Heaven, December 14

Heaven, December 14

"... whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
"But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Matt 10:32-33, Matt 18:10, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, sometimes Your teaching gives us no hedge room. We would like to say we "sort of tell people we love You" but here you seem to be saying, "do it". What form would You have our confession take? We know that we are to love our enemies and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, so how can we witness to others without the risk of offending people who just do not want to hear it?. Perhaps the answer lies in the second verse.

You tell us that "these little ones" always see Your face. The children are a special treasure in Your eyes. What is it Father that we adults lack? Do we lack the forthright nature of a child? Their innocence is genuine, not contrived. Their faith in Your love and the love of those around them is not like our faith as we mature. Our faith in other adults is usually conditional, based on how things are going at the moment.

Help us today to see that the faith of a child, towards others and toward You, is an enabling factor. It makes telling other people we love You much easier if we have the faith of a child.

As to "denying You before men", we know that behavior would greatly grieve You. We would actually be putting our souls at risk, forever, if we were to do so. Strengthen our witness and our faith this day, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, Part 2, November 2

Heaven, Part 2, November 2

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

1 Peter1:3-4, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Peter tells us a very important fact. We have been given a "living hope". Yes, heaven awaits, but here we learn that our hope, made evident here and now, by our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior, is a present reality.

We are not "left on a shelf" so to speak, waiting for the moment in time when we are called to Your side. We are saved now, we have Your Spirit in us now and we know that means that you love us, look over us, and protect us for eternity. We are your friends, not later, but now. You have disclosed everything we need to know, now and we can enjoy the peace, comfort and counsel of You, now.

Sometimes Father we feel like we are working our way through this life without enough Light, your Light within us. Help us know that such feelings need not overcome the facts. You invite us to come to You at all times, to enjoy Your presence, even during difficult moments. Help us today not to be downhearted in the midst of trials. Trials will come but they give us an opportunity to lean upon You. Bless us this day, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Providence of God, November 1

The Providence of God, November 1

God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.
Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.
By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, you who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas;

Psalms 62:11-12, 65:4-5

Father, the world will witness your power. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord, including those who have not yet done so. It is your mercy that we seek. You have chosen us and even now You draw us near to You in spite of our weaknesses.

You have taught us that one day in your court is better than thousands elsewhere. Give us the necessary faith to look to our eternal future with confidence and joy.

We know that You provide for us materially but Father, please renew within us a right Spirit, one that responds to your constant presence and love. It is the serenity of Your presence in the midst of challenges that we seek. Help us today to observe Your wonderful creation afresh. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Sanctification, October 31

Sanctification, October 31

...God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,
comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

II Thessalonians 2:13-17, www.solascriptura.com

Father, it could not be more clear. You chose us for salvation. We see that we are sanctified by the Spirit, as we decide to accept Your Son, Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and when we demonstrate our belief in that truth. And what is the truth but Your Holy word. That, Father, is the Good News in a nutshell. Your Spirit, and our spirit, becomes as one and the process of sanctification ensues.

Father, sanctification is such a lofty word and it is surely the highest goal. Through that process we become more and more like You Jesus. Our lives then bring glory to You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Help us not lose track of the fact stated above; our sanctification is by the Spirit. We endeavor to obey but lacking the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, our works emanate from our initiatives, not Yours. We pray that You will direct us and that our will does not get ahead of Your will.

Since you grant us freedom to decide, moment by moment, about our next thought, our next move, help us always seek Your counsel, your light on our path. We have certainty about our salvation, now help us Father to seek certainty from You about our decisions, our attitude and our demeanor. We know that volition is ours but we pray for Your will in our lives; in Jesus name, amen,

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, Part 2, October 29

Heaven, Part 2, October 29

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

Revelation 2:7, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we know from the Book of Genesis that Adam and Eve were prohibited from eating from the tree of life. They did eat from the tree of knowledge, knowing right from wrong, but Father, You told them that they could not eat from the tree of life, which would have permitted them to live forever (Genesis 3:22-24).

Now we see that Your Spirit says to the churches (that includes us), that if we "overcome", and we know that means overcome the evil spirit that Adam's sin brought upon all mankind, we will be allowed to eat from the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God. In Genesis You clarified that we who are permitted to eat of the tree of life will live forever.

Sometimes Father, things seem complicated but You have generously provided us with an abundance of evidence which demonstrates Your plan for each of us. Your grace and mercy and the call of Jesus, to those who would respond, gives us the power of the Holy Spirit and that is what will allow us to be "overcomers", in Your strength. Bless us as we seek to love and obey You, this day. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, Part 2, October 17

Heaven, Part 2, October 17

...The heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

2 Pet 3:7-10, www.solascriptura.com

Father, these words describe a reality that is catastrophic, the final event that precedes New Jerusalem, a permanent place of security and joy. You have told us that nothing, not one thing, that we now see will survive. As wonderful as Your creation and Your creatures are, this imperfect and sinful world and everything in it will be destroyed. When You speak to us with such certainty, can we do anything but acknowledge You as the One who is in control?

Thank You Father for telling us that it is Your will that none perish. You want to transport us from here to there, safely. We know that Jesus has made it possible for us to take that journey. We are unable to know the day of judgment but we are able to choose to be prepared.

Help us not to be "kind of" ready or saying things like I hope I am doing Your will. Give us the certainty this day of our eternal destination and help us to help others to seek You while there is still time. In Jesus' Holy name we pray, amen.

Heaven, Part 2, August 27

Heaven, Part 2, August 27

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we sometimes do not focus on the fact that You are at the right hand of God, observing, caring and loving us as friends. We may be looking in the wrong places too many times as we seek Your comfort and presence in our lives. Help us to look up and know that what appears to be infinity to us is in fact where you are, far beyond the heavens that we see.

We have no idea how your omnipresence is as it is. We get a hint of it when the gentle breeze moves around us, encircling us at times, reminding us that You told Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit is as the wind, you don't know where it comes from and you do not know where it is going.

Father, at times it is critical that we set our minds on things above because down here there can be some very cruel circumstances, brought on by sin and neglect, wherein Satan is permitted to tempt us to not look to You. You have told us that You permit the test but that You will provide a way to escape that we may be able to bear it.

Jesus, escaping to Your side is our hope and our aim. We know that when You appear, we will then appear with You, safely comforted and shielded from all sin, all suffering and every weakness that troubled us here. Help us today to set our minds on You, knowing that the present suffering can not be compared to the glory that awaits. Bless us we pray in Your Holy name. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, August 26

Heaven, August 26

"For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord.
You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name.
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

Zeph 3:9, Isa 62:2, Rev.3:12

Father, where we now speak many different languages we see that when we are with You in heaven we will all speak one pure language. It will be a heavenly language, perhaps unlike any language we now understand. That fact, in itself, gives us additional understanding that heaven will be something much different than we have ever experienced.

We also see that we will be called by a new name, which You will give to us. We can't help but wonder why you will choose a particular name for each of us. Since that name is already chosen we wonder will there be any duplicates? Probably not but is that because there are not that many citizens of heaven? You have told us before that any of us who acknowledge Your grace and mercy and who place their faith in Jesus, will be "overcomers". We will be as a "pillar" in Your temple. Now we know where the phrase "pillar of the community" comes from…

Finally Jesus, You tell us that we will have the name of God, Your new name and the name of New Jerusalem written upon us. We are very uncertain how that will all look but we do know right now that we have Your truth written upon our hearts. You have marked us for eternity! Bless us as we wait for that moment. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, July 24

Heaven, Part 2, July 24

...now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

Phil 1:20-24, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul, who once was a notorious persecutor of Christians, following his miraculous rebirth, became one of Your trusted communicators, more effective than he ever may have expected.

Here he makes it very clear that his life is dedicated to serving You and that his death will be gain, not loss. We sometimes fear death but we are being taught that being with You will be better and permanent. You have prepared a place for us and You will draw us to You in the twinkling of an eye.

Father, none of us want to die before our appointed time and none of us will. The day of our departure is known by You, controlled by You and here we learn that being with You will be far better than any place that we could be.

Paul’s final sentence explains his motivation for living on, for continuing to serve in this place. It is his witness that he wanted to sustain and here, two thousand years later, we are still listening to that which You led him to share. We too have some time left and we too want to use it as a witness of Your love in our lives. Sustain our witness, we pray, in Jesus’ name.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven, December 14, 2008

Heaven, December 14, 2008

"... whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
"But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Matt 10:32-33, Matt 18:10, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, sometimes Your teaching gives us no hedge room. We would like to say we "sort of tell people we love You" but here you seem to be saying, "do it". What form would You have our confession take? We know that we are to love our enemies and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, so how can we witness to others without the risk of offending people who just do not want to hear it?. Perhaps the answer lies in the second verse.

You tell us that "these little ones" always see Your face. The children are a special treasure in Your eyes. What is it Father that we adults lack? Do we lack the forthright nature of a child? Their innocence is genuine, not contrived. Their faith in Your love and the love of those around them is not like our faith as we mature. Our faith in other adults is usually conditional, based on how things are going at the moment.

Help us today to see that the faith of a child, towards others and toward You, is an enabling factor. It makes telling other people we love You much easier if we have the faith of a child.

As to "denying You before men", we know that behavior would greatly grieve You. We would actually be putting our souls at risk, forever, if we were to do so. Strengthen our witness and our faith this day, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven; his eyes behold.

The LORD is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high.

Gen 1:1, Ps 4:4, Ps 113:4-5

Father, when we think of where You are, we know it is up and not down. We do not fully understand how far up and we even try to measure the immeasurable. Father, the depth of the heavens is surely greater than the universe we can partially see. We know it is a place from which angels come so it is real, not illusory or imagined.

Father, what we do not know about heaven far exceeds what we do know. Help us not to fret about not being able to define the circumstances of eternity but help us instead to confess that all that we see and know is Yours and is a gift, here and now, to us that we might serve You.

We confess there is no one like You. We acknowledge Your omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience, words that in themselves exceed our experience. Father, we look to You and are so grateful that You sent Jesus to us, a living manifestation of Yourself. Jesus solved the mystery for all time of who You are and what You are like.

We lift our hands and our hearts in worship this day and we pray for Your Holy will to be made clear to each of us, this day. In Jesus' Holy name, we pray, amen

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #2

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.

One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.

Psalms 24:3-4, 27:4

Father, not one of us feels we have clean hands and a pure heart. How Father, given our lack of perfection, will You ever let us come into Your presence? We know the answer! We do not come before You in our own righteousness, which compared to the righteousness of Jesus, is as filthy rags. We come cloaked is His righteousness, cleansed by the shedding of His blood. He has made the final sacrifice, dying for our sin, which permits us to stand before You just as if we had never sinned.

Such grace seems too good to be true. Why Father, given all the goofy things we have done, would You send us Your Son as our redeemer? Again, the answer is clear. You love us, You created us in Your image and You desire to have eternal and perfect fellowship with us. Father, what else can we do but rejoice in your kindness and mercy?

We do seek to dwell in Your house all the days of our eternal life and to be taught in Your Holy temple. Prepare our minds and our hearts for this wonderful moment. In Jesus' Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #3

...Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. ..."hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. ..."hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

I Kings 8:30,34,36, Psalms 23:6

Father, the Psalmist says three times, hear in heaven and forgive. We too say, please hear us, please forgive us. Sometimes we feel our prayers are impotent and that You may not listen because our hearts are so out of tune with You.

Help us today, to know that goodness, mercy and Your outstretched hand will follow us if we will but follow You.

Father, we are surrounded by turmoil and distress of every kind. It would be so tempting for us just to give up and live as if there was no rationale for hope. But that would be yielding to what it is Father, a temptation.

Father, You have taught us that Satan tempts but that You allow the test. Help us not to succumb to feelings of despair and hopelessness where Satan sees that he has upended our life.

Our hope is in You and we know that if we are faithful we will please You. That is what we pray for today Father, more faith. Help us to look to You in all circumstances. We know the world has no long-term answers. Teach us and lead us today. We pray in Jesus' name, amen

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #4

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You have taught us that everything on the face of this earth will perish. It is childish prose to say that we cherish that which is going to perish but isn't that the truth?

We also know that the treasures of this earth must be left behind if we die before You return. Here You plainly teach us that laying up treasures here that will not endure is unwise. It is better to lay up treasures in heaven that will endure forever.

But how do we do that? We can not send our assets ahead of us so they will be there when we get there. What is it we store up? You have taught us plainly that good works, which spring from love, endure forever. We know, Jesus, that loving You and loving our neighbor are the two over-arching commandments.

Help us today to use the resources You have freely given us to show others and You how much we care. We pray for more that we can share more. We pray that we can become as a Holy conduit, this day, sharing a smile, giving someone a pat on the back and offering encouragement to a discouraged person. Withholding those gifts would disappoint You, we know. Bless us we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #5

... I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

..."Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. "Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. "Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. "Last of all the woman died also. "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Matthew 8:11, 22:24-32

Jesus, here you refer to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses and You tell us what the Father told them before You came. Then, you use that teaching to remind us that the Old Testament is not irrelevant.

Jesus, help us today to get better acquainted with Your Holy word and the people we hope to someday meet in eternity. You have taught us that we will be different entities in heaven; we will not be as we are here. You have told us that we will not be young or old and here you tell us we will not be marrying or seeing offspring marry.

We won't marry at all, we will be thirtyish and we will not reproduce but instead we will be Spirit filled, like angels of God. It seems Jesus that You showed us, following Your resurrection, what we will be like. Help us today to study Your word diligently and to have a better grasp of what is coming. Maybe it will help us to not overly value the transitory nature of this brief sojourn.

We look forward to sitting down with the descendants of Abraham and with Moses. Help us be prepared for that meeting. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #6

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

"then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men),

Isaiah 57:15, 2 Chronicles 6:30 www.solascriptura.com

Father, You inhabit eternity. What a necessary truth for us to know. You await our arrival into Your Holy place. You have told us before that everyone is invited but here You tell us the nature of those who will have accepted Your invitation. You will dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.

Father we know that pride and egocentric behavior are disgusting to You. Yet, we have seen repeatedly how some of Your children once behaved that way. Some of us have more trouble being humble and contrite than others but here we see that we must overcome that tendency, through the strength of the Holy Spirit in us, if we ever intend to stand in Your presence.

Father, we do confess our sins, this day, and beg that we not deceive ourselves in matters of obedience. We know that You know our every thought and action but better than that, we know You rejoice with us when we make good choices and do Your will. Bless us and keep us this day. We pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #7

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Matthew 25:31-46, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You teach us that our love for You must be accompanied by our love for our fellow man for if we do not love one another it is the same as if we do not love You.

Help us to see every human encounter as an opportunity to demonstrate that what we do to others, we do unto You. Oh how we will need help this day with that reality. Touch our lives and lead us we pray. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Heaven #8

"... whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

"But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Matt 10:32-33, Matt 18:10, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, sometimes Your teaching gives us no hedge room. We would like to say we "sort of tell people we love You" but here you seem to be saying, "do it". What form would You have our confession take? We know that we are to love our enemies and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, so how can we witness to others without the risk of offending people who just do not want to hear it?. Perhaps the answer lies in the second verse.

You tell us that "these little ones" always see Your face. The children are a special treasure in Your eyes. What is it Father that we adults lack? Do we lack the forthright nature of a child? Their innocence is genuine, not contrived. Their faith in Your love and the love of those around them is not like our faith as we mature. Our faith in other adults is usually conditional, based on how things are going at the moment. Help us today to see that the faith of a child, towards others and toward You, is an enabling factor. It makes telling other people we love You much easier if we have the faith of a child.

As to "denying You before men", we know that behavior would greatly grieve You. We would actually be putting our souls at risk, forever, if we were to do so. Strengthen our witness and our faith this day, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell