May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. (Verse 3)
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens...In Christ we are set free by the blood of His death, and so we have forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3, 7-8
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God's great mercy He has caused us to be born again into a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Now we hope for the blessings God has for His children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept for you in heaven. God's power protects you through your faith until salvation is shown to you at the end of time. 1 Peter 1-5 Italics, mine
I've heard people say that heaven can't be a substantial place. Not palpable and real, like Earth. Their thinking is that it's a completely spiritual realm where we are see-through vapors, souls only, moving ghost-like through a place where everything is translucent and, in my opinion, a little weird. That isn't what Jesus promised us. The book of Revelation that was given to John, the apostle, straight from the mouth of the risen Jesus, tells of a city, measured out in exact dimensions, with jewel-encrusted foundations and a mighty river that pounds through it. Huge trees bear fruit that heavenly saints eat. And before He left Earth on the night of His arrest, Jesus told His disciples: "Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you (John 14)." Heaven is as real as Earth and as substantial. If it weren't, Jesus would have told us that.
So, what can we expect from the God Who dwells there as our Father? Do you expect to have blessings lavished upon you today? Lavished. That is the kind of grace we received by the death of Christ. The spiritual blessing of salvation was an extravagant purchase, bought by the blood of God's Beloved Son. A real Son. Real blood. That sets us free! And, boy, do we need to be unchained! We have been rescued from the grasp of Satan and unfettered from our own reckless desires. We are freed to be our true selves, children of the Most High God, filled with the Holy Spirit, made new to walk in joy, no longer having to follow the road to hell. That doesn't mean we don't struggle. We do. But we have One Who protects us through our faith. Jesus is still watching out for us in our warfare with the world. Blessing us with a grace and hope that can't be destroyed or spoiled. My heart is drinking that in this morning. I want to experience every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ and to be drenched in sumptuous grace. To know my Abba is seeing my life today from the throne room and encircling it with blessing. I can't breathe without His blessing. I tell Him this every day.
My grandsons went home last Friday. Back to Virginia with their mom. Waiting for them was a dad who hadn't seen them in over two weeks. "I have surprises for you," Nick told them over the phone on Thursday. "They're waiting for you when you get here." That's exactly what our Father says to us. "I'm keeping a place for you...and I can't wait to give you all the blessings I've stored up to lavish on you when you get home." Unspeakable beauty, unfathomable joy, uninterrupted time with our God. Only the hint of that down here. Earth is only a type of the real realm where everything begins and ends. Where the Maker of heaven and earth chooses to cry out blessing over me right now, reminding me of the blessings yet to come.
May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you today from Zion!!
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens...In Christ we are set free by the blood of His death, and so we have forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3, 7-8
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God's great mercy He has caused us to be born again into a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Now we hope for the blessings God has for His children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept for you in heaven. God's power protects you through your faith until salvation is shown to you at the end of time. 1 Peter 1-5 Italics, mine
I've heard people say that heaven can't be a substantial place. Not palpable and real, like Earth. Their thinking is that it's a completely spiritual realm where we are see-through vapors, souls only, moving ghost-like through a place where everything is translucent and, in my opinion, a little weird. That isn't what Jesus promised us. The book of Revelation that was given to John, the apostle, straight from the mouth of the risen Jesus, tells of a city, measured out in exact dimensions, with jewel-encrusted foundations and a mighty river that pounds through it. Huge trees bear fruit that heavenly saints eat. And before He left Earth on the night of His arrest, Jesus told His disciples: "Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you (John 14)." Heaven is as real as Earth and as substantial. If it weren't, Jesus would have told us that.
So, what can we expect from the God Who dwells there as our Father? Do you expect to have blessings lavished upon you today? Lavished. That is the kind of grace we received by the death of Christ. The spiritual blessing of salvation was an extravagant purchase, bought by the blood of God's Beloved Son. A real Son. Real blood. That sets us free! And, boy, do we need to be unchained! We have been rescued from the grasp of Satan and unfettered from our own reckless desires. We are freed to be our true selves, children of the Most High God, filled with the Holy Spirit, made new to walk in joy, no longer having to follow the road to hell. That doesn't mean we don't struggle. We do. But we have One Who protects us through our faith. Jesus is still watching out for us in our warfare with the world. Blessing us with a grace and hope that can't be destroyed or spoiled. My heart is drinking that in this morning. I want to experience every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ and to be drenched in sumptuous grace. To know my Abba is seeing my life today from the throne room and encircling it with blessing. I can't breathe without His blessing. I tell Him this every day.
My grandsons went home last Friday. Back to Virginia with their mom. Waiting for them was a dad who hadn't seen them in over two weeks. "I have surprises for you," Nick told them over the phone on Thursday. "They're waiting for you when you get here." That's exactly what our Father says to us. "I'm keeping a place for you...and I can't wait to give you all the blessings I've stored up to lavish on you when you get home." Unspeakable beauty, unfathomable joy, uninterrupted time with our God. Only the hint of that down here. Earth is only a type of the real realm where everything begins and ends. Where the Maker of heaven and earth chooses to cry out blessing over me right now, reminding me of the blessings yet to come.
May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you today from Zion!!
I really needed this today! Thanks
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