I have this friend. Her name is Esther. We are an odd combination for friends, perhaps....she is in her late seventies and I am only ( ...cough cough) in my forties. She is German and also lived for a time in South America so she is continually looking for the right word in the right language, struggling between the three that she speaks equally well.
Esther, like me has been given the ...blessing/testing/curse/hardship of terrible health, being assaulted by numerous ailments and painful diseases for most of her life. She recently wrote me a card, which I am going to quote to you here...just as it is written:
Deares Cynthia
One dai both of us will run douwn heavens meadows; holding hand's singing psalms and praises to our Lord. No more pain, no more doubt, no more confusion, no more tears, ore question "just free".
Hold on to that hope, don't get discourage. I think daily of you. Job never found out in His life time wy He had to suffer so much. I love you...Esther
and on the other side she wrote, "I know, i was there and i am there."
I must've read this card twenty times since receiving it the day before yesterday. And every time I read it, I cry. Because the image of me and Esther being able to run through God's meadows is heart-achingly beautiful. I so much long to be able to run...And one might think that a 70+ year old woman would no longer think of running, but I guess they miss it too...especially if they have never really had a chance to do it on earth.
But this is not really my whole point.
I was just reading in Ephesians 4....Verse one talks about walking worthy of our calling, in unity and peace. (today's sermon was on Mt. 5:9 about being peacemakers)...But then, down in verse 20, it starts talking about putting on our new nature now. What does this mean? It struck me as I read it, that we have the choice and the ability to put on the nature that we will wear in heaven NOW by obeying the instructions which follow in that chapter.
Isn't that amazing? We can't put on our heavenly, resurrected bodies now; we can't experience the delights of heaven now; WE CAN EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE INTIMACY WITH JESUS NOW; AND WE CAN ENJOY OUR NEW NATURE NOW...Think how amazing it would be to go to church if everyone had on their heavenly nature there!!! Think about how we would interact with each other and with the world and how serious we would get about our mission on this earth if we had on this nature! Things would change let me tell you...especially in me! Think how things would change in our marriages if we were to have on the nature of Heaven?
Now it's true that, here in this earth, we will face temptation and sometimes failure, because we are still plagued by the curse of sin....But just think, if we got serious about wearing heaven's nature and being CONSCIOUS of it in our daily interactions with people, how different things could be! I don't think any of us fully understand or grasp how all encompassing this change would be. It doesn't just mean "don't tell a deliberate, overt lie" (although, obviously that is included). It means to avoid every kind of deception ...with others and in ourselves.
Tell the truth to yourself...! All the time! And make no effort at all to give others a false impression about things or about yourself!! Let it all hang out baby! But let it hang out with the goal of receiving their forgiveness, help and encouragement in assisting you to continue to refine your heavenly character and to make the necessary changes to do that.
I wonder, what the difference will be between those who have been serious about putting on and refining their heavenly nature now, here on earth, and those who get there, all full of themselves and earthly, saying, "OK, Jesus, Lay it on me!" and expect then to receive a perfect sinless nature. We do know that there is no sin in heaven...but still I also know that God is a God of justice who loves to reward us for obedience. So I think that in terms of whatever kinds of rewards there are in heaven, Person A will be in much better shape than Person B in the above scenario.
But regardless of that.
Just that image of running free in the meadow of God.
We can do that to some degree now.
Put on the nature of heaven now. Run free of those entangling sins.
(For more on running without the entanglement of sin tripping us up; see Hebrews 12)
The NLT says the following:
"...throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life....Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy"
Then follow seven verses of explicit directions is how to accomplish that purpose. Check out Eph. 4 It describes Heaven's character in detail: How the Children of Light live. I'm a child of Light but, honestly, I'm still living like a "son of thunder" as two of Jesus' disciples were described early on in their association with Jesus. (There is also a phrase in scripture, "Sons of Perdition."...Let's hope none of us fall into that one...)
Children of Light live in Unity, and Peace. They speak truthfully out of Love. They don't give anger a place in their lives; they work so that they can give to those in need; Every word out of their mouths is encouraging, beneficial to those who hear and pleasing to God's Spirit; Children of Light are kind, loving, tender-hearted, forgiving, never bitter. Does this sound impossible?
If God tells us to do this; then it's not impossible. He would never tell us to do something simply to watch us fail in frustration. No. It says that we are to do these things "by His Spirit"...the same Spirit that was in Jesus, helping him to obey and live perfectly, is also in His Children. If you are NOT a child of God...If you've never asked the Spirit of Christ to rule your lives; if you've never asked for the blood of Jesus to cleanse you from all of your sin...then yes, this is impossible for you. Don't even try it, you will be frustrated and fail. You are still dominated by the curse of Adam and have no way in you to meet God's requirements. (btw; if you would like to become a child of God or a Child of Light but don't know how, please contact me at cynthialottvogel@gmail.com and I would be glad to help you.)
But for those of you who ARE Children of Light (and you know who you are)...Don't you want to run free in those meadows?? I think we can to some degree, even here. But first we've got to get rid of those shackles so we can dance....and run.
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