The human heart is a wonderful thing. I am not talking about the organ that pumps your blood through your body, although it is a wonder in itself.

I am thinking about the human heart, which is the center of your being, the very core of who you are. You heart is that part of you that is you. It’s your inner sanctum. In our passage, it is called the “inner being.”

The Bible uses the word “spirit” interchangeably with “heart.” So we learn what a heart is from 1 Corinthians 2:11 when we read, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him.” Your heart is the self you are talking to when you talk to yourself. It’s who you are at your deepest level.

And the human heart is a wonder because it holds so much. It’s the place where your hopes reside. The adage, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast” is talking about the heart. It’s where we put our dreams for ourselves and for our loved ones. People and events can conspire to keep you down and try to break you, but your heart holds fast to your dreams.

It’s where we place our love. We love people from our hearts. People put pictures of their loved ones in a heart-shaped locket and wear them on a chain or as a brooch so they stay close to their heart. We wear our wedding rings on our third finger, left hand, because the story goes that the vein from that finger goes directly to the heart.

Our heart is where our deepest commitments lie. This is where we hold our promises — “cross my heart and hope to die” we say. When push comes to shove, the commitments we have in our hearts show up. In our hearts we find the answer to what we stand for, what we would die for, what we would give up.

Our hearts are full of memories — of people and events; of words spoken to us both good or bad. We cherish these things in our hearts. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, walked through her life, she held a lot of things in her heart. She pondered the events surrounding Jesus’ birth in her heart. And no doubt she continued to ponder and cherish those things in her heart all her life. We carry the memories of loved ones close to our hearts.

In our hearts are yearnings and longings. In our hearts are fears and sorrows. We carry in our hearts pains that stay with us and shape us and become part of who we are. The heart is where we carry evil intentions, where temptations find good soil to grow into ripe sins.

Jeremiah says in despair: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Think about what you carry in your heart. Stop and be quiet for a while and ask yourself that question. What am I carrying around in my heart? What do I hope for and dream? Who do I love? Whose memory am I holding? What darkness lurks there? And so on. You’ll be amazed at the capacity and complexity of your very ordinary human heart.

And what is truly amazing is the fact that the human heart is where Christ chooses to dwell. Paul prays for the Ephesians that “Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith.”

I find that an amazing thought, don’t you? “That Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith.” Somewhere in our inner being, Christ can dwell. Somewhere in our center the divine Son of God comes to make his home. The one who created all there is, who upholds this world with his hand, who carries out his eternal plan with wisdom and might, who understands the mystery of all there is, comes to dwell in my ordinary little heart. God is so vast, so incomprehensible in his being, so unspeakably good and pure, so full of light and truth and knowledge. And yet he comes to dwell in the human heart.

It’s hard to fathom. It’s hard to imagine an elephant, the largest land mammal trying to live in the home of a little mole under the earth. Something so vast cannot accommodate itself to something so small.

But that’s what Jesus taught us. In John 14:23 Jesus says,
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Again, in John 15, Jesus says,
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain on the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

Jesus puts a different angle on it in Revelation 3:20,
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.

Jesus knocks on the door of each persons’ heart with the offer to come and dwell there.

And you wonder about what all this means. What does it mean that Jesus comes to dwell in your heart through faith?

I’ll tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that somehow you become divine. Jesus doesn’t come into your heart and make you into a divine being. Nor do your thoughts or feelings become divine. There have been too many people who have confused their own thoughts with the will of God. Too many people have used the words, “God told me” to perpetrate all kinds of abuses. When Christ dwells in your heart, you still can’t confuse your own sinful heart with his truth.

Neither does it mean that Jesus only stays alive in the faith of his followers. It doesn’t mean that the Spirit of Jesus is alive within us in the same way as, say, the spirit of Shakespeare is alive every time one of his plays is performed. It doesn’t mean that Jesus’ words are merely cherished in our hearts and we try to live out the truth he proclaimed. That would mean that he is alive only subjectively in the hearts of those who follow his teachings. That would mean if you took away all those who follow his teachings, you would get rid of Christ. The Bible declares that Christ is alive. He is risen indeed. He is the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of earth.

What it does mean is that in his vast mercy and love, God opens a way for us to have a relationship with him again. Jesus brings the Triune God to the center of our lives once again.

The tragedy of humankind’s fall into sin is that, as a result, the Spirit of God has vacated our inner sanctum. A.W. Tozer speaks about it as a burning bush inside all of us.

At the far-in hidden center of a man’s being is a bush fitted to be the dwelling place of the Triune God. There God planned to rest and glow with moral and spiritual fire. Man by his sin forfeited this indescrib-ably wonderful privilege and must now dwell there all alone. For so intimately private is the place that no creature can intrude; no one can enter but Christ, and he will enter only by the invitation of faith.

Isn’t that a wonderful image: A burning bush inside us. Some people say that every human being has the spark of divinity within. But that isn’t true. The truth is, we used to have God in our hearts. We used to have a burning bush that did not burn up inside of us — full of joy, love and peace. But we lost it because of sin. We put it out.

People have a sense that this is true. Deep down we remember that there is a place for a relationship. And we try to light that bush on fire in so many different ways. But it won’t light. God has left it. But we know it’s there and we want it lit. In that sense there is a lingering sense of God within us. We know it from his absence. We sense this emptiness, this longing, this coldness.

We have a sense that we are missing something profoundly important within ourselves. We want to strike up that burning bush again. We want to have a spark. We look for God and we think we find him in the force of nature, or in the love of family, or in some religious rites and ceremonies.

And the good news of the gospel is that God comes to us in a person. The Bible says “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” When we believe in Jesus Christ, he comes in and lights up that burning bush. He creates a holy ground within our hearts. He enters that place where only he has the key. And the glory of his presence fills us with warmth and joy and peace.

That’s what Christianity is all about. Christianity is not primarily a religion of do’s and don’ts. It is not about making an intellectual assent to formal creeds and doctrines and holding the fundamentals against all else. It’s not a strict adherence to a moral code. Christianity is all about Jesus living in your heart and lighting up that burning bush within you.

Baptism, profession of faith, receiving the sacraments, church membership — these mean nothing unless the supreme act of God in renewing your life happens. Religious externals may have a meaning for the God-inhabited soul; for any others, they are useless, or worse, since they can give a false sense of security.

Paul prays that Christ may dwell in the Ephesians’ hearts through faith. That’s a prayer we have for our church today. That’s another way to pray that we will be true Christians. It is a prayer for authentic Christianity alive and growing in the hearts of all the members. We pray that Christ may dwell in all of our hearts.

What happens to you when Christ dwells in your hearts? Many things. For one thing, you find a peace that passes all understanding guarding your heart and mind. You will be truly “home” among God’s people, because God is finally home with you.

For another thing, you find that you are worshipping God in a true way. Jesus says that God is Spirit and those who worship him will worship in spirit and in truth. True worship is not about special days and special garments and special ceremonies — although they are important. True worship is the union of the human spirit with the Spirit of God. When Christ dwells in us, that happens in worship.

Another thing that happens is that you find the fruit of the Spirit growing within you. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control are growing and showing up in you.

Another thing is that you are taking time above all else, to guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life, as Proverbs 4:23 says. You are keeping your priorities straight, you are gauging the pull the things of this world have on your heart. You are keeping pride in check, as well as beating down the weeds of jealousy and envy, immorality and anger, gluttony and laziness. You are working at spiritual hygiene, keeping your spiritual house in good shape so that God can dwell there. Too often we wind up crowding God out. The wonder of it is that he comes again and again, and remains in us as a slow and steady burn.

Finally, even though your heart is prone to evil and you have a natural tendency to hate God and neighbor, there is a new principle in your life that is stronger and deeper. And even though you fall and you fail and suffer, there is a holy desire to change, to do better, to make amends, to walk the walk and not just talk the talk, to be humble just like Jesus. You have power to change. There is something different about you.

A little girl, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me.”

The mother said, “Oh! Why is that?” The girl replied, “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s true,” the mother replied. “He also said that God lives within us. Is that true, too?”

Again the mother replied, “Yes.”

“Well,” said the girl, “if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”

The human heart is truly a wonder. Most wonderful is that it is the dwelling place of God.

Amen.

The Setting is the place called Gethsemane. The scripture is Matthew 26:47-53 (NIV)

47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

50Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51With that, one of Jesus’ companions (Peter) reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Today I’d like for you to consider the full impact of Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:53, where He said, Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Let’s look at three questions:

• What is a “legion”?
• How many angels would there be in twelve legions?
• What would be the combined strength of this number of angels?

It is important to know the answers to these questions, because the answers reveal the full might that was available to Jesus had He requested supernatural help in the Garden of Gethsemane. Actually, when we take into account the power that was already demonstrated in the Garden and then add the potential assistance and impact of twelve legions of angels, it becomes obvious that there was no human force on earth strong enough to take Jesus against His will. The only way He was going to be taken was if He allowed Himself to be taken! This is why He later told Pilate, “…Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above…” (John 19:11).

Let’s begin with our first question: What is a “legion”? The word “legion” is a military term that was taken from the Roman army. A legion denoted a group of at least 6,000 Roman soldiers, although the total number could be higher. This means that anytime we read about a legion of anything, we can know it always refers to at least 6,000 of something.

An amazing example of this is found in Mark 5:9, where the Bible tells us that the demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes had a legion of demons. That means this man had at least 6,000 demons residing inside him!

Let’s now contemplate the second question: How many angels would there be in twelve legions? Since the word “legion” refers to at least 6,000, it means a legion of angels would be at least 6,000 angels. However, Jesus said the Father would give Him “more than” twelve legions of angels if He requested it. Because it would be pure speculation to try to figure out how many “more than” twelve legions would be, let’s just stick with the figure of twelve legions to see how many angels that entails.

One legion is 6,000 angels, so if you simply multiply that number by twelve, you’ll discover that twelve legions of angels would include a minimum of 72,000 angels. But Jesus said the Father would give Him more than twelve legions of angels; therefore, you can conclude that there were potentially many additional thousands of angels available to Jesus the night He was arrested!

Finally, let’s look at our third question: What would be the combined strength in this number of angels? Angels are powerful.  In fact, Isaiah 37:36 (NIV) records that the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So if a single angel had that kind of power, how much combined strength would there be in twelve legions of angels?

Since a single angel was able to obliterate 185,000 men in one night, it would mean the combined strength in a legion of 6,000 angels would be enough to destroy 1,110,000,000 men (that is, one billion, one hundred ten million men) — and that’s just the combined power in one legion of angels!

Now let’s multiply this same number 185,000 by twelve legions, or at least 72,000 angels, which was the number of angels Jesus said was available to Him on the night of His arrest. When we do, we find that there was enough combined strength at Jesus’ disposal to have annihilated at least 13,320,000,000 men (that is, thirteen billion, three hundred twenty million men) — which is a little less than twice the number of people living on the earth as of August 2016! The world population is the total number of humans currently living. As of August 2016, it was estimated at 7.4 billion. The United Nations estimates it will further increase to 11.2 billion in the year 2100, the reference for world population is at:

Jesus didn’t need Peter’s little sword that night. Had He chosen to do so, Jesus could have summoned 72,000 magnificent, mighty, dazzling, glorious, overwhelmingly powerful angels to the Garden of Gethsemane to obliterate the Roman soldiers and the temple police who had come to arrest Him. In fact, the combined strength in twelve legions of angels could have wiped out the entire human race! But Jesus didn’t call on the supernatural help that was available to Him. Why? Because He knew it was time for Him to voluntarily lay down His life for the sin of the human race.

Learn a lesson from Jesus and from the apostle Peter. Jesus didn’t need Peter’s undersized, insignificant sword to deal with His situation. What good would a single sword have been against all the troops assembled in the Garden that night anyway? Peter’s actions were a perfect example of how the flesh tries in vain to solve its own problems but cannot. Jesus had all the power that was required to conquer those troops.

As you face your own challenges in life, always keep in mind that Jesus has the power to fix any problem you’ll ever come across. Before you jump in and make things worse by taking matters into your own hands, remember the story of Peter! The next time you’re tempted to “grab a sword and start swinging,” take a few minutes to remind yourself that Jesus can handle the problem without your intervention. Before you do anything else, pray and ask the Lord what you are supposed to do. Then after you receive your answer and follow His instructions, just watch His supernatural power swing into action to solve the dilemma you are facing!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, I am so glad You have the power to put an end to my problems! So many times I’ve acted just like Peter, swinging furiously in the strength of my own flesh as I’ve tried to solve my problems without Your help. Forgive me for wasting so much time and energy! Today I ask You to speak to my heart and tell me what I am supposed to do; then help me follow Your instructions to the letter. Give me the patience to wait while You supernaturally work behind the scenes to resolve my questions.

My Confession for Today

I boldly and joyfully affirm that Jesus Christ has all the power needed to fix my problems! I am not smart enough by myself to figure out how to get out of my messes, so I turn to Him to give me wisdom, insight, power, and the answers I need to get from where I am to where I need to be. His power works mightily through me, and that divine power is being released right now to tackle the challenges I face in life and bring me to a peaceful place of resolution in every situation.

Two Questions for you to think about

1. Has there ever been a moment in your life when you got in a hurry and acted too fast — and then later regretted your actions?

2. When you candidly examine your life, do you find that the same problems keep resurfacing again and again? Does this indicate that you are trying to solve those problems in the strength of your flesh instead of relying on the power of Jesus to help you?

There was a wealthy man who loved his one and only son above all things. As father and son, they began to build an art collection together. Every spare minute they were out at auctions and sales acquiring rare works of art. Priceless works by Picasso, Raphael, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.

Within a period of some ten years, they had built one of the rarest, most valuable collections in the world. Then war broke upon them and a letter came one day informing the son he had been drafted into the army. The son, feeling compelled to serve his country as his father and grandfather had before him, went off to war.

While he was away, the son wrote his dad every day. One day the letters stopped. The father’s worst fears were realized when he received a telegram from the war department informing him son had been killed while attempting to rescue another soldier.

About six months later there was a knock on the door. The father opened the door and saw a young soldier with a large package under his arm. The young soldier said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the man you son saved the day he died. While he was carrying me out of harm’s way, he was shot through the heart and died instantly. Your son was my friend and we spent many nights just talking. He would talk about you and your love for art.”

The young soldier held out his package and said, “I know this isn’t much, but I wanted you to have this painting I’ve done of your son as I last remembered him.

The father tore open the package and found himself gazing at a portrait of his one and only son. Fighting back tears, he said, “You have captured the essence of my son’s smile in this painting and I will cherish it above all others. The father hung the portrait over the mantelpiece. When visitors came to his home, he always drew their attention to the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other masterpieces.

When the father died, news went out that his entire collection of masterpieces was being offered at an exclusive private auction. Collectors and art experts from around the world gathered for the chance of purchasing one of them. They were a little surprised when the first painting on the auction block was the soldier’s modest rendering of the man’s son.

The auctioneer pounded his gavel and asked someone to start bidding. The sophisticated crowd scoffed and demanded the Van Goghs and the Rembrandts to be brought forth, but the auctioneer persisted: “Who will start the bidding for this painting? One hundred dollars? Two hundred dollars?” The crowd, waiting to see the more serious paintings, continued to hiss for the auction to move on. Still the auctioneer asked, “The son! The son! Who will take the son?”

Finally a voice from the back said, “I’ll bid ten dollars for the son.” The bidder was none other than the young soldier whom the son had died saving. He said, “I didn’t come with the intention to buy anything, and all I have is ten dollars to my name. But I’ll bid my entire ten dollars for the painting.”

The auctioneer continued seeking a higher bid, but the angry crowd shouted, “Sell it to him and let’s get on with the auction.” The auctioneer pounded the gavel and sold the painting to the soldier for the bid of ten dollars.

“Finally we can get on with the auction,” someone from the second row bellowed. But right at that moment, the auctioneer announced, “The auction is now officially closed.” The crowd was shocked and demanded to know how, when none of the “real” pieces had been sold, the auction could be over.

The auctioneer simply replied, “When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a stipulation in the will of the deceased. I could not divulge that stipulation until now. According to the wishes of the deceased, only the painting of the son was to be sold today. And whoever gets this painting gets it all-every piece of art in the collection. So today, for ten dollars, the young soldier has bought one of the world’s most priceless art collections and the entire estate in which it is housed. The auction is closed.” And with the swing of his gavel, he left the crowd sitting in stunned silence, staring at the young soldier.

Every time I think about this story, I think of how, like the father in the story, God is looking for people who value and appreciate His Son. Whoever receives the Son receives all of God’s blessings. To the one who values His Son, He gives every good thing He has. And how do we value His Son? One of the primary ways is by taking time to hear Him. Hear His word of grace to us and hear what He has done for us through His sacrifice at the cross.

As God, the Holy Spirit has existed through all eternity. In the Old Testament, he is also referred to as the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Lord. In the New Testament, he is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ.

The Holy Spirit first appears in the second verse of the Bible, in the account of creation:

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

(Genesis 1:2, NIV).

The Holy Spirit caused the virgin Mary to conceive (Matthew 1:20), and at the baptism of Jesus, he descended on Jesus like a dove. On the Day of Pentecost, he rested like tongues of fire on the apostles. In many religious paintings and church logos, he is often symbolized as a dove.

Since the Hebrew word for the Spirit in the Old Testament means “breath” or “wind,” Jesus breathed on his apostles after his resurrection and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22, NIV).

He also commanded his followers to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Accomplishments of the Holy Spirit:

The divine works of the Holy Spirit, both in the open and in secret, advance God the Father’s plan of salvation. He participated in creation with the Father and Son, filled the prophets with the Word of God, assisted Jesus and the apostles in their missions, inspired the men who wrote the Bible, guides the church, and sanctifies believers in their walk with Christ today.

He gives spiritual gifts for strengthening the body of Christ. Today he acts as Christ’s presence on earth, counseling and encouraging Christians as they battle the temptations of the world and the forces of Satan. Strengths of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit’s name describes his chief attribute: He is a perfectly holy and spotless God, free of any sin or darkness. He shares the strengths of God the Father and Jesus, such as omniscience, omnipotence, and eternality. Likewise, he is all-loving, forgiving, merciful and just.

Life Lessons:
Throughout the Bible, we see the Holy Spirit pouring his power into followers of God. When we think of such towering figures as Joseph, Moses, David, Peter, and Paul, we may feel we have nothing in common with them, but the truth is that the Holy Spirit helped each of them change. He stands ready to help us change from the person we are today to the person we want to be, ever closer to the character of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and undoubtedly the least understood member of the Godhead. Christians can easily identify with God the Father (Jehovah or Yahweh) and his Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, however, without a body and a personal name, seems distant to many, yet he dwells inside every true believer and is a constant companion in the walk of faith.

When we talk against the Holy Spirit, we are talking against God!

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is fully God. He is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, has a will, and can speak. He is alive. He is a person. He is not particularly visible in the Bible because His ministry is to bear witness of Jesus (John 15:26).

John 14:26

²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 15:26

²⁶“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:13-14

¹³But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
¹⁴He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

John 14

¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
²In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”
⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
⁷If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
⁸Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
⁹Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
¹⁵“If you love me, you will obey what I command.
¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–
¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
²⁰On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
²²Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
²³Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
²⁴He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
²⁵“All this I have spoken while still with you.
²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
²⁸“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
²⁹I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
³⁰I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
³¹but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.

John 15

¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
⁵“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
⁸This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
⁹“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
¹⁰If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command.
¹⁵I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
¹⁷This is my command: Love each other.
¹⁸“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
²¹They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
²³He who hates me hates my Father as well.
²⁴If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.
²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

²⁶“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
²⁷And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16

¹“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
²They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
³They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
⁴I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.
⁵“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
⁶Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.

⁷But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
⁸When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
⁹in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
¹⁰in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
¹¹and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
¹²“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
¹³But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
¹⁴He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
¹⁵All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
¹⁶“In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
¹⁷Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
¹⁸They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
¹⁹Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?
²⁰I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
²¹A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
²²So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
²³In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
²⁵“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.
²⁶In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
²⁷No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
²⁸I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
²⁹Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.
³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
³¹“You believe at last!” Jesus answered.
³²“But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
³³“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

I don’t know about you, but I love this deeply heartening and uplifting prayer found in 3 John 1:2. Did you know that this is God’s desire for you today, as His beloved child?

That’s right, the Bible tells you plainly that God wants you to prosper in all things and be in health. And “all things” covers all things, meaning that even when you think something is small and seemingly insignificant, it is significant to God. He wants you to experience success even in that area!

You might be thinking, Does God really bother about what’s going on in my life when He’s got an entire universe to run?

It might surprise you, but He does. He even keeps track of the number of hairs on your head (see Luke 12:7), something you wouldn’t care to do! So just imagine how much more God cares about the things that do matter to you, however big or small they are. If it’s troubling you, He wants to take care of it.

My ministry has received so many testimonies where God did just that. From healing fourth-stage cancer and delivering many from addictions, to providing better-paying jobs and restoring broken relationships, to healing simple sore throats, He’s done it all. He’s not just God Almighty, but He’s also your Abba Father your Daddy God who cares for you affectionately and watchfully (see 1 Peter 5:7, AMPC).

Let me share with you a testimony that shows how no problem or detail is too insignificant for God.

Bonnie’s daughter had lost her wallet, which contained her driver’s license, social security card, debit card, their family’s credit card, and several gift cards. They thought she might have dropped it at a certain gas station, so they drove back there, looked for it high and low, and spoke to the attendant about it. But the wallet couldn’t be found. However, Bonnie encouraged her daughter to pray over the situation. Her daughter also reminded herself that God loved her and cared for her.

Three days after the wallet was lost, they found it in their mailbox—with everything intact! “Not one penny, gift card, or any other item had been taken from it,” Bonnie wrote, rejoicing.

Wow, praise the Lord! God not only restored the lost wallet, but He also ensured that all its contents, down to the smallest detail, were returned. He truly wants you to enjoy His supply and success in all things, my friend!

Today, perhaps you see roadblocks to your thriving in a certain area. Instead of growth or increase, you see lack. Or perhaps you’ve lost something. It could be your job, an important relationship, or your health. My friend, remember that the Lord cares about every matter that troubles you, and He wants you to experience wholeness and success in those areas. Like Bonnie’s daughter, invite the Lord into your situation by just talking to Him about it. And when you do, expect to see His supply, healing, and restoration, knowing that when He restores no detail escapes His attention!

Does God’s Word tell us how we can succeed in all things and be in health? Absolutely. 3 John 1:2 itself gives us the key in these words: “just as your soul prospers.” In other words, a soul that is prospering or thriving is what causes all other areas of your life to thrive as well.

Today, if you’re feeling bitter, depressed, or anxious, if your soul feels weary and dry, start nourishing and watering it with God’s Word. Feed and meditate on Scriptures that remind you of who you are in His eyes—His deeply loved and highly favored child. Live every day refreshed by how your Abba Father is for you and will never withhold any of His blessings from you (see Rom. 8:32).

Jesus Himself lived life that way. Even before He had healed a single person, multiplied loaves for multitudes, or raised the dead, He had first received His Father’s love (see Matt. 3:17). And wouldn’t you agree that of all people, Jesus truly prospered in all things?

So my friend, will you start receiving God’s unfailing love for you today? You can begin by meditating on verses like 3 John 1:2, where He calls you His beloved. And it won’t be long before you begin to see yourself thriving in all things!

Why are we called to encourage? In Hebrews 3:13, we are told to “encourage one another daily.” (NIV) Then, in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, it says, “encourage one another and build one another up.” We also learn in Proverbs 12:25 that, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.”

So, with this in mind, we have to wonder why – why is it so important to God that we encourage one another? Are we doing all we can to share God’s love with our brothers and sisters? And, not to mention, who does God want us to encourage?

Let’s explore:

Why is it so important to God that we encourage one another?

We all know this world can be tough. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s truly important in a world where we are dealing with daily strife, uphill battles and the looming pressure to make everything okay. Many experience discouragement and this leads to giving in – throwing in the towel and saying “nevermind, I give up.” This is where encouraging others is essential. This is where God uses His people to speak truth to our hearts to remind us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33) and that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). We must encourage one another so that we can bring glory to God not just in our lives, but in the lives of those around us as well. Must we never forget 1 John 3:16 where we learn the true meaning of love – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

Are we doing all we can to share God’s love with our brothers and sisters?

Just think about it for a second – we’re good people, right? We open doors for strangers, smile at dirty, oil-changing men at the service station and we even cleaned up a little after the potluck last Sunday. But, what we must ask ourselves is are we giving it all we got, or are we just doing the bare minimum by being polite and personable while keeping our hands clean at the same time. We invite you to spend some quiet time with God. Ask Him to shine His light on new ways for you to share His love. Ask Him to give you the strength to pursue the doors He is opening in your life and to give you the tools and passion needed to reach out in His name and truly make an impact for the Kingdom.

Who has God called us to encourage?

While many of us feel a strong need to encourage the people we love, it’s somewhat a little harder to reach out to those whom we don’t really care for. Let’s be honest – how many times have you encouraged someone who has been downright rude to you, or someone that you believe is on the wrong path in life? I mean, really, how easy is it to overlook the elderly person who is taking too long at the supermarket or the hateful neighbor who just loves to complain about your dogs or the homeless man who you pass every day on your way to work? However, in Matthew 7: 1-29 it says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” We must be willing to look outside of our box, forgive as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32), and reach out beyond our comfort zone to reach those who may need a little extra attention.

Learn more about how, where and when God has called us to encourage one another. Share the love of Jesus. Start encouraging today!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Encouraging one another doesn’t sound so hard. A fist bump here, an ‘atta girl’ there. A quick text to say “Hang in there, you can do this!” A hug when you see a friend in person.

Encouraging one another sounds pretty easy . . . until you realize it’s not.

What happens when she gets the opportunity that passed you by? What about when your co-worker gets the credit for a job well done that couldn’t have happened without you? When that mom in your moms’ group has everything already figured out? When it’s a weary looking shopper in the cereal aisle at the grocery? When it’s your spouse as you meet to unravel a financial mess you *may* attribute to their bookkeeping? When it’s another family member, and you worry about embarrassing yourself or them?

Encouragement sounds simple, but if our own emotions get in the way, it can actually be rather difficult to “encourage one another and build each other up.” She doesn’t need me to tell her she’s doing a good job, she must know already. I don’t even know that lady – she’ll think I’m kooky. Don’t we want to be encouraged? Don’t we deserve to be built up by another?

We do. You do. But the Lord doesn’t give us a free pass to withhold encouragement because of jealousy or fear.

He does ask us to speak life into the hearts of the people in our lives no matter what, because that’s what He does for us.

I know it can be hard. I know that for many reasons, you may not always feel like building someone else up. Encouraging, uplifting words don’t always come naturally, and there can be a fear of those words – of our hearts – being rejected.

Anytime we put our hearts on the line, we take a leap of faith. But in the leaping, we allow the Lord to hold our hand.

Offer the encouraging word nearly spilling from your lips, held back only by fear. Grab the hand of God and let Him guide you – following His lead will never let you down. Encourage one another and build each other up. Simple – and sometimes difficult – as that.

How – who – can you boldly encourage and build up this week?

Who comes to mind that you should encourage? Take this opportunity to reach out, give them a phone call. Share the love of Jesus with those around you on a daily basis!

Answer:

Philippians 4:7 refers to “the peace of God which transcends all understanding.” Most of Paul’s letters began with the words “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace is a state of tranquility or quietness of spirit that transcends circumstances. The term peace is described in Scripture as a gift from God and congruent with His character (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Galatians 6:16; 1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 13:20).

If God is peace, then to know God is to bask in His peace. The closer we draw to Him, the more of His peace we can enjoy (James 4:8). God gives us clear instructions about how to draw near to Him. Psalm 24:3–4 says, “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” But Scripture is also clear that we cannot make ourselves clean enough or pure enough to earn the presence of the Lord (Romans 3:10, 23). So how do we draw near enough to experience His peace? Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). We come into the presence of the Lord through His Son (John 14:6). When we allow Jesus’ death and resurrection to purchase our forgiveness from God, we are counted as righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our sins are forgiven because Jesus already paid the price for them. Only then can we have peace with God (Romans 4:5; 5:1; 1 John 4:10).

The initial peace that comes from having our consciences wiped clean grows as we get to know God better (Hebrews 10:22). First Peter 1:2 says, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord” (NLT). When we grow in understanding of the depths and riches of God’s love toward us (Ephesians 3:18–19; Romans 8:38–39), our minds and spirits begin to rest in His power and wisdom. We begin to understand that He really will make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). We learn that His purposes will be accomplished (Psalm 33:11; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 45:9; 46:9–11).

Certain attitudes can destroy the peace of God. When we equate trust with the assumption that God will give us whatever we want, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The Bible is filled with examples of the opposite happening to God’s people (2 Corinthians 12:7–9; Hebrews 11:13; Psalm 10:1). Trust means we have set our hearts to believe God, whatever may happen. When we insist on being in control, we sabotage God’s desire to let us live in peace. When we choose worry rather than faith, we cannot live in peace. Jesus warned us often about fear and worry (Matthew 6:34; Luke 12:29; Philippians 4:6). Worry is the enemy of peace. God invites us to cast our cares upon Him and then let go of them (1 Peter 5:7).

Living in peace can be compared to the petals of a flower unfolding in the morning sunlight. The petals of peace in our lives unfold as we learn more about God. We discover that His character is always faithful. We experience His continual goodness. We read more of His promises (Psalm 100:5; 115:11; Isaiah 26:4). We learn to bask in His overwhelming love for us (Romans 8:38–39). We refuse to allow ever-changing circumstances to determine our level of contentment, relying instead upon the character of God that never changes (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6).

When we develop a lifestyle of making the Lord our refuge, we begin to live in the peace of God (Psalm 46:1; 62:8). Psalm 91:1 holds the secret to living in the peace of God: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” That secret place in our hearts is where we go to meet with God. When we choose to live there and hide away under His shadow, staying in constant communion with Him, we can remain peaceful, even when circumstances may not be. When we learn to cry out to Him in times of trouble, we find that His peace really does pass all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Matthew 6:26-34
²⁶Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
²⁷Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
²⁹and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
³⁰Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
³²For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Verses for this web page
are from the NKJV translation

1 Thessalonians 5:23
²³Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 6:16
¹⁶And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

1 Peter 1:2
²as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

Hebrews 13:20
²⁰Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

James 4:8
⁸Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Romans 3:10, 23
¹⁰As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

John 14:27
²¹He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

John 14:6
⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

2 Corinthians 5:21
²¹For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 4:5; 5:1
⁵But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
¹Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 4:10
¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Hebrews 10:22
²²let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Ephesians 3:18-19
¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height
¹⁹to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Romans 8:38-39
³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28
²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Psalm 33:11
¹¹The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.

Proverbs 19:21
²¹ There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’S counsel-that will stand.

Isaiah 45:9;46:9-11
⁹ “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 46:9-11

⁹Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9
⁷7And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
⁸Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
⁹And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Hebrews 11:13
¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Psalm 10:1
¹Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?  Why do You hide in times of trouble?

Matthew 6:34
³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Luke 12:29
²⁹“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

Philippians 4:6
⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

1 Peter 5:7
⁷casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Romans 8:38-39
³⁸For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 1:17
¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Malachi 3:6
⁶“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

Psalm 46:1
¹God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 62:8
⁸Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Philippians 4:7
⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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Are pets part of the family? This may seem like a trivial question for some people but for those who have pets, this is a question that has been asked particularly after the death of their pets. The Bible is clear that babies, young children, infants, or toddlers that die before they are able to accept Jesus Christ as Savior go directly into the presence of the Lord. When a parent loses a child, they can be comforted with this fact [1], but this does not mean that they will not grieve them. I can remember losing pets and losing them is painful; our family has grieved these who were lost too. They are part of the family. They are treated as a child and I have had a few pets that thought that they were human too in the way they acted.

I know of several couples that were unable to have children [2] and so they were especially close to their pets and loved them as they would their very own children if they were able to bear them. Many elderly couples and those who have had a spouse die are left only with their pets and animal’s companionship has sustained them through many lonely days and long nights. A pet’s love [3] is so very often completely unconditional. They don’t care what your day was like, what went wrong at work, what your mood is when you come home. They are always ready to jump up into your lap and are so full of joy at seeing you that they display this love in their actions. How often I have come home from a hard day at work only to see my beloved dogs or cats run with joy to greet me. Their sheer joy at seeing me often makes me forget what a difficult day I had because they are there to meet with eager expectation.

Famous Christians Who Believe Pets Go To Heaven

Randy Alcorn in his book called “Heaven” believes that animals will be present in the Kingdom of Heaven. Famous Christian authors who believe that pets go to heaven include: C. S. Lewis, Peter Kreeft, Sylvia Brown, Niki Behrikis Shanahan, James Herriot, and dozens and dozens of others; the list of Christian pastors, theologians, and clergy is too long to list here. Suffice it to say that a lot of Christians believe that pets do go to heaven and that there will be animals in heaven.

What the Bible Says About Animals

Let’s take a look at the scriptures that relate to animals and what is said of them:
Ecclesiastes 3:18-21: “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath (literally “spirit”); humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

Job 12:10 “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath (literally “spirit”) of all mankind.”

Genesis 9:9-10 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth.”

Genesis 9:16 “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 6:19-22 “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

Genesis 1:30 “And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food.”

Hosea 2:18 “In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.”

Luke 12:6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.”

Animals in Heaven

The Bible indicates that animals will exist after His return and the beginning of the Kingdom as Isaiah 11:6-9 reads, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Here is the Word of God declaring that animals will still exist in the future, after Christ’s reign begins. Ecclesiastes mentions that there is a “spirit” in man but also in animals in (3:19, 21) but this does not necessarily mean that it is an eternal spirit.

Revelation 19:11-14 indicates, for example, that Jesus returns to the earth with His army of saints on white horses, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.”

The Conclusion

Upon examining the scriptures we just don’t have biblical support to say this with certainty whether or not our pets will be in heaven, however it does appear that animals will exist in the Kingdom of heaven (Isaiah 11:6-9). If our pets will be resurrected or not, we just cannot say for sure. A more important question is if you, the reader, will be in heaven. It is pointless to ponder the question of whether your pet goes to heaven if you yourself are not there. The only way to be sure is to make certain you can go there. Decide today to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and have the full assurance that you will go to heaven and receive eternal life. As for your pets being in heaven or not, the only way to find out is to go there yourself. That is my prayer for you.

Doctors have discovered that worry, stress, fear and anxiety can cause stomach ulcers, high blood pressure and other health problems. The Bible says that a merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) It also says that God wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)

When our church was much smaller, I used to worry a lot about my sermons weeks before I even preached them! I was so stressed that I developed symptoms in my body. Two doctors checked me on separate days and found my blood pressure to be very high. Other tests found traces of blood in my urine. I even had mild panic attacks. I believe that the devil was trying to undermine my ministry and destroy me.

But praise God, He delivered and healed me, and taught me not to worry. Today, the church is a lot bigger and I have learned by the grace of God not to worry. The verse that set me free was this: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” (Matthew 6:34) You see, if you worry about tomorrow, you are trying to live tomorrow today!

My friend, God does not want you to do that. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He did not say, “Give us this day our weekly bread.” God gives us daily bread, not weekly bread. God doesn’t give tomorrow’s bread today. And today’s bread is not meant for tomorrow!

This means that God wants you to live today and not worry about what will happen or what you have to do tomorrow. He gives you sufficient grace for today, not tomorrow.

“But Pastor Prince, I have a very important presentation to give tomorrow!”

Beloved, when tomorrow comes, the bread-provision and grace-will be there. I am not advocating laziness and inactivity. By all means, do your homework, but don’t worry about it. Just trust the One who wants you to give Him all your cares (1 Peter 5:7), and enjoy His peace and life today!

Thought For The Day

Don’t worry about tomorrow for when tomorrow comes, the bread-provision and grace-will be there.