January 1, 2016 For Your Information

Dear Readers;

After posting over 700 meditations I am not planning on posting new meditations in 2016 unless I hear from a number of readers that you wish me to continue.  I have published a book that contains 732 meditations that you can buy for only $5 for electronic download.  You can simply type in "michael j akers, meditations" on whatever search engine you use and you will find a number of websites to order the book.  A print copy also exists, but I think that it is too expensive (the publisher sets the price) and you cannot do key word searches or look up the dozens of websites quoted for further information.  

Thank you and may the Lord continue to bless you and yours!

Michael J. Akers

Someday death, sorrow, crying, pain will be gone forever

Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

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. 

When you think of death and heaven afterwards, is there any other verse in the Bible more reassuring than this one?  I think not. 

The context of this verse starts in chapter 20 of Revelation where Satan is finally destroyed forever and the Great White Throne judgment occurs where anyone not found in the book of life is also thrown into the lake of fire where Satan is.  God will destroy this present earth and heaven and a new heaven and new earth will be created.  With this present earth destroyed, that will signify the end of the curse of sin.  With no more curse of sin, there will no longer be any result that sin produces.  Such results include death, sorrow, crying, or pain.  God will have full fellowship with mankind as He intended to have after original creation only this time sin will not be around to break that fellowship.   

God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of His creation.  While this could conjure images of a loving father using a handkerchief to wipe away the tears, what it really means is that sin is wiped away forever and crying as the result of sin will no longer exist.  The word used for death here (“thanatos”) has several meanings.  Yes, it can mean death of the body, but also can mean separation of the soul from the body and misery of the soul in darkness and hell because of sin.  Such death no longer exists in heaven.  Sorrow is the same word as mourning.  We all have mourned the death of a loved one and if you continue to live a long live you will inevitably experience mourning many times before people will mourn for you.  This too will disappear forever in heaven.  No more crying can mean no more upheaval, no more quarreling, no more instances of disorder or grievance.  And no more pain literally means no more suffering ever. 

Small wonder that when you face life’s instances of grief, sadness, mourning, arguing, turmoil, fighting, suffering, and death, you might think of these promises of God for what eternal life will be like for all His children someday.  Those who die before you, who have been saved in Christ, will be present with the Lord.  They no longer will face any of these results of sin that you still have to face as long as you live. 

All of us fear death so some degree.  Some fear death because they have no assurance at all that their lives will continue in heaven.  Some fear death because they believe there is no life after death.  Some fear death because they do not understand what the Bible teaches about life after death.  And many fear the process of dying rather than death itself.  Yet, a sincere Christian who has full assurance of his/her life in Christ and understands what the Bible teaches about death should have little or no fear.

We live in a world where there is great deal of crying, sorrow, pain and death.  There a place where there always will be nothing but crying, sorrow, pain and death. There also is a place where there never will be crying, sorrow, pain and death.  You cannot change the place in which you live now, but you can decide where you want to spend eternity knowing what you will face there.  May everyone reading this vignette have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and be assured that your eternal destination is at the place where you’ll never experience sadness, sorrow, pain, or death again.

Reverence for God and obey His commands

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (GN)

After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.  God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.

The book of Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon during the later stages of his life when perhaps he was weary, even disillusioned, about what life really has to offer.  Solomon wrote about problems of depression, despair, boredom, apathy, and unfairness.  Two major themes of the book are that everything life on earth has to offer is vanity (“vanity of vanities, all is vanity) and life is an endless cycle of repeatable events, mostly negative (“nothing new under the sun”).  As I have written before, you need to read Ecclesiastes deeply and between the lines to understand that the real purpose of the book is to accept God and His purposes by faith and that’s all you can do. 

The last two verses of this predominantly depressing book state Solomon’s conclusions about what really is important about life.  Life on earth boils down to (1) reverence God and (2) obey His commands.  To me, these two conclusions relate closely to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 (“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…….”) and what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments (“love God and love your neighbor as yourself”----Matthew 22:37-40 and Luke 10:27).

A friend sent an email message with the following “Isn’t it strange?” statements[1], some of which will not touch you or you'll see them as too cynical, but some might indeed touch your conscience.  I share these because they relate to the priority (or lack of) we give to God and His ways, the kind of reverence we have for Him and how well do we obey Him.   

·  Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?

·  Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

·  Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you’re praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

·  Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?

·  Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in church?

·  Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

·  Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

·  Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?

·  Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

·  Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?

The Bible says that God will judge everything you do, no matter what it is. Yet, realize that gospel teaches that Jesus Christ took God’s judgment upon Himself and paid the penalty for all sin (Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:13).  So whatever “bad” you have done, you have already been judged for your sins through Christ if you are truly born again.  Yet, you will be judged for your actions as a Christian (Romans 14:10-12, I Corinthians 5:10).  So, you might want to review the statements above and ask yourself how have you truly acted as a Christian.  Lack of actions to glorify God through what you could have done with your time, talent and treasure will part of your judgment process.  However, rewards await you for being faithful, for standing firm in the faith, for serving the Lord, and for being His witness, all reasons why you were created in the first place.  Where might changes need to be made in your Christian life?

---

[1] http://boardofwisdom.com/togo/Quotes/ShowQuote?msgid=60136#.Up35dWbgJlc

Seven Promises of Jesus

Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” 

There are countless reasons why Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  Here are seven promises that Jesus made during His time on earth that not only should enhance the joy of believers during the celebration of His birth, but also inspire unbelievers to reconsider choices that they have made so far.

Promise 1:  Providing an abundant life to you during your time on earth (John 10:10b).  The word Jesus used for “abundant” means “excessive” or “beyond measure”.  Jesus promises to make your life so good and joyful that you simply cannot describe how good it is because of His presence at the center of your life.

Promise 2:  Peace (John 14:27).  The word Jesus used for peace means “rest and quiet”.  Jesus puts a sense of peace of heart and mind into your life regardless of what is going on when you put your trust in Him.  Think of “footprints in the sand”.

Promise 3:  Rest (Matthew 11:28).  The word Jesus used for rest means “to refresh, to pause, to recreate”.  Jesus promises to refresh your soul (11:29) daily to enable you to face whatever happens in your life each day.

Promise 4:  Blessings from the service and giving you do (John 12:26 and Luke 6:33).  Jesus promises that you will receive honor from God Himself when you serve Him and many blessings in return when you give to others.  Unselfishness always brings honor and blessings.

Promise 5:  Overcoming problems in your life (John 16:33).  Jesus says that you will indeed have tribulation in your life and the original meaning of the word He used for tribulation means “pressure, anguish, burdens”.  However, He promises to enable you to overcome these troubles and you will experience courage and peace.

Promise 6:  Assurances (John 10:28).  Jesus promises eternal life to those who put their trust in Him and believe who He claims to be.  He also provides assurances of protection, guidance, and to provide whatever you need to help you overcome whatever challenges you are facing in your life.

Promise 7:  His presence always (Matthew 28:20).  Jesus promises that He is with His children---that includes you if you believe in Him—always.  You will never be alone, never have to face your life’s problems and fears alone. 

These are reasons, among others, why Christians rejoice during the celebration of the reality of Jesus Christ coming to earth.  Never, ever take Christmas for granted or forget the real reason for the season.