Archive for the ‘Heaven’ Category
Thursday, May 9th, 2013
The Narrow Gate, May 9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6, www.solascriptura.com
Father, You tell us that You chose us and that You choose to bless us with every spiritual blessing. You have adopted us. We are heirs to Your Kingdom.
Here, Paul teaches us that we were predestined to be adopted as Your sons, by Jesus Christ, and that His will to do so gave Him pleasure. His grace to us brings glory to His name and He has made us acceptable in His sight.
First, Father, we know that You and Jesus are as one and that our election, our predestination was known by You. You would not be omniscient if You did not know that we would respond to Your love for us, personally. You knew we would accept Your invitation, Your grace and Your mercy.
Second, when Jesus came here, His life, His death and His resurrection became a pivotal event in history. Where men had been unable to fulfill the Law of the Old Covenant, You taught us, Jesus, that the New Covenant had replaced the Old. We now stand in the presence of the Father, not based only upon our obedience, but based upon our faith in You and our acceptance of You as savior. Yes, Father the old hymn, Trust and Obey, does sum it up. We can now stand in the presence of the Father, cleansed of our sin, as sons; sons that He knew would choose to have faith in You Jesus. Perfect! Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: Christ, Ephesians 1:3-6, God, Jesus, Lord, narrow gate, obey, omniscient, predestined, resurrection, sin, trust
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Religion | 16 Comments »
Sunday, March 17th, 2013
Perseverance, March 17
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,
and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,
Hebrews 6:4-11, www.solascriptura.com
Father, we confess our dependence on You. You have taught us that to know You and then abandon You is a grave error. Those who do so are like the thorns and briars that will be destroyed in the end. But we who love You and all the works we do in Your name will not be forgotten. We know that our works, in and of themselves, merit us nothing. Our works only count if they are truly a labor of love to You and to those created in Your image.
Help us to “finish well”, to show the same diligence towards You, every day until the end. Help us O’God to be as the cultivated herb, bearing fruit worthy of our calling. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: crucify, diligence, enlightened, gift, God, heavenly, Holy Spirit, partakers, powers, renew, repentance, saints, shame, Son of God, tasted
Posted in Christianity, End Times, Fidelity, Forgiven, Heaven, Law of God, Perseverance, faith | 15 Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2013
Peace, February 18
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
”Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
”They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
”for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7:13-17, www.solascriptura.com
Father, we know that the great tribulation will be a time of extreme testing. There are those who will endure the temptations wherein we are asked to serve someone beside You; but here these saints, whose sins were washed away by the blood of Your perfect Lamb, Jesus, are depicted as an example of what You have in store for the faithful.
We also see that those who are saved will serve You. Father, sometimes we think of our future with You as moments of esteem, where we are honored for our faith. Yes, we will be honored for our faith but our eternal future will be one of being led by You to the living water and the tears we shed here will be remembered no more. We will abide in perfection; no hunger, no thirst, no excess heat, but just joy in serving You, not seeking to be honored but to be led and shepherded by You.
Remove from us our earthly bonds that we might be with You but until then, help us joyfully and faithfully serve others and to love and obey You. We pray in Jesus’ Holy name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: blood, day, elders, hunger, Lamb, peace, Revelation 7:13-17, robes, tears, Temple, thirst, throne, washed, waters, white
Posted in Christianity, Courage, End Times, Forgiven, God's Children, God's Gift, Heaven, Perseverance | 104 Comments »
Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
Conscience, February 2 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:1-10;17-18;23-24, www.solascriptura.com Father, Your omnipresence in our lives and world is beyond our comprehension. We know you have none of the boundaries of the flesh and that You created each of us. Now You teach us that You search us, You know when we arise and lay down, You know the words on our tongues and the thoughts of our hearts. You encompass us, Your thoughts toward us are greater than the sand, a quantity we can not count. Father, if we could but respond to You in the same way and give the same consideration, attention and time back to You that You give to us, that would keep our focus on our source of strength. We have access, all day long, to Your wisdom and presence. Help us respond, constantly. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: anxieties, Conscience, count, Heaven, hedged, hell, knowledge, known, Lord, presence, Psalm 139:1-10;17-18;23-24, rising, sand, sea, searched, Spirit, thought, tongue, wicked, wings
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, Prayer, Providence of God | 89 Comments »
Friday, January 4th, 2013
Prayer, Part I, January 4, 2010
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
”as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
”And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:1-3, www.solascriptura.com
Jesus, we acknowledge You as the Son of God, our personal Savior and our Advocate at the time of judgment. We have confidence that our love for You, by the grace given to us by God to be His chosen children, will result in our being with all believers in heaven, rejoicing forever.
Help us this day to be a witness of this extraordinary kind of love, a love that changes lives now and promises eternal life, forever. Oh how we pray that we can grasp the concept of eternity, that we might see how pivotal this short test really is.
Jesus said, “The hour has come, glorify Your Son…”. Indeed, the hour is upon us all, right now. It is our moment to glorify the Son, this day. Fill us we pray with a renewed spirit, one that is empowered by You.
In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: eternal, Father, flesh, glorify, Heaven, Jesus, Prayer
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Inspirtation, Prayer, salvation | 7 Comments »
Monday, December 31st, 2012
Law of God, December 31
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14, www.solascriptura.com
Father, this oft quoted verse quotes a truth for all generations and all nations. We have had Your hand of grace and mercy extended to us and now we hear a pivotal word that enables or disables our relationship with you; “if”. We read many times in the Bible about conditional promises. If we will do such and such, then You will fulfill a promise.
Father, here you give us some very specific instructions; if we humble ourselves, if we pray, if we seek Your face and if we turn from our wicked ways, then You will hear, You will forgive our sins and You will heal our land. We know that the healing of our land will happen sooner if our individual hearts are healed.
Father, as we wind up a year of activity and we are about to embark upon a New Year, we want to claim Your promise by obeying You. We, by Your grace and mercy, can receive a new heart, we are able to be forgiven as a result of Jesus most humbling and painful sacrifice, made for us and next year can be better than the last year.
We know, Father, that is Your perfect will for us. You want us to respond to the enabling power that accompanies obedience. Help us we pray to love and obey, better than ever before. Bring us to Your word and continue to reach out and teach us, we pray. Give us, this day, the resolve to make each day a better day, one in which we feel the gentle touch of Your Spirit lifting us up. You are the empowerment we seek. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: forgive, God, heal, Heaven, humble, II Chronicles 7:14, law, pray, seek
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Hope, Law of God, Prayer, Religion, faith | 14 Comments »
Saturday, December 29th, 2012
Salvation, December 29
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; his right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The LORD has made known His salvation; his righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98:1-3, www.solascriptura.com
Father, when You tell us to “sing a new song”, that implies that it is not a song we know. Is that what heaven is like Father, a place of new songs, new understandings?
We can not, from this side, gain an appreciation of what heaven will be like. You have promised us that it will be beautiful, unlike anything our hearts and minds have imagined or seen.
What we know for sure, Father, is that we who love You will be greatly esteemed, because of our faith in Jesus and His redemptive act and our obedience to You. You have revealed the truth to us and You are continuing to reveal the truth. Bless us as we seek You. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: faithfulness, God, Holy, Israel, Lord, mercy, nations, salvation, sing, song, victory
Posted in Christianity, Heaven, Hope, joy | 6 Comments »
Sunday, December 16th, 2012
Temptation, December 16
”Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
”Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
”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.
Revelation 3:10-12, www.solascriptura.com
Father, we know that trials will come on the Day of Judgment; but here You promise us we shall kept, by You, from that hour of trial. You have taught us Father that in the interim we will be tested and that each test is intended to strengthen us, to get us in spiritual shape to handle what is coming.
Father, we know to train for a race or to prepare for a recital and that such conditioning is prescribed; but please help us prepare for the most important test of our life, one in which we stand before You.
You promise us that Your name will be inscribed upon us, we will belong to You forever and that Your name will be a name that is new to us, a name by which we will address You for eternity.
Father, there is so much we do not yet understand, but this we know. Your love for us will prevail and You will protect us and claim us as Your children, Your friends and servants forever. We seek to be like You Jesus and in Your Holy name we pray these things, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: command, God, Heaven, persevere, pillar, temptation, test, trial
Posted in Christianity, Courage, Heaven, Perseverance | 13 Comments »
Friday, November 2nd, 2012
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. Salvation is not later, it is 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 Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: blessed, Christ, dead, Father, God, Heaven, Hope, Jesus, Lord, mercy
Posted in Christianity, Courage, God's Children, Heaven, Inspirtation, peace | 555 Comments »
Monday, October 29th, 2012
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
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: churches, ear, God, Heaven, paradise, Spirit, tree
Posted in Christianity, God's Gift, Heaven, peace, salvation | 8 Comments »