heaven Archives – Sonshine's Journal

December 28, 2024December 28, 2024

12.28.24. Are you ready?

Revelation 21 Perfect Beauty

John sees and records the vision of the heaven and the new Jerusalem. He was struck by this: nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Yesterday we talked about the evils of this world but today John reveals the complete opposite. The city is beyond description but John does his best to describe it and just think, if your name is written in the book you will see it. Thinking this a.m. of the many who have gone on before me and this is what they are seeing even now. Many people ask will our loved ones see us here on earth? My answer is this: why would they want to? Earth is full of sin but the city that is being prepared to come down from heaven is all purity and perfect beauty.

Is your name written in that book so that you will see this perfect beauty? Time is running out and soon Christ will return. Are you ready to meet Him in the air and go to this perfectly beautiful place? Come along with me and let’s go together to the new Jerusalem!

December 26, 2024December 26, 2024

12.26.24.Hallelujah!

Revelation 19 Hallelujah!

John sees and records the vision of the last of the wickedness wrought by the evil one.Listen to what John hears: Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous.

We just spent a month preparing for Christmas but the greatest gift we could bestow on our Lord are these words that John recorded. John also saw the end of the wicked ones as they are thrown into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels/demons. Stay true beloved and stay strong as you look forward to the end of all of Satan’s ways.

John adds this to our prayers for today: “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”

August 20, 2024August 20, 2024

Your Spiritual Destiny…

Romans 6 Sin or a new life—which shall it be?

This morning we were reading about the life of Jehoshaphat and this chapter in Romans speaks to what we saw. He was the rightful king of Judah that God had blessed but then in a strange way he ignored God’s blessing and allied himself with the wicked king of Israel. Why?

Paul continues to explain why someone who has chosen the way of Christ should remove sin from their presence and embrace salvation. “Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.” [Rom 6:4] This is not rocket science! Paul is telling us that to choose Christ is to have a new life in Him. King Jehoshaphat had been blessed by God but then the allure of sin turned his eyes from God.

What do you want to experience in your destiny? “For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.” [Rom 6:5] This is what we should be focusing on now as we look forward to our eternal destiny, not what Jehosphat chose. He continues this same thought: “For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.” That is what we call a WOW!

So beloved, as you read this chapter and look at your life, where are you stumbling or wavering? Do you want to wallow in your sin or do you want to walk in newness of life? It is your choice. Do you want to walk with Jehoshaphat or Jesus? God blesses those who choose His way and not the way of the wicked.

April 30, 2024April 30, 2024

God sees and hears all…

Psalm 41 How does one pray for the sick and bedridden? Do we pray that God takes them home or do we pray for their deliverance? It seems that there will always be those who are hypocritical in how they respond to us when we are set aside for a time. They come with words of mercy but their actions belie their true intentions. We see it in the encounters men had with our Lord. They said, we know you are from God for no one could do what you do but then after they leave His presence, they sought to kill him…but not at the Passover.

There is a little song the children sing; be careful little eyes what you see for the Lord above is looking down in love, be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little tongue what you say, O be careful little tongue what you say,

For the Father up above Is looking down in love, So, be careful little tongue what you say.

This would be a good song/prayer to use when we act like these hypocrites. God sees all and hears all and will one day call to account.

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024

Preparing for Eternity

Luke 13: “Repent…”
Jesus is asking if we are prepared for eternity. Without the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance of the heart, we are the most desperate people.

In Jesus’ journey around Israel, people asked him about repentance and his message of grace and mercy. The recent calamities of that time revealed how quickly life can be terminated. Even today, when faced with such circumstances, we often wonder, as they did, if it was caused by sin.

Jesus took that opportunity to say that time is short and one must repent and accept God’s gracious gift of salvation. He wanted them to prepare now for the future. because, as Jeremiah reminds us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.” [Jer 17:9] Only by repenting what we know as sin are we ready to enter heaven and be with Jesus. Please don’t get caught like the synagogue leader who thought another day would be better. Today is the day of salvation. To delay is to test God and His patience. Many woke today thinking of what they had to do and where they had to go but did not consider eternity. They kept saying tomorrow, tomorrow, but God said today.
We are all sinners in need of repentance. Today is the day of salvation; do not delay.

January 9, 2024January 9, 2024

Are you preparing for eternity?

Luke 6 How do you see and experience true wisdom and a life that produces rewards? Remember, what you have now is temporal, and if you have nothing but obedience, then that will be rewarded not here but in the afterlife. Jesus wanted the religious leaders to look around them. Did they see those who were poor, hungry, weeping, and hated by the establishment? Jesus was the same; He left his heavenly home to live a life just as you. He had no place to lay his head, was hungry, and wept because of the inequities of this earthly life. Jesus was challenging the religious leaders to look and see and then do. He wanted them and us to love and trust Him, but they were more concerned about rules and traditions than obedience. He left them with this illustration.

Two men wanted to build a house. One chose the rocky high ground, and the task was tedious and lengthy. The other wanted his house done quickly, so he decided on the ground that was not firm. God sent storms into their lives to test them, but the one who had gathered promptly lost it when the storm of life came. The one who diligently worked at this task to build a sure foundation weathered that storm, and his house stood firm.

Each should decide not to live life for the here and now but for the future. Each of the houses, land, and words of others will all pass into eternity, but the lasting things is obedience to His word.

November 8, 2023November 8, 2023

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

Matt 24 and 25 This is an old saying that says we can economize in small matters but miss the opportunity to save or gain in large matters. So what does that saying have to do with these two chapters? Jesus is telling the disciples to be wise one must be discerning where they spend their time, talents as well as their money. It is all about whether one has been stingy in their faith or extravagant.

Jesus teaches on the faithful and wise slaves and the wise and foolish virgins so that we may be prepared for His return. Both parables teach that when Jesus returns for His own, He will evaluate how the slaves and the virgins have used the time and talents they were given. The master is Jesus and He will be pleased with those who are working faithfully but displeased with those who not prepared. He will see that there are both slaves and and virgins who were wise and He will also see those who were foolish.

The master is looking how we use what He has given to us. Are we stingy or are we generous? Are we waiting to use what He has given us in the now or are we waiting for tomorrow?

September 22, 2023September 22, 2023

Impulsiveness vs. God’s Ways

Esther 1-5 One thing we learn from this story is how God can and will use even the impulsiveness of a king to bring about His plan to preserve His people. King Ahasuerus, as we have seen in chapter one, is an impulsive king. He makes snap judgments without thinking of the long-term consequences. He got mad at his queen and removed her. This will not be the first time, for later, he removed his signet ring and gave it to Haman so he could destroy a group of people. In both cases, this king did not investigate the reasons behind his decisions. But…then God! As Isaiah wrote: God’s thoughts are not like men. His ways are higher and superior. [Is 55:8] He looks down on the earth to find those who are righteous and those who are not. He even keeps a scroll of those who fear the Lord and esteem His name. [Mal 3:16] He orchestrates events to protect His people because he who touches them touches the apple of His eye. [Zech 2:8]

What can we learn from this story? Satan may roam about seeking whom he can devour, but God has His people placed in high and low places. He had Mordecai and Esther right where He could bring about salvation for His people. A third lesson is God says, “I love you!” [Jn 3:16/Malachi 1:2] and because He does, He will move heaven and earth to protect them/us. Where has God placed you for such a time as this, and are you looking for His deliverance?

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023

Are you prepared?

Ezra 1-3 One of the promises God gave his errant children is that after 70 yrs. they could return to Israel. Ezra believed that promise and prepared himself to not only go there but also to guide the people in this large company. Imagine being in this company of many, many people with large gifts from King Cyrus. It must have been a monumental undertaking and one that Ezra looked forward to for a long time.

We, too, will one day take a long journey, but it won’t take us months of preparation and include large numbers of people. Instead, God is calling each of us to prepare now for our future journey to heaven. We will prepare alone and journey alone, but when we arrive there, it will be much like Ezra chapter 3. We will sing and glorify the Lord “For He is good, and His loyal love endures forever.”

Are you preparing by making sure your heart is clean of sin? Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is how you prepare!

If God should call you this day to come “home” to heaven, are you ready?

September 3, 2023September 3, 2023