Ward's Words | BY WARD PIMLEY

Sharing the Lord's Message of Grace

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Tag: Christian

  • BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING: Our Test of Faith

    Our test of faith as Christ followers is to believe that Jesus Christ is who He said He is, even though we have not seen Him. 

    Who did He say He is? The Son of Man. The Son of God. The Messiah. Our Redeemer. Our Savior.

    “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8-9 BSB

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    PASTOR, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR

    PREAMBLE

    TRY TO PICTURE this scene: You are living 2,000 years ago in Israel, eagerly waiting for the Messiah to appear. 

    The scriptures foretold His arrival right down to describing his mother (a virgin), His birthplace (Bethlehem), and the time of His arrival (see Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Hosea 11:1). The scriptures also foretold the miracles He would do (Isaiah 35:5-6) and what His mission would be (Isaiah 61:1-2). 

    Right in front of you is a Man doing exactly what the Scriptures, what we now call the Old Testament, foretold, and yet your spiritual leaders – the Pharisees and the Sadducees – express their doubt and disapproval.

    What are you to believe? 

    The Bible tells us that Jesus, the Messiah, would be “a man of sorrows,” and this Man certainly bore many sorrows, from rejection by His own people to the heartache of watching His believed creation make a mess of their lives.

    Those people, like us today, must decide for themselves just who this Man was and is.

    THE MESSIAH

    SOMETIMES JESUS TOLD PEOPLE straight up who He was. Usually, He did not. He acted the role of the Coming One. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame leaped and danced, the mute spoke, and the dead returned to life. He forgave sins. 

    What He did not do was liberate Israel from Roman rule. That was not His mission nor His intent, and so the people, expecting an earthly Messiah, missed it. They missed what was right in front of them. They missed what they saw and what they heard.

    He said, “I and My Father are One.” (John 10:30) He said men and women were to believe in Him for salvation (John 6:29) and that unless they ate of His flesh and drank of His blood, they would have no part of Him. (John 6:53-58)

    WHAT HE DID

    So, what actually did He do?

    He calmed the storms, He walked on water, He turned water into wine, and He multiplied fish and loaves.

    He rebuked the Pharisees, He stumped the Sadducees, He challenged His Jewish listeners with a tale of a Good Samaritan (not just a good man, but a good Samaritan man). That would have riled His Jewish listeners.

    He curred a woman who had bled for 12 years and brought a 12-year-old girl back to life.

    He touched lepers, curing the incurable. He touched dead bodies and restored them to life.

    He honored women, He challenged men, He blessed children.

    He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets and then He changed everything with a New Covenant at the Passover table in which He was both the officiating elder and the sacrificial Lamb.

    He foretold His own death, and He choreographed His arrest. He was fully in charge during His multiple sham trials, His brutal whipping and beating, and even His being nailed to the Cross.

    At the end, He forgave those who innocently persecuted Him; not those who should have known who He was but those who hadn’t been told.

    He forgave a woman who cheated on her husband, revealed Himself to a woman who had been married five times and was now living with a sixth man, healed a young boy smitten by a demon, gave strength to the weak faith of the boy’s father, and restored to complete health a raving lunatic who had terrorized a whole town from his abode among the tombs. 

    He said He preceded Abraham; He would give no sign except the sign of Jonah; He sought baptism from John the Baptizer to fulfill the Scripture, and He endured 40 days and 40 nights of hunger and thirst in the wilderness while withstanding temptation from Satan.

    He appeared to Abraham, encouraged Noah to build an Ark, challenged Joshua, patiently courted Gideon, forgave David, gave wisdom to Solomon, walked with Daniel in the Lion’s Den, and forced a giant fish to spit a repentant Jonah onto dry land.

    He sent demon-filled pigs off a cliff; He rode into town on a donkey that had never known a rider; He allowed the multitude to worship Him, and He declared that even the very stones would cry out that He was the Messiah, the Son of the Most High God, at His command, if He let them.

    The demons knew who He was, and they shuddered. They feared Him.

    Mere man did not know who He was, and they condemned Him.

    From the Cross, He promised salvation to the thief on His right and delivered the care of His mother into the hands of His most trusted disciple, John.

    This. Is. Jesus.

    YOUR TURN

    WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE to this message of hope?

    How do you react to the message that the Messiah, God incarnate, has entered His creation as God-Man, born of a woman, lived a perfect life, became a sacrifice for our sins, and died, then was resurrected to sit down next to the Father’s throne for all of eternity?

    Have you seen Him?

    Have you heard Him speak?

    Have you seen His miracles?

    Do you know Him?

    Church, if you’re paying even the least bit of attention to the world around you, you have seen Him every day. 

    You have seen Him in the glory and majesty of His creation, from the distant stars that shine at night to reports you have heard or read of the nano world visible only through the most powerful microscopes.

    You know – as we have learned – He positioned the Earth in the right spot in the universe, tilting it at just the right angle, at the right distance from the right star, and the right distance from two neighboring planets that keep it in its proper orbit.

    He made the universe expand at just the right rate to keep it from imploding. He protects us from harm with two mega-sized planets properly positioned for that task.

    You have seen Him in the incredible instrument of our bodies that he fashioned, from eyelids, eyelashes, and tear ducts to bodily organs that take in nutrients and expel waste, from hands that can paint, draw, write, hammer, saw, bake, plant, and mold, to feet that can walk, skip, trot, climb, and run.

    You have seen Him in brains that can imagine instruments and machinery that make our lives easier, from the wheel and shoelaces to buggy whips and calendars, from elevators and airplanes to computers and smart phones, from robots and rockets to sonnets and calculus; from Mozart to Beethoven and Plato to Aristotle; from Shakespeare and Bacon to Updike and Bellow, from Washington and Lafayette to Jefferson and Lincoln; from our mothers and fathers, to you and me.

    SHARE THE WORD

    HE CAME FIRST, as a Jew, to the Jews, then turned to the Greeks (Gentiles).

    He said He would build His church on the solid rock, that even the gates of Hell could not – and would not – prevail against it.

    He chose us – you and me – to tell this story to a fallen world.

    Church, do you share that story with anyone? 

    Do you?

    • Do you say a word to anyone about what you’ve seen, what you’ve heard, what you’ve tasted, and what you’ve felt? 
    • Do you share with others what you’ve sensed within, that voice of God speaking into your heart?
    • Do you share the Good News of the Savior’s love, of His sacrifice on the Cross, of the pain He endured from the Father’s wrath?
    • Do you tell your friends and family who He is? How about neighbors, fellow residents, co-workers?
    • Do strangers see His light in your eyes,
    • Hear His voice in your speech,
    • Feel His presence when you are with them?

    Remember Jesus confronting Thomas, dubbed “doubting Thomas,” “Then Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.’” 

    In effect, Jesus was saying: “Thomas, Thomas, Thomas! You’ve been with me for three years! Do you not yet understand? Stop doubting and believe!”

    When Thomas saw the holes and felt the piercing, he finally did believe.

    “Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ [Then] Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” – John 20:27-29 BSB 

    JESUS IS CALLING

    JESUS CALLS US to have faith in Him, to believe in Him, in His message, in His teaching, in His healing, and most of all, in His being, who He is, the Son of God and the Son of Man. 

    The Messiah. The Holy One. The Sacrificial Lamb. The Expected One. The World’s Redeemer. The Christ of God.

    JESUS IS THE GOD-MAN.

    WE ARE TO BELIVE THAT AND SHARE THAT.

    WITHOUT HAVING SEEN HIM.

    Let me ask you this question: Who else has had such a claim on your life, whether seen or unseen? 

    Your mother? Your father? (Our parents were as flawed as you and I are).

    Any military leaders or government officals come to mind?

    How about church leaders?

    Any athletes or entertainers or scientists or poets or writers or historians or doctors or chemists or astronauts or carpenters or laborers or gardeners … or anyone?

    ANYONE?

    If not, why is that? Once you know the answer – or even suspect you do – what will you do with that answer? Of course, you know what the answer should be – there is no one else who compares with Him.

    The Bible says, “‘To whom then will you compare Me that I would be his equal?’ says the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:25 NASB)

    How will that knowledge change your life? Will it change your life? Will such awareness matter, or will you – as so many do – slough it off as just foolishness or as something that most assuredly can wait for another time?

    They say: “I’m okay for now, Lord. You just go along and do your God thing. I’ll let you know if I need you.”

    Church, you have been given all the information you’ll ever need to make the right decision about accepting or rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior – that means, having a reconstituted, reborn, personal relationship with Jesus.

    How will you decide? Your eternity rests on the decision you make today. A praise song says it this way: 

    “Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin? Jesus is calling. / Have you come to the end of yourself? Do you thirst for a drink from the well? Jesus is calling. / O, come to the altar. The Father’s arms are opened wide. Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.” [“O Come to the Altar,” Elevation Worship]

    Church, Jesus is calling. He’s calling you, and He’s calling me. 

    Unlike Thomas, as faithful as that apostle proved to be, we do not have to see the nail holes in Jesus’ hands to believe they are there, nor do we need to place our fingers in His side where the Roman sword pierced Him to believe He was stabbed.

    Here’s what the Bible says:

    • “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 BSB
    • “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 BSB

    We can believe without seeing. 

    ANY WAY you look at it, Jesus was talking about us – about you and me. He is calling us to believe, even though we have not seen Him in bodily form. 

    Let’s answer His call – today – with a resounding

    ‘Yes, Lord, I believe!’ 

    PRAYER

    LORD, I confess my sins to You.

    I am unworthy in my own flesh to be called Your son or daughter, but I believe that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, You will hear my prayer, forgive my sins, and heal my heart.

    Lord, even though I have not seen You in the flesh, I still believe.

    Thank You for Your gift of life that You give freely to all who do believe.

    In the name of Jesus, I raise this petition. AMEN

  • 1 PETER 2: We Are A Chosen People

    “Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.” – 1 PETER 2:4 GNT

    “But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” – 1 PETER 2:9 NCV

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    THE APOSTLE PETER mentions “chosen” three times in our passage: the first time, He references His Son; the next two times, He references us.

    1. Chosen by God as valuable.
    2. Chosen to be royal priests/holy nation.
    3. Chosen to tell others the Good News.

    That word “chosen” is key to understanding 1 Peter 2 because God, through His servant Peter, reminds us that He has “chosen” us.

    In fact, in Genesis, Chater 1 Verse 28, God chose us to be collaborators with Him in rendering *dominion* over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.

    Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

    Please keep in mind that as we exegete 1 Peter 2, we can appreciate why God puts up with us, why He has redeemed us through His Son. He has *chosen* us and still *chooses* us to be in partnership with Him and in fellowship with each other.

    Keep in mind, also, that in our first text verse, the apostle says that Jesus is the *living stone* chosen by God to be valuable, even though His people rejected their Messiah, even though most people even today reject the Messiah.

    That word *chosen* is the key word in 1 Peter 2.

    1 Peter 2 verses 1-3 (1st segment)

    “So, put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” – 1 Peter 2:1 ESV

    In your identity as a follower of Jesus Christ, as a true believer that He is the Messiah, the Second Person of the Tripartite Trinity, here are some descriptions – or indicators – of how you should live. This list comes to us from God through Peter. This is God’s list, not Peter’s list. Peter was the instrument, but God was the author.

    Rid yourself of:

    • Malice
    • Deceit
    • Hypocrisy
    • Envy
    • Slander

    Replace them with: Pure Milk of the Word – so, like a baby grows through life into an adult, you may grow in your spiritual life to become one who …

    • Is a mature Christian, 
    • Draws confidence from his/her walk with the Lord,
    • Can withstand spiritual conflict (warfare),
    • Will witness in word and deed for the Lord Jesus Christ, and
    • Honors Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

    1 Peter 2 verses 4-8 (2nd segment)

    “Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.” – 1 Peter 2:4 NCV

    Peter then describes believers as “living stones” who are being built – or fashioned by God – into a spiritual house. That house, or structure, features Jesus Christ as the “cornerstone,” the building block upon which the house is built and stands.

    What you’ll see as a believer is that much of the world will not respect your beliefs but will consider you to be their enemy: you will be labeled a ‘hater’ or a ‘bigot’ because you believe what God tells us through His Word (the Bible), which differs from what the world teaches.

    The world holds “human reason” to be the god of gods; Christians hold God’s Word to be God. 

    So, we believe …

    • God when He said He created two genders, not 57 of them.
    • Men should protect women and provide for them, and, in turn, women should respect men and encourage them for the burden of care God has placed on men.
    • We should protect the lives of the unborn, considering them human, with separate DNA from their mother, and conceived with God’s blessing.
    • We should share the peace and joy God has placed on our hearts instead of the rancor, self-centeredness, and striving for material gain that mars the lives of unsurrendered hearts.

    You will, by your life and word, prove the world’s lie as to what is true and good and perfect versus what is not. 

    The Bible tells us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:2 NKJV

    1 Peter 2 verses 9-10 (3rd segment)

    “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV

    Peter identifies the church as a “chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s special possession,” called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. 

    This means that, as the song Amazing Grace so eloquently points out: “once we were lost but now we’re found, were blind but now we see.”

    In the OT, God says that those who did not know Him (Gentiles) would come to know Him, those who were “not my people” (unbelievers) would become known as “my people,” and I will be their God. 

    God is both a God of “inclusion” and of “exclusion.”

    • INCLUSION – His invitation is open to all to receive.
    • EXCLUSION – His reward excludes those who reject Him.

    When we did not know God, we were not recipients of His mercy; now, in Christ, we walk in fellowship with the Lord, and we do receive His mercy.

    1 Peter 2 verses 11-12 (4th segment)

    “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” – 1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV

    This passage calls us to recognize that we are to be *salt and light* to the world – that most of the world is populated by unbelievers. With our new identity in Christ as Christ followers, we are *called* by God to live honorable lives, reflecting God’s glory through good deeds. 

    Those good deeds should be delivered in love, in compassion, in humility, in good humor, in grace – not begrudgingly and not condescendingly.

    That means we should not consider ourselves somehow *better* than someone else. We are *forgiven,* not *perfect*. We are simply doing our jobs as faithful servants. We are just doing what God expects of us.

    In short, we are to *be Jesus* to the people we meet. We might be the only representative of Jesus many of them have seen in a long time or ever will see.

    1 Peter 2 verses 13-20 (5th segment)

    “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish evildoers. For this is the will of God.” – 1 Peter 2:13 ESV

    Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood (of believers). Honor the emperor. We are to be obedient to government, pay our taxes, obey the laws, educate ourselves before voting, recognize the rights of others to express themselves, and obey traffic laws.

    God instituted civil government for our sakes, to maintain order and punish the unruly. We are called to respect our leaders as long as they govern wisely.

    Unfortunately, most of them do not, and most countries are led by unelected strong men. Even our own leaders often veer from God’s wisdom. We are to pray for their hearts and minds, to follow the Lord’s will.

    As such, we also are called to speak into the culture. As Christians, our voices should be loud whenever our leaders take us down the wrong road.

    Now, there are some Christians who believe we should be silent about temporal affairs, focusing solely on spiritual matters. They believe the temporal – earthly matters – are distasteful and beneath them. We might call that the *monastery* view.

    I disagree. Notice, I said “I.” My view. I am part of the Christian tradition that believes we should lead by our actions and speak into the culture, as well. Maybe we’ll call that the *involved* view.

    We ought to call out the abortionists, the proponents of homosexuality, the transgenderism, and other atrocities that mar our current culture. Our forebears in the pulpit and the church members called out slavery, as the evil it was. 

    Slavery still is evil. We have 300,000 unclaimed migrant children that have poured into our country in recent years, and we have no idea where they are. The church, led by the pulpit, should not remain quiet. 

    The Lord says we are to shine a light into the dark world. How do we obey Him if we remain silent in the face of evil?

    The Rev. Franklin Graham says we should pray for our country’s leaders at all levels of government – national, state, and local – as well as school boards and committees, so that we will be governed by men and women of deep faith, so those functions are not dominated by unbelievers.

    1 Peter 2 verses 21-25 (6th segment)

    “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” – 1 Peter 2:22 ESV

    “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” – 1 Peter 2:23-25 ESV

    Peter continues his reference to Jesus Christ as a model for our behavior. The apostle described the Lord’s suffering not as a defeat for Him personally nor for the church and Christ’s mission but as a success.

    A success. Let that linger a bit. Christ’s suffering for our sake was a success. It fulfilled the Father’s goal of providing a way for sinful man to enjoy fellowship with His creator. 

    Jesus was born in human form and lived among us to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He came to die on the cross. Had we not sinned and strayed from God’s will for our lives, there would have been no need for Him to suffer and die.

    We caused the reason for Jesus to visit Earth in human form. 

    We caused the reason for Jesus to die on the cross. We put Him in the manger; we put Him before the Jewish and Roman courts, we put Him on the cross, and we put Him in the grave … yet He rose from the grave, defeating death for our benefit.

    Seven hundred (700) years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah (53:5 NKJV) prophesized with these words: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

    CLOSING WORDS

    Since we are chosen by God to be His possession, shouldn’t we be willing, also – eager, even – to fulfill (obey) His call on our lives to (1) believe in Him for our salvation and then (2) tell others about it. 

    We do not need to be knowledgeable about the Bible, just be prepared to give a short testimony of how God has changed our lives. 

    (FOR EXAMPLE: I used to have a problem with alcohol; now I’m sober. I used to have anger issues. I’m more patient now. I used to chase everything in a skirt [or flirt with every man], but now I’m focused on my wife/husband or special loved one. I used to cuss without blushing; now I’m more encouraging.)

    That’s it. Then be ready to say, when prompted, “This is what God has done for me, and He can do it for you, too.”

    CONCLUSION: We should pray for:

    (1) the opportunity to witness, 

    (2) the right words to say, and 

    (3) willing hearts to listen.

    Then, you’re done!

    Let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting.

    PRAYER

    LORD GOD, we thank You for Your grace and mercy. Please forgive us when we fail to follow Your lead, when we do not act like a people chosen by God to be salt and light. Strengthen us, O Lord, to be “Jesus” to a world hungry for answers — answers that only You can give. We honor You; we praise You; we worship You. AMEN

  • 1 PETER 1 – A Message of Hope for a Discouraged People

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    • Do you ever think about the promises God has made to us about an eternal kingdom in Heaven? 
    • Do you ever wonder what it takes to qualify, to pass the *entry* test, to get into Heaven? 
    • Do you ever worry that your salvation is not secure, that when you prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, God wasn’t listening, or if He was, you could *backslide* and lose His favor? 
    • If your answer to any of those questions is “yes,” or even if you’re not sure what your answer is, then today’s message is for you. 
    • Fasten your pew belts, church. We’re about to take a ride into the most important promise God makes in the Bible – our salvation and its security. 

    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. – 1 Peter 1:3 NCV

    THE BIBLE REMINDS US that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has caused those of us who believe in Him to be born again; as a result, He has promised us an eternal inheritance with Him in Heaven.

    WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT HEAVEN?

    This will be a place where sadness and sickness and accidents and pain and discord and jealousy and all the other ills of our current lives will be taken away. 

    New bodies, right! New minds! New spirits!

    Yet, we’ll still be “us,” with our emotions, our memories, our individual likes and skills, and our “circle” of family and friends, as well as our desire to meet new people, some of them from other parts of the world or who lived at a far different time in human history from us.

    WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET?

    Who do you want to meet from the past? What questions would you like to ask that person? 

    • How about asking Sarah what it was like to have a baby at the age of 90? 
    • Or maybe ask Isaac what he was thinking when Father Abraham tied him to the offering pile, just before he heard the sacrificial lamb’s bleating? 
    • Maybe you want to peer into David’s heart when he realized Bathsheba was pregnant and he had her husband killed in war? 
    • Would you like a trip to the Lion’s Den with Daniel or being dumped into a vat of boiling oil with John, or face your own execution, like Paul and James, the half-brother of Jesus, or John’s brother James, the first apostle martyred. Or Peter and Andrew, also martyred. 
    • Maybe, like me, you long to talk with those who come to us from the future, who saw the completion of things we saw started, or who saw the development of new technologies that made our current knowledge seem so primitive. 

    WE’LL SEE GOD FACE-TO-FACE!

    HEAVEN WILL BE A PLACE of worship, of seeing God face-to-face, of sitting down with Jesus for a heart-to-heart talk. 

    Park your imagination on that spot for a while and do yourself a huge favor: pledge to go back to it frequently. It’s worth the trip. 

    In the place of all the evil that we experience in this world will be an oasis of peace and love and joy.

    How can you possibly go through this life without experiencing even for a few moments the sheer excitement of anticipating that glorious future God has prepared for us? 

    We will worship our Creator, we will enjoy fellowship with believers from the fullest extent of time, past and future, of every race, color, language, era – a sea of loving, compassionate, and faithful believers. 

    They – the world’s believers – will be our family and friends. 

    MY RESIDENCE 

    WE WILL ALL HAVE A RESIDENCE.

    Call it a “mansion” or a “room,” depending on your Bible translation. I like to think of it as an apartment or condominium. All the comforts of home without any outdoor maintenance.  

    As for eating, I don’t know. I’d like to know I could score a big breakfast readymade for me … as well as a dynamic dinner and an over-the-top Sunday mid-day brunch/buffet. 

    The rest of the meals I can fix for myself in my mansion – sandwiches, soup, crackers, potato chips, popcorn – nothing will be harmful for us. 

    There’ll be plenty of ice cream, maybe one of those soft-serve dispensers with 3 flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and flavor-of-the-month. 

    As for work, yes, I know our Creator values work, and frankly, I’m good with work. I’m also good with rest and relaxion; so, I guess I like plenty of both. 

    What about companionship?  

    Introverts don’t require as much companionship as extroverts do, but I imagine we’ll all have plenty of time to ourselves, just as we’ll have time to fellowship and enjoy the presence of other believers.   

    We’ll learn. We’ll learn about God, and we’ll have all of eternity to learn about Him, even if we never learn everything there is about Him.  

    PIVOT 

    ALL OF THIS is fine, you say, but what does any of that mean for me? How can I use any of what we might imagine Heaven will be like for my life now? How does this apply to my here-and-now? 

    The apostle Peter, in our text verse, encourages us with the reminder that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God has caused us to be born again; that is, for those of us who believe.

    2 Corinthian 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is past; behold the new has come.” 

    That means we were “reborn,” or “remade,” our old, sinful selves replaced with new selves through the blood of Jesus. Our new selves still sin, but we don’t live steeped in sin; we’re no longer slaves to sin, but we strive, with His help, to live without sin. 

    As a result of this new birth, we, as believers, are promised an eternal inheritance reserved for us in Heaven.  That’s only for those who believe.  

    The Bible says … 

    • God planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours more and more.  – 1 Peter 1:2 NCV
    • There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this, unless it were true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.  – John 14:2-3 CEV 
    • Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:30 NASB 
    • He has also put His seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. – 2 Corinthians 1:22 CSB 
    • And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. – 1 John 5:11-12 NIV 

    We know that the term “down payment” means a good faith offering that seals the promise of future payment for the desired good or service. 

    MORE TO THE STORY

    BUT WAIT! There’s more! 

    GOD says our earth-bound lives are not the whole story.  

    There is much more for us, and it will be glorious! God does not give us many details about Heaven, but He does tell us in Eph. 3:20, and other places, that our lives with Him will be better and more rewarding than we could ever imagine.  

    WHY DOESN’T GOD GIVE US MORE DETAIL? 

    Could this be the answer?

    1. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. – Deuteronomy 29:29a ESV
    2. It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. – Acts 1:7 BSB

    When the apostles/disciples asked Jesus if this was when He would restore the kingdom to Israel, He said, “NO.”

    >You have a job to do in this world. You are to leave the end times stuff to My Father in Heaven, and you carry the Word to your neighbors, your surrounding region, and to the ends of the earth. My Father will take care of the rest.<

    Perhaps God knew that giving us more information about Heaven would be like telling a young child, who needs to eat his dinner first, what dessert will be. The child’s attention will shift from the vegetables to the ice cream, and that is not the mother’s intent.

    Revelation 21 and 22 give us a brief description of the New Heaven and the New Earth:

    • Crystal-clear streets of fine gold, 
    • Precious stones along the walls,  
    • Gates and pillars with the names of the 12 Apostles and the 12 Patriarchs,  
    • Everlasting light of Jesus,  
    • Worship with the saints, along with angels and the four living things,  
    • The gates will never be closed. 

    Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven says we’ll be ourselves with our personalities and our memories – without our memories we wouldn’t be ourselves, would we? We wouldn’t recognize anyone because we wouldn’t know them.  

    So, we’ll know who we are and who others are.

    Our bodies will be young and healthy, yet we’ll still – somehow – recognize everyone, even those we only knew when they were old or sick. Children who die before maturity will grow to adulthood, and babies who were aborted might well be present. 

    We’ll have our individual skills. If you could play the piano on earth, you should be able to play the piano even better in heaven. Let’s hope so, anyway. If you don’t know how to play the piano, you’ll have all of Eternity to learn. 

     CLOSING WORDS

    YES, TODAY WILL BRING with it many moments of joy, of peace, of kindness, of pleasantness – but today also will bring reminders of our loss, the loss that became our heritage in the Garden of Eden. God did not create this world to be experienced the way we experience it. 

    Remember, we – in the persons of our ancestors, Adam and Eve – defied God by tasting the forbidden fruit. God told us there would be consequences if we disobeyed him. We did it, anyway, and we experience that punishment every day.  

    You remember when Jesus cried? It’s in the Bible. John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” (See also Luke 19:41-42 ESV.) Why do you suppose He wept? 

    Perhaps for at least three reasons: 

    • He felt a personal sorrow for the loss of His friend Lazarus.
    • He felt the sorrow experienced by Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha, who also were friends of Jesus. 
    • He felt sorrow for the heartache of humanity’s self-inflected grief. 

    The Good News is that God sees our pain and our hopeless condition, and He has promised us a Savior – Jesus the Christ – who paid the penalty for our sin, which satisfied God’s wrath so He could restore us to full fellowship with Him. 

    The Bible reassures us by emphasizing God’s faithfulness, even when we are faithless; He fulfills His promises, even when we break ours. 

    God keeps His promises. You will not lose your salvation. The biggest reason? Because you did not earn it. God gave it to you as a gift. This gift is because of His grace and His desire that you will live in Eternity with Him. 

    PRAYER

    Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness, Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love. We deserve none of it, but we are grateful, eternally grateful, for all of it. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

  • A BLESSING FOR YOU FROM GOD

    The Bible contains many greetings and blessings, benedictions and prayers, most of which we tend to gloss over as just part of the background. Yet, why not spend some time thumbing through the various books, especially the New Testament epistles, to uncover some gems that you could use in your correspondence. This lesson contains one such promise.

    Message by Ward Pimley

    “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – III JOHN 2 (NKJV)

    “Amado, yo deseo que tú seas prosperado en todas las cosas, y que tengas salud, así como prospera tu alma.” – 3 Juan 2 (RVR1960)

     DO YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF looking for the “perfect” card for someone? 

    You know, something with a message that feels “authentic” and heartfelt, that conveys the love or admiration or respect you have for the card’s recipient, instead of a packaged saccharine sentiment that does not quite match the moment?

    Awhile back, a pastor friend sent me a card with a note to check out 3 John 2, a one-chapter letter written by the Apostle John to his friend Gaius. [John’s third letter has only one chapter; sometimes it’s written as 3 John 2, other times as 3 John 1:2.] 

    The verse is appropriate for scribbling inside a card or even to share on social media or your signature panel. It’s also good for meditation! 

    Here it is: 

    “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – 3 JOHN 1:2 (NKJV)

    Think about it, how it captures a well-being for both the spirit as well as the body and mind.

    What message could be better!

    But wait! That’s not all! The Holy Bible is filled with great verses that offer hope, encouragement, love, grace, forgiveness … whatever compassionate feeling you want to express.

    So, the next time you select a ready-made card that misses the mark, why not thumb through your Bible and select something uplifting from the Creator? 

    ~Finding Daily Gems~

    Better yet, why not look for those gems every day? That way, you’ll find them daily and you’ll know exactly which one you want to include in that card to a loved one.

    Peace as you spend time with your Lord in prayer.

    While we’re at it, this message assumes the blessing of 3 John 2 is true for you, as well. 

    Are you in good health, are your basic needs met, and most importantly, is your soul in synch with the Creator? If so, you already know how to share the Bible’s gems with others.

    If not, then would you like to take this moment to correct that? If the Lord leads you in prayer, you can pray along with me (or choose your own words) this prayer of salvation, called the “Sinner’s Prayer.”

    ALMIGHTY GOD, please hear my prayer. I know I am a sinner in need of Your redemption. I believe Jesus is Your Son, the second Person in the Trinity, and that He lived a perfect life and died a painful, degrading death on Calvary’s Cross for my sin, to atone for me. Lord, forgive my sin, and help me live a transformed life, in Your image, as You planned for me. Lord, I commend my soul to You and Your safekeeping. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

    IF YOU JUST PRAYED THAT PRAYER (or one similar to it), and were genuine in your prayer, then welcome to the Kingdom of God and the blessings of peace, joy, and eternal life. 

    May you prosper in health and prosperity … just as your soul prospers.

    ~PRAYER~

    ALMIGHTY GOD, our gracious and loving Lord, we thank You for Your lovingkindness, Your grace and mercy, and Your willingness to forgive. We know our access to the throne of grace is only through the shed blood of Your Son. Lord, we pray for the health and prosperity of our loved ones, that they may come to know You, the only true God. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

  • LIVING AS JESUS LIVED-Watching How We Act and How We Talk

    As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s not enough that we proclaim our faith; we also need to live as He lived, to act and talk in a way that glorifies Him. Why? So we can lead more people to place their trust in Him for their salvation. With His help, we can do all that despite our personal failings.

    • 1 John 2:6 (NKJV) “He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.” 
    • 1 Juan 2:6 (RVR1960) «El que dice que permanece en él, debe andar como él anduvo.»

    Message By Ward Pimley

    You’ve heard that popular saying: “Walk the walk; don’t just talk the talk.”

    You know what it means: It means to be “authentic,” to be the “real deal,” to live out your life, your everyday life, in the same manner, according to the same  guidelines, that you say you do. 1 John 2:6 NLT says it this way: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 

    As followers of Jesus Christ, we proclaim to the world that we believe in Him, that we listen to Him, and so we also ought to live as He lived. 

    THE BIBLE – Where God’s Answers Meet Man’s Questions

    Since that’s an impossibility — we are not perfect as He is — we need to add the caveat that we *try* to live our lives as He showed us how to live, but that in our failings, when we humbly come to Him and repent of our faults, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins. (1 John 1:9)†

    CHRISTIANITY’S GIFT TO MANKIND

    THAT IS THE REAL GIFT we Christians offer the world.

    That’s why we’re different, and it is in that promise, that relationship with Almighty God, that we are given the greatest gift possible — eternal life in Paradise with God (Luke 23:43; 1 John 2:25).

    Do you know the Lord? Do you really *know* Him? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? If you do, you will enjoy the promise that God, who cannot lie, has made — eternal life with Him. 

    If you do not have a personal relationship with Him, there’s another promise that God, who cannot lie, holds out to you — eternal life without Him.

    If you choose to live in this world with Him, you will spend eternity with Him. If you choose to live in this world without Him, you will spend eternity without Him,

    Which future do *you* want?

    ~PRAYER~

    If you want the peace, the joy, and the abundant life that God promises (John 10:10), then humbly and sincerely recite this prayer (or use your own words expressing the same thought):

    FATHER IN HEAVEN, I am a sinner in need of Your forgiving grace. I believe in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and that He lived a sinless life to become a sacrifice for my sinful heart and then suffered and died on the Cross to bear the wrath that I deserve. Lord, this gift of atonement is so wonderful – I want it for myself. Please forgive me, Lord God, and send Your Holy Spirit into my heart. Become my Savior, but even more than my Savior, come into my heart and be my Lord. With a grateful and believing heart, I pray.

    AMEN

    IF YOU GENUINELY PRAYED THAT PRAYER (OR ONE LIKE IT), WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

    Now that you claim the mantel of God’s adopted child (John 1:12; Romans 8:14), walk as He walked (Galatians 5:25; 1 John 2:6). 

    As you enter your new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, please make it a priority to:

    1. Open your Bible daily and read His inspired word  (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), 
    2. Pray daily to the loving Father (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12), and 
    3. Live for Him daily in your personal walk (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). 

    YOU’LL BE BLESSED IF YOU DO (REVELATION 1:3).

    †Unless otherwise marked, Bible references are to the NIV Bible (2011 copyright).