John 11:24-27
Martha answered, "I know that he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised." Jesus then said, "I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord!" she replied. "I believe that you are Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Twelve years ago today, my dad left this earth for heaven. He was only 63. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him… and others dear to me who have died and gone to Heaven. But when I think of how sick he was… how miserable his last months on earth were, and how he longed for Heaven and the presence of God, my brother and other loved ones… I wouldn’t wish him back for anything.
I hear people say, “I would give anything for one more day with my loved one.” And I understand this. But I also understand that they probably would not care to have another day with us, because Heaven is so glorious! In his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, pastor Don Piper tells of asking God over and again, “Why did you send me back?” He “died” in a horrible car wreck and experienced the glory of Heaven… and he badly wanted to stay there. Of course, God used Don Piper in amazing ways to minister to others who had suffered horrendous injuries similar to his. Only he could understand their pain and agony, and he was able to be a great comfort and encouragement to many.
In returning to earth and serving as God desired, Don Piper was the spitting image of someone who lived because of faith in God. And he will never really “die,” because someday he truly will return to Heaven to live in opulence and great comfort with others who have passed before him.
I like to think that our loved ones are not “gone” – they are just “relocated.” We will see them again, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, as they did. Meanwhile, we have “living” to do on this earth… faith-filled living in Jesus Christ… serving Him, loving Him, and sharing His gospel with everyone we encounter. When I say I “plan to live forever,” I don’t mean that I will never physically die. But I’m with Martha… I believe that Christ is the one we hoped would come into the world… and I plan to relocate to His heavenly home someday. Will you be joining us?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label 90 Minutes in Heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 90 Minutes in Heaven. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 22, 2011
Luke 22:41-44
He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Baptist minister Don Piper tells his real-life experience of being involved in a head-on collision in January 1989, near Livingston, Texas. The crash was so bad - and Piper’s injuries were so severe - that paramedics covered his car with a tarp and left him for 90 minutes while they waited on a coroner to arrive and pronounce him legally dead. And Piper tells of traveling to heaven…the people and things he saw there… and how glorious it was. Truly, he did not want to ever leave… he was perfectly content to be dead!
But another minister passed by the site of the wreck and felt God telling him to go to the car and pray for the person inside. This man felt this so strongly that he insisted to paramedics that he needed to crawl inside what was left of the back end of this mangled car and pray for the victim. The paramedic relented, and the pastor did exactly this, placing his hand on Don’s shoulder and praying – then singing, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Much to the pastor’s surprise, Don began to sing along with him!
I won’t give away any more of the book… I hope you will read it for yourself. But I will tell you that for a long time, Don Piper was incredibly angry that God had made him return to earth. Heaven was everything Don had been told it would be… and so much more. It was truly glorious… happy… amazing… wonderful… far beyond any words Don could find to describe it. Yet he returned to earth to endure horrendous suffering, depression, pain and sadness. And for a long time, he didn’t understand why God could do this to him.
Again, I don’t want to give away the story, but let’s just say it took Don a long time to come to a point where he could truly say… “Not what I want, Father… what do You want?” And when he began to ask the right question… and to really seek – and follow – God’s will, he saw things clearly. He discovered the amazing plans that God had for him on this earth… the ways in which he could serve and bless in the name of Jesus.
Recently my 98-year-old grandmother said, “Some days, I just don’t know why I’m still here.” I began to share with her about this book… and to remind her of all of the people she blesses every day with her presence. I pointed out the young nurses’ aides that she “grandmothers” and the maintenance man she is teaching to “garden.” I mentioned the other residents that she visits with and checks up on each day, and a young mother she has befriended and to whom she has become a confidante.
I could have pointed out the husband of her friend who resides across the street in the nursing home – a man she visits and prays with often… or the hairdresser and manicurist she no doubt witnesses to each week… or the ladies from the community who visit and get the “sales pitch” from her to “C’mon down and live here with us… you’ll like it!”
God isn’t done with her… His will – not hers. And God isn’t done with us, either. The question is… are we seeking His will? Are we asking, “What is Your will, not mine?” Do we listen for God’s direction in our lives… and follow it? Or do we say, “Yeah…but NO! I think I’ll do this instead. That seems a little too hard, scary, or painful… and it certainly doesn’t look like much fun. No, LORD, I think I’ll do this instead.”? It’s time for us to humble ourselves… to follow the lead of Jesus Himself and to submit to God’s will for our lives.
I told my grandmother, “Heaven will come soon enough… and it will be even better than you could ever have imagined. Meanwhile, you’ve still got work to do!” And so do we! Have you gotten your assignment? Are you doing the work God planned for you until He calls you home? Isn’t it time you got started?
©2011 Debbie Robus
He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Baptist minister Don Piper tells his real-life experience of being involved in a head-on collision in January 1989, near Livingston, Texas. The crash was so bad - and Piper’s injuries were so severe - that paramedics covered his car with a tarp and left him for 90 minutes while they waited on a coroner to arrive and pronounce him legally dead. And Piper tells of traveling to heaven…the people and things he saw there… and how glorious it was. Truly, he did not want to ever leave… he was perfectly content to be dead!
But another minister passed by the site of the wreck and felt God telling him to go to the car and pray for the person inside. This man felt this so strongly that he insisted to paramedics that he needed to crawl inside what was left of the back end of this mangled car and pray for the victim. The paramedic relented, and the pastor did exactly this, placing his hand on Don’s shoulder and praying – then singing, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Much to the pastor’s surprise, Don began to sing along with him!
I won’t give away any more of the book… I hope you will read it for yourself. But I will tell you that for a long time, Don Piper was incredibly angry that God had made him return to earth. Heaven was everything Don had been told it would be… and so much more. It was truly glorious… happy… amazing… wonderful… far beyond any words Don could find to describe it. Yet he returned to earth to endure horrendous suffering, depression, pain and sadness. And for a long time, he didn’t understand why God could do this to him.
Again, I don’t want to give away the story, but let’s just say it took Don a long time to come to a point where he could truly say… “Not what I want, Father… what do You want?” And when he began to ask the right question… and to really seek – and follow – God’s will, he saw things clearly. He discovered the amazing plans that God had for him on this earth… the ways in which he could serve and bless in the name of Jesus.
Recently my 98-year-old grandmother said, “Some days, I just don’t know why I’m still here.” I began to share with her about this book… and to remind her of all of the people she blesses every day with her presence. I pointed out the young nurses’ aides that she “grandmothers” and the maintenance man she is teaching to “garden.” I mentioned the other residents that she visits with and checks up on each day, and a young mother she has befriended and to whom she has become a confidante.
I could have pointed out the husband of her friend who resides across the street in the nursing home – a man she visits and prays with often… or the hairdresser and manicurist she no doubt witnesses to each week… or the ladies from the community who visit and get the “sales pitch” from her to “C’mon down and live here with us… you’ll like it!”
God isn’t done with her… His will – not hers. And God isn’t done with us, either. The question is… are we seeking His will? Are we asking, “What is Your will, not mine?” Do we listen for God’s direction in our lives… and follow it? Or do we say, “Yeah…but NO! I think I’ll do this instead. That seems a little too hard, scary, or painful… and it certainly doesn’t look like much fun. No, LORD, I think I’ll do this instead.”? It’s time for us to humble ourselves… to follow the lead of Jesus Himself and to submit to God’s will for our lives.
I told my grandmother, “Heaven will come soon enough… and it will be even better than you could ever have imagined. Meanwhile, you’ve still got work to do!” And so do we! Have you gotten your assignment? Are you doing the work God planned for you until He calls you home? Isn’t it time you got started?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)