Monthly Archives: March 2019

What is Heaven Like?

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Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Since my beloved husband went home to be with the Lord, my mind has been heavenward a lot of the time. I often wonder what my Chester could be doing? With our two kids and other loved ones who God has called home. How does it feel for him to be in the presence of God?

Has he met any of the people in the Bible that he had read and heard about, like the Apostle Paul, Moses, Elijah, King David,or Queen Esther? How about hanging out with Jesus Christ Himself? How awesome is that? How about being reunited with your loved ones who believe in Jesus? All this sounds glorious and it will be.

The great Apostle Paul had an out of body experience or a vision of heaven and  didn’t have the words to describe it, it was so awesome.

2 Corinthians 12:1-4 King James Version (KJV)

12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Heaven is a real place, even more real that this present earth. Heaven is a wonderful place where there is no pain, or sickness and disease. There is no sorrow or sadness. There is no war, crime or violence. The Bible says that God will wipe away our tears.  We will never have to say goodbye to our loved ones because there is no death.

Revelation 21:4 King James Version (KJV)

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

God lives there,that’s where His throne is. Jesus God’s Son sits on the right side of the Father.

God has prepared for us mansions there.

John 14:2 King James Version (KJV)

2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

The streets are made of gold and there are beautiful  precious stones. There are twelve gates made of pearls.  It’s also like a huge city about 1500 hundred miles square. Now that’s a huge city!

Revelation 21 King James Version (KJV)

21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

It’s a place if you want to go there after this life is over, your name must be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  In other words the way to make sure that your name is written in that book is that  you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 21:27 King James Version (KJV)

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Acts 16:31 King James Version (KJV)

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Heaven is a place I want to go, how about you? I’ll be there.  On this earth I am just passing through. It’s kind of like a lay over when you when take a flight somewhere and have to layover somewhere on your way to your final destination. Heaven is my final destination, my permanent home. It’s my real home. I will go home to Jesus and join the love of my life, my wonderful husband, Chester and my son and daughter who are there and other loved ones for eternity. My kids who are still here on this earth will be a part of that reunion as well. What a day that will be!  I pray you all will join me. Believe on Jesus today because you don’t know what tomorrow might bring. There are no guarantees.

 

 

 

Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?

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I’ve been going through some excruciating pain and suffering ever since my beloved husband Chester has departed us over three months ago now.  Actually it really started when he had gotten sick, taking care of him and watching him go through his pain and discomfort, and suffering. That was painful.

The pain hasn’t gone away. Sometimes it’s as fresh as when it first happened. Just when you think the wound is starting to heal a bit and form a scab,it’s just as raw as before. I have learned that that everyone goes through some kind of pain and suffering in their lives. No one goes through life on this earth unscathed. It’s all how we respond to it that determines how we get through our suffering.

For the believer in Christ, we have a hope. He is our helper and will help us through those tough times if we trust Him. Better yet we have the ultimate hope of that we can look forward to when Jesus rescues us from this world into His presence where we will never experience any kind of pain and suffering again. That’s what I look forward to. A time when suffering and pain will be no more. Our suffering on this earth is temporary. It may hurt and hurt bad but in the end God works it our for the good. In the end it will be worth it.

Pain and suffering is not pretty. It’s tough,it’s hard, it hurts (most of the time real bad). It seems unjust and not fair but God is sovereign and allows bad things  happen to us refine us, to purify us, to test our faith, to prepare us for the next life. We don’t understand but He has a plan and we can be assured that He loves and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Hebrews 13:5 King James Version (KJV)

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

It makes us more reliant on God. Sometimes it is overwhelming and it seems like we can’t handle it. We’re hanging on by a thread. We can’t handle it on our own, it’s only through Jesus that we can handle our pain and suffering. It’s with His help that He will get us through.  We have to take it one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time. We live in a flawed corrupted world and as long as we are on this earth and this earth stands we are going to go through tough times. That’s a fact. One thing to remember is that God does love us and we can trust Him no matter what.  He knows best. He sees the big picture. I still don’t fully understand, perhaps I never will but I do have that hope that in the next life there will be no more pain and suffering. The pain and suffering I’m going through now will be only for a season. When I am in the presence of my Lord and Savior, it will cease.

Job 13:15 King James Version (KJV)

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9 King James Version (KJV)

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

What I Have Been Learning Going Through My Grief

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Since last November my life has changed forever. I no longer have the love of my life with me on this earth. I miss my Chester like crazy. Through my grieving I’ve been learning a few things.

  1. It hurts. It hurts like hell. I’ve never gone through anything like this before. When I lost my Mom, it was tough.  I lost two children I thought my life ended but losing your husband,the love of your life, your best friend, your lover, your soulmate that you spend a better part of 45 years is the hardest thing to go through. My heart is broken, it’s a black empty hole. a raw wound that won’t be completely healed until I am reunited with him again in heaven one day.
  2. It’s incredibly lonely without my Chester. We did so many things together. We had hardly spent anytime apart before. My heart pines and I weep a lot. I go to Jesus and He comforts me. Then I remember one day we will be spending eternity together. We will be able to do things together again, things we never even dreamed of on this earth and will never have to be apart.  We will laugh and have fun again.
  3. Life is fragile. Cherish every second you have with your loved ones because we are not promised tomorrow. You don’t know what you have til it’s gone.  Appreciate this time. You truly don’t know what tomorrow brings. My Mom used to say, live everyday as though it were your last. She was right.
  4. God loves me, takes care of me and comforts me. I have learned to lean on God every minute of everyday and night. I have called on Him even in the middle of the night when I wake up and am afraid. I’ve called on Him in the middle of the day.  I have grown a lot closer to the Lord. I spend a lot of time in His Word and praying. I feel His love surround me during those dark lonely nights. I know He’s right there with me. He has promised me that He will never leave me nor forsake me.
  5. Sometimes you feel like you just can’t go on any longer. It’s hard, incredibly hard and the pain does not go away. Sometimes that wound stills feels fresh and raw.You feel like you’re hanging on by a thread. Those are the times when I lean on God more than ever and even though the pain is still there He eases it.
  6. I have learned to hang on to the hope of being reunited with my beloved husband one day. He believed in Jesus Christ as his Savior and the only way to heaven. So I know that’s where he is and he is OK. As a believer I know I will be with him again with Jesus in eternity when Jesus calls me home or when Jesus comes back for all believers during the rapture. That’s one of the few things that keeps me going. I will see my soulmate again.
  7. Heaven where my beloved husband is residing now is a beautiful place where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sickness, no tears, and no more death. Our reunion is going to be wonderful. The love we had for each other here on this earth will be all the more enhanced. Our love will be deeper, more intense and more pure.  We will never have to say goodbye ever again. I have become more heavenly minded more focused on heaven.  This earth is not our permanent home. It’s just a stop over. I have learned my citizenship is of heaven not of earth. I am a believer in Jesus therefore I am like an alien waiting to go to my real home. I am no longer tied to this earth.
  8. Our lives are but a vapor here. The average life span on this earth is between 70 and 80 years old. My love was 73. When you consider our lives here compared to eternity which is forever 70 or 80 years is nothing. It’s hardly anytime at all. Our time on this earth is very short. In other words we need to make that time count. We shouldn’t be wasting our time on frivolous things. We shouldn’t be living our lives holding grudges and hating one another especially over petty things.We should be focused on things above not things below.  For the believer we need to be telling others about Jesus and what He has for in store for us and living our lives that are pleasing to the Lord.
  9. I have been humbled. I used to be a prideful person, A selfish, self-centered person. Everything was always about me, me, me and what I wanted. All I cared about was the things of this earth and what they could do for me  Not anymore. I am no longer tied to this earth. I focus now on Jesus and what He has in store for us to look forward to. I finally realized this.
  10. God is sovereign. When Chester had his stroke,and then when it was discovered it was the pancreatic cancer that caused the stroke, I prayed and believed he would be healed, come back home with us and we could resume our lives. I believed God would do that. I had unshakeable faith but it was not to be. God had a different plan. Instead He chose instead to call my love home to Him. All Chester wanted was to be freed of his pain and discomfort and the Lord had mercy freed him. It wasn’t the way I expected or what I wanted but I am starting to see now that God knows best. God allows certain things to happen that we don’t always understand or expect. My beloved husband is still very much alive and in the best place he could be. He is living in the perfect place. He doesn’t have to worry about this wretched world anymore.  I’ve learned to trust God no matter what.
  11. We all go through trials and tribulations. None of us are exempt in this world of going through tough times. We all go through them at some point in our lives. We all have this attitude,”it’ll never happen to me” until it does. It’s a real shock when it does. At that point we have to decide how we’re going to respond and how we get through. I have chosen to trust God right from the beginning of this trial because of His promise of hope. These words have given me comfort and given some strength when it’s been the darkest

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 King James Version (KJV)

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 King James Version (KJV)

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

John 11:25-26 King James Version (KJV)

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Job 13:15 King James Version (KJV)

15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:

I am sure the Lord has a lot more to teach me as I continue through my grieving journey.  Above all I have learned to trust God no matter what.