ, goes from not very good to God-inspiring great. 

So why does humankind play with fire?

In verse 6 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

What do you do when you get hungry, or thirsty?  If like me, you go looking for something to eat or drink.  After all, food and water are staples needed for survival.  But, if you get the urge and decide to stay where you are, the food and drink don’t come to you (unless you have a servant).  If you want it, you have to go find it.

The same is true of righteousness.  You want righteousness, you can have it – you can have all you want.  Jesus will spiritually fill everyone that wants what He has to give.

So Jesus’ Big Idea from this verse is this:  The Righteous Food Bell has been rung; Come and get it!

If we want to eat, we have to make the choice to get out of our seats and prepare something to eat.  If we want to know Christ and His righteousness, we have to make a choice to pursue Him.

How do we pursue Him?  Go to Common Unity Groups, read or listen to the Bible daily, hang with mentors who are more spiritually mature, ask questions about faith, listen to Christian music and teaching, meditate and pray over the things Jesus tells you are righteous, be faithful in worship, serve Him and others, and most importantly, apply what you learn.

Jesus says we can have anything RIGHTEOUS we want.  With no questions asked, He will give it to us.  Seeking righteousness will be 100% return on your investment.  God may say “no” to some things we ask for because they are not part of His will.  But righteousness is His will so you can be guaranteed that when you ask for patience He will give it to you – when you ask God to teach you to be merciful and forgiving, He will – when you ask God for self-control, and compassion, and faithfulness, and goodness, and humility, and ……., He will give them to you.

In conclusion, the new earth awaits those who are meek.  It will be a struggle while we are here on this earth because there will always be those who will try to lord their strengths and powers over us.  Yet if we want meekness, if we want humility, if we want to be like Christ, all we have to do is desire this kind of food and it will be given to us.

Faith in Christ doesn’t come while we sit in our easy chairs asking everyone else around us to bring us food or to bring us drink.   Faith in Christ comes when we get up out of our chairs to seek and to serve Him.  As always, the choice is up to you.