Heart in Bloom

“Jesus Christ is coming again soon, but He continues to come to us every day.

It has been years since Jesus Christ our Lord walked the earth and preached the good news of the coming Kingdom of Heaven.

Through the centuries since Jesus was here in the flesh, there have been those who tried to predict the year, even down to the day, when Jesus would return in power and glory. These false alarms have left people wondering if the King of Kings is indeed going to return. But God’s word prophesied this is exactly what would happen, and people would question whether Jesus would fulfill His promise to return.

The Apostle Peter was inspired to write; ‘knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ (2 Peter 3:3–4, ESV).

All of these things will affect many people worse emotionally than physically. This is why God’s children need to find ways to strengthen their faith during these times, when it will be tested like never before.

Jesus gave us warning signs and told us, when we see these things coming to pass, to prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.

‘But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.’ (Matthew 24:36, ESV). Jesus goes on to say: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.’ (Matthew 24:37–39, ESV).

But we don’t have to just wait patiently for Jesus to come. He comes to us every single day through the Holy Spirit and in how He directs our lives. He comes to us in our pain, when we have doubts, through our families, friends, and in our work.

Actually, there’s no place where God doesn’t show up. And every time Jesus comes to us and we receive Him, we’re better prepared to meet Him at His final coming. ‘But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’ (Mark 13:32, ESV).

The Bible shows us how to view something as sad as a departure not only as a time we are going away, but also to look forward to when we can be with our loved ones.

When the Apostle Paul was approaching the Valley of the Shadow of Death, He wasn’t filled with fear. He looked at it as all of us who love and trust in God should, a time of triumph. ‘The time of my departure is at hand,’ writes Paul in 2 Timothy 4:6.

Our time on earth should be spent carefully, getting ready for our journey into eternity. Our time on earth is strictly to prepare us for the time when we will live with God and His son Jesus Christ, forever.

When we stand at the grave of a loved one who has departed to be with the Lord, we say ‘goodbye’ knowing we have the promise of God that we will be reunited again when we are all with the Lord.

There is nothing wrong with mourning the loss of a loved one. Jesus wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35). But those who believe in God should never think of the death of a fellow believer as something tragic.

Paul tells us that we should not grieve like those who have no hope. ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). As Christians, we should be filled with anticipation and hope in life and death.

The person who is afraid, who feels doomed, hasn’t been paying attention to what God is telling us. If we’re in despair, we’re not seeing the plans the Lord has for us.

In God’s eyes, every one of us is precious and beautiful. It is not our physical looks that He sees, but what’s in our heart and soul. Jesus, in His parables of the rich man and Lazarus, tells us how the poor man was taken up by the angels to heaven.

It is wonderful to know that the angels will escort all of us into heaven after our last day on earth! Here on earth, we’re just working in God’s orchard. Paul sums it up so wonderfully with these words in Colossians 1:4-5, ‘since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.’ Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.’ (Colossians 3:23)

Solomon’s Book of Proverbs gives us wise advice for everyday living. A lot of wonderful lessons can be learned from reading the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Solomon the wisest person of that day and age, was inspired by God to write us Proverbs.

Many people have the idea that what’s written in the Bible has mostly to do with getting people into heaven. While the scriptures do have to do with saving our eternal souls, it also deals with living on this earth.

Even Jesus prayed “on earth as it is in heaven.” Wisdom is the biblical term for this ‘earth as it is in heaven’. Wisdom is the ability to deal with every problem or adversity that comes our way in everyday living. No matter how bad it seems at the time, it is a matter of learning how to combine faith in God with wisdom that comes to us from the Lord.

A degree doesn’t make us wise, and might even keep some people from gaining true wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit. Wisdom gives us the skills we need to raise our children, to honor our parents, to handle our money, and to treat our family and friends fairly. It gives us the skills we need to eat and drink healthily and lead satisfied and peaceful lives.

Most importantly, this wisdom allows us to respond to whatever God is telling us and showing us, so we can keep growing spiritually. What Solomon tries to teach us is that life is far too complex to figure out by ourselves, but God simplifies it for us.

In chapter 3, starting with verse 5, Solomon gives us some practical things to take to heart. ‘Trust in God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen to God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run away from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give Him the first and the best. God will bless you if you do what He says.’

Listen to Solomon’s advice, ‘But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under His loving correction.’ Solomon writes, ‘dear friends, guard clear thinking and common sense with your life, don’t for a minute lose sight of them. They’ll keep your soul alive and well, you’ll take afternoon naps without a worry, you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday is just around the corner. Because God will be right there with you, He’ll keep you safe and sound.’ (verses 21-26) Praise be to God for giving us wisdom of Solomon to help guide and direct our lives.

What makes a cheerful heart is knowing deep inside our soul that grace is working things out for the best. We have that assurance from God and His word. If you can believe this, you can keep having a cheerful heart, even in the worst of circumstances.

‘A cheerful heart will be medicine for you and for everyone around you.’ King Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, gives us a lot of wise and valuable advice. ‘A meal of bread and water in contented peace is better than a banquet spiced with quarrels,’ he writes in Proverbs 17:1.

When it comes to making and keeping friends, this is good advice: ‘overlook an offense and bond a friendship, fasten on to a slight and, goodbye friends’ (verse 9). Here’s another bit of good advice for all of us to remember: ‘Those who return evil for good will meet their own evil returning.’ (Verse 13). Also, ‘The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam, so stop it before it bursts.’ (verse 14)

Whitewashing bad people and throwing mud on good people are equally abhorrent to God (verse 15).

Solomon also writes, ‘Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of troubles,’ (verse 17). ‘The one who knows much says little, an understanding person remains calm,’ (verse 27).

Many people think that the Bible mainly tells us how to get to heaven, when in fact God’s word is equally concerned with how we live our daily lives. “On earth as it is in heaven”, is Jesus Christ our Lord’s prayer.

Wisdom, as a defined by the Bible, is learning to live abundantly in whatever circumstances, we find ourselves in. So “wisdom” is the biblical term for it is in heaven” every day living. (Proverbs 16:16).

‘How much better is it to get wisdom than gold, and to get understanding rather than silver?‘ (Colossians 1:9). ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.’ (James 3:17).

‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’ (James 3:17)

“Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” – 1 Timothy 4:12