September 14, 2020

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Not so good for the Vikings though. I got our favorite bars made and took our our Fall decorations. Soon we are going to the dentist in Remer for our check ups and cleaning. One day we will have to find a dentist here in Baxter. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

Lately Al and I have known many friends and acquaintances that have died; some were older but some were young and suddenly taken. As a result, it has caused us to take more time to be reflective and talk about heaven as we walk on the trail each afternoon. Al happened to get a book recently by Larry Crabb, “Waiting for Heaven”, and I have read only a few chapters but it has caused me to rethink some things. Perhaps we keep heaven at a distance and think only of the here and now and miss the larger story. When we do that, we attempt to find our satisfaction in what the world offers and become self-centered, often addicted to so many things like food, drugs, sex etc. Our real satisfaction is to be found in God and He never promised us that life would be bed of roses in this world with comfortable circumstances.  In fact, he said we would have trials and testing and that they could make us stronger and more like Him in the process. Crabb says there is too much casual Christianity today and instead of living in humility and being other centered, people seek pleasure and get addicted to things that they think will make them happy. We must wait for heaven to provide complete satisfaction and not get self- absorbed in the meantime. Our hope is in Him and we wait for what is ahead rather than taking things into our own hands.  If we are honest, we may have to admit that we want pleasant experiences now and relief from anything that is difficult. Crabb writes of Complacent Christians that want a comfortable life now and live in self-protection with a desire for self-enhancement. Casual Christians want to avoid pain and find themselves often giving in to pleasures of the world. But Committed Christians choose to wait in hope without demanding satisfaction from the world now but expecting everything that is awaiting them one day in heaven. Peter says in I Peter 1:13 (Amplified), “So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.”

Challenge for today: Be willing to wait in hope for what God has promised for later.