For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.—Colossians 3:2 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=afb215fb77&e=3dd732485b)Back in older times, there was a Latin phrase they would write on the top of a document. It was memento mori. It means, "Think of death."

You say, "That is so morbid." It actually is not. It was a reminder to be aware of the fact that life ends. Be aware of the fact that eternity is close. Be aware of the fact that there is an afterlife.

It is not a bad thing to think about these things deeply. In fact, it was C. S. Lewis who said, "A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not . . . a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do." You should think about death, eternity, and the afterlife.

If you are a Christian, you are going to enter heaven in one of two ways: either through death or through the rapture. Either we will die, or the Lord will catch us up to meet Him in the air.

Imagine being part of the rapture. One day you might be walking on the street, thinking about a loved one who has gone to be with the Lord. Maybe you are thinking about your last conversation with them, or wondering what they are experiencing there in heaven. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, you will be with them.

Mothers and fathers reunited with sons and daughters. Husbands reunited with wives. Siblings with siblings. Friends with friends. Your sorrow vanishes and it is replaced by ecstatic joy. Not only are you with your loved one again, but best of all you are with Jesus.

For the Christian, thinking about the afterlife is not a bad thing. It is actually a good thing. So go ahead and think about it. Go ahead and dream about it. Go ahead and wonder about it. It is called being heavenly minded

[Boaz]

Thank you rl69 . Good thought for today ! I do look forward to that time .

[Preacher Jim]

Great reassurance of things hoped for and fulfilled by faith.

[Pine Baron]

Thank, rl. You know, I haven't really thought about it for a long time. I think once you have accepted Jesus Christ and His promise of salvation, your thoughts and actions can turn to others. i don't worry for me, but for others, the time is short.

[EMC45]

Thank you RL, and very true Pine Baron!

[Blackwater]

This one's very hard for young folks, with all their hopes, dreams and aspirations, to comprehend. Us older guys, and folks who've had occasion to face their mortality rather rudely an ddefinitively, have an easier time with it. But whether we realize it fully or not, it's always true. I always understood it intellectually, but dreaded it as a practical matter. Now, I figure I'm living on borrowed time already, and am really kind'a suprised I'm still here at all. So, nowadays, I just wait on the time, whenever the Lord's ready for me, and keep trying to do what I can, and learn to know him better and more fully. I haven't really feared death sine 1969. I knew real fear for about 20-30 seconds when we were fired on with rockets and mortars. Fear gets real old in a big hurry. Then, all you want to do is "solve the problem" as definitively and quickly as possible. Fear will always be a mocker, and in particular, it mocks the promises God has given us, and the sources of Hope Crist purchased for us on the cross. Haven't been afraid since. Excited a time or two, but never fearful.

When you realize that even if you die, it's all going to be OK, there just isn't anything left to be afraid of. Fear is the antithesis of faith, and a denial of all the promises we've been given. Realizing that surely sets a man free in many ways that nothing else really can.