2022-05-30
Psalm 17:15 NCV
Through centuries of history, there have always been people who believed in some kind of future life. Ancient Egyptians believed that they would travel to the afterworld; some Native Americans believe that they are reunited with their ancestors when they die; Muslims believe in Paradise. Belief in some kind of afterlife is seen across different countries and in different cultures. But whatever form they think the afterlife will take, so many people, in the past and in the present, believe that death isn’t the end of our story.
The psalmist was certain of it: ‘LORD, save me by your power from those whose reward is in this life. They have plenty of food. They have many sons and leave much money to their children. Because I have lived right, I will see your face. When I wake up, I will see your likeness and be satisfied’ (Psalm 17:14-15 NCV). The psalmist looked forward to the time when he would meet God face to face. That would be his reward, more precious than any earthly gains he could gather during his life.
In Revelation, John got a glimpse of what a heavenly life with God would be like: ‘I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever”‘ (Revelation 21:3-4 NLT). When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we can be sure that there’s a place for us in heaven where we can experience God’s presence like never before!
1 Kings 6-7; Matt 13:10-23; Ps 101; Pro 12:12-13
2022-05-29
Philippians 1:23 MSG
In a 1909 lecture, William Jennings Bryan said: ‘Christ gave us proof of immortality, and yet it would hardly seem necessary that one should rise from the dead to convince us that the grave is not the end. If the Father deigns to touch with Divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn and to make it burst forth into a new life, will He leave neglected in the earth the soul of man, made in the image of his Creator? If He stoops to give to the rosebud whose withered blossoms float upon the autumn breeze, the sweet assurance of another springtime, will He refuse… words of hope… when the frosts of winter come? If matter, mute and inanimate, though changed by the forces of nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, will the spirit of man suffer annihilation when it has paid a brief visit like a royal guest to this tenement of clay? No, I am as sure that there is another life as I am that I live today!’
Paul wrote: ‘As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better’ (v.22-23 MSG). So no matter how difficult, or how blessed, our lives are right now, the best days are still ahead, when we’ll get to experience the joy of heaven and spend eternity with God.
Gen 1:1-2:3; John 1:1-18
Filippense 1:23 DB
William Jennings Bryan skryf in sy boek, Analogies of Nature, die volgende: ‘Christus het vir ons die bewys van onsterflikheid gegee en tog is dit nie regtig nodig dat iemand uit die dood moet opstaan om ons te oortuig dat die graf nie die einde is nie. As die Vader dit goeddink om met Goddelikke krag die akker aan te raak en dit in nuwe lewe te laat uitbars, sal Hy dan die siel van die mens, wat in die beeld van sy Skepper gemaak is, agterweë laat? As Hy afbuk om die roosknop die soete versekering van nog ‘n lente te gee, sal Hy dan weier om woorde van hoop aan die mens te gee wanneer die ysigheid van winter oor ons kom? As materie, wat deur die natuurkragte in ‘n verskeidenheid vorms verander word, nooit kan sterf nie, sal die gees van die mens dan vernietig word na ‘n kort besoek aan hierdie aarde? Nee, ek is so seker dat daar ‘n ander lewe is as wat ek seker is dat ek vandag leef!’
Paulus sê vir ons: ‘Om te lewe beteken vir my om vir Christus te lewe. Ek kan nog soveel goeie dinge vir Hom doen. Maar om te sterf sal aan die ander kant ook nie vir my sleg wees nie. Ek moet regtig erken, as ek tussen lewe en dood moet kies, weet ek nie watter een ek sou kies nie… Aan die een kant wil ek graag by Christus wees. Wat kan nou beter en lekkerder wees as dit? (verse 21-23 DB).
Dit maak dus nie saak hoe moeilik of geseënd jou lewe hier en nou is nie, jou beste dae lê nog voor; dae sonder einde waar jy die vreugdes van die hemel kan ervaar. Maak seker dat jy gereed is wanneer jou tyd aanbreek!
Sielskos: Gen 1:1-2:3; Joh 1:1-18
Philippians 1:23 MSG
In his Analogies of Nature, William Jennings Bryan wrote: “Christ gave us proof of immortality, and yet it would hardly seem necessary that one should rise from the dead to convince us that the grave is not the end. If the Father deigns to touch with Divine power the cold and pulseless heart of the buried acorn and to make it burst forth into a new life, will He leave neglected in the earth the soul of man, made in the image of his Creator? If He stoops to give to the rosebud whose withered blossoms float upon the autumn breeze, the sweet assurance of another springtime, will He refuse… words of hope to the sons of men when the frosts of winter come? If matter, mute and inanimate, though changed by the forces of nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, will the spirit of man suffer annihilation when it has paid a brief visit like a royal guest to this tenement of clay? No, I am as sure that there is another life as I am that I live today!”
Paul tells us: “As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better” (vv. 22-23 MSG).
So no matter how difficult or blessed your life is here and now, your best days are ahead; days without end, experiencing the joys of heaven. Make sure you’re ready to go when your time comes!
Soul food: Gen 1:1-2:3; John 1:1-18
2022-05-28
2 Corinthians 5:1 MSG
The law of conservation of energy and the law of conservation of mass both tell us that neither energy nor matter can be destroyed. They can be transformed into other things, but they can’t cease to exist. The amount of energy and the number of atoms that existed at the time of creation still exist in the universe today, just in different forms. So what if we applied the same idea to our souls? When we die, what happens?
The Message paraphrases 2 Corinthians 5 this way: ‘When these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven – God-made, not handmade – and we’ll never have to relocate our ‘tents’ again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move – and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less’ (v.1-5 MSG).
When we die, we just leave a lesser form of life and step into a greater one. It’s like taking off an old, worn, and dirty set of clothes and swapping them for the most beautiful outfit we could imagine. Think of it like this: our last day on earth will be our best day ever! How amazing is that!
1 Kings 3-5; Matt 13:1-9; Ps 128; Pro 12:10-11
