“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13 ESV) 

How old are you in your head?

I heard an interesting interview with residents in a nursing home. The interviewer asked each person: “How old are you in your head?” And the answers were fascinating. The mind-set ages were all over the place. Some had a mental age pretty close to actual, others did not. The one that really caught my attention was the lady, somewhere in her mid to late 80s, said, “I still see myself in my mind as 20!” After she said that, I took a second look at her and noticed she looked healthy and she did not dress, walk or act like an old person; her hair and makeup was perfect, she spoke clearly, and she was alert, inquisitive, and enthusiastic. As the others revealed their mind-set ages, I noticed their appearance and behavior matched what they said. Why is this so? Simple, the Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7). Therefore, if you are young or old in your head, that’s how you will behave.

I asked myself that same question

After giving it some thought, I realized the age in my head for most of my adult life was 35. And I did act that age, until something awful happened that changed it; I got long-term COVID! It lasted over a year and a half and caused serious lung issues that felt like walking pneumonia; I gained a lot of weight; I lost energy; I lost my sense of taste and smell; but worse of all, I got horrible brain fog and could no longer hold a thought! I now felt old! In a short time, I transitioned from age 35 in my head to my actual physical age, 77. I began to think, act, and feel old!

Something had to change!

I finally became very tired of feeling old with all the negative symptoms. So, I did a self-evaluation, developed a plan for recovery, and began to do everything I could do, with God’s help, to change things. I started a strict diet and lost 25 pounds; I began to exercise daily; and I focused on accomplishing some exciting new projects. And it worked! It didn't take long for wonderful things to happen. I felt better, regained my sense of taste and smell, the brain fog vanished, and my old energy came flooding back. And I realized something else wonderful had happened—in my head, I'm back to age 35!

Therefore

Change your mind, change your life!

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2)

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6)

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12)

Just before Jesus rose into heaven, He promised He would soon come again to take his own with Him at the resurrection of the dead.

Be alert and ready!

It is wonderful news that he is coming again to make all things right, but it also means that we should live in a state of readiness for his return. Seek his kingdom and trust him. Walk in his Spirit and do his will.

Therefore

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17 ESV)

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” (Rev. 1:7 ESV)

“In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3)

Jesus promises that there is a place prepared for us in heaven. And though He said we will experience some troubles while living here (John 16:33), they are temporary.

Therefore 

We are co-heirs with Jesus and will receive an inheritance in heaven in him for eternity. Live for him today, so that you can live with him forever.

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6)

Some people sincerely want to know what God’s will is for their lives, but they struggle with a lack of direction; they don’t know what they should do or where they should go. And they are looking everywhere to find it. They are making it too hard for themselves.

The answer

The promise at the top of the page starts off with the answer using eight simple words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart!” Where most get it wrong is that they think there has to be more to finding God’s will than just doing that, so they overthink it. They often think they must do something religious to find God’s will for their lives. And, of course, there’s an endless crowd of religious organizations and cults standing by with their instructions about what you must do. But don’t go there! Simply trusting in the Lord with all your heart will get you exactly where God wants you to be—the center of His will for you! And how do you do that, you may ask? The instructions are right there in the rest of the passage: “Do not lean on your own understanding.” That will only mislead you! (Prov. 14:12). Instead, “In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.” That’s it! Just do that and God takes care of the rest!

Therefore

Another similar verse says to “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33).

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:31-33 NIV)

The above promise is very powerful!

Jesus was speaking about the fact that God knows all your needs; He clothes the birds, makes beautiful flowers, and He cares more about you than them. Therefore, don't worry; just seek Him first, and the rest of your needs, such as food and clothing, will be provided to you by Him.

There is nothing more powerful in the Christian life than living under the rule and reign of God in his kingdom. The kingdom of God is the opposite of the kingdom of the world and submission to God’s rule will radically change your life for the better.

Therefore 

Don’t worry! Radically trust God! Seek his kingdom and His righteousness first in everything you do and leave the rest to him; it will radically change your life in every way.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8 ESV)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

Notice that the promise above says, “all things work together for good.” Even though Jesus said we would have trouble while living in this fallen world (John 16:33). And He certainly had his share of troubles, too, it’s going to end up “good” according to His purpose!

He promised several things we should always remember

Yes, even though trouble visits from time to time, there’s a lot of good promises in God's Word to lean on. First, Jesus said He won’t allow any temptation to attack you that’s stronger than what you are able to withstand—He controls its power over you (1 Cor. 10:13). Secondly, he said he would provide a way for you to escape when the enemy attacks you. And thirdly, He said that his power within you is stronger than the devil’s power over you (1 John 4:4). Fourthly, he said he would never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13:5). And fifthly, according to our promise at the top of the page, He's going to make it all turn out in the end for your good! So, believe it and trust him—no matter how you look at it, it’s all good news!

Therefore

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV)

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” (Rev. 3:5) 

What a wonderful promise!

Many Christians aren’t quite sure they are completely saved, even though the Word of God says repeatedly that they have “eternal life” the very moment they receive Jesus as their personal Savior.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30)

Even so, they aren’t completely convinced!

This is subversion from the enemy to weaken God’s people and throw them off balance. But don’t buy into those lies! You were paid for with the price of Christ’s own blood! Therefore, once you receive the free gift of life, it cannot be stolen from you. Period!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24 ESV)

When you placed your faith and trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ, then you were marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you cannot lose the free gift that has been given to you by Jesus.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” (Eph. 1:13)

Therefore

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 ESV)

There’s a wonderful eternity for the believer! 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 The day Mt. St. Helens exploded

Over the last few days, we’ve been discussing the unpleasant subject of hell, a real place that Jesus repeatedly warned about. As I was thinking about His warnings of impending disaster for those who are unsaved, I remembered the day Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m. It was so loud that Susan and I heard it explode from our home in upper Washington State. According to experts, it had a volcanic-explosivity-index of five, which has often been declared the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history. Hundreds of square miles were reduced to wasteland, and 57 people were killed, including innkeeper and World War I veteran Harry R. Truman, who had refused to leave although he had been warned repeatedly of the impending disaster. It was preceded by a two-month period of earthquakes and steam-venting episodes that resulted from the injection of magma at a shallow depth below the volcano and caused a sizable bulge and fracture system on the mountain's north slope. With all this volcanic activity happening several weeks before the eruption, there had been ample time to totally clear the area of people, yet many died because they failed to take the warning signs seriously.

The same can be said about Jesus’ warnings regarding hell!

Even though Jesus warned repeatedly about the dangers of a real place called hell, most people, even many churches and/or religious people choose to ignore or dismiss His many warnings today. And sadly, it’s not going to end well for them!

Finally, the good news!

The wonderful news is that no one has to go to hell! No one! This is why the gospel is called the good news! There is a way to be saved for eternity.

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Rom. 10:9-10)

“And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

What eternity look like for those who have been redeemed 

·      You will see Jesus face-to-face

“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev. 22:3-5)

·      You will get a brand new body

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil. 3:20-21)

·      He has prepared a place in heaven for you!

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2) 

·      No more death, crying or pain

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)

Therefore

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 3:20)

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3 NIV)

There are only two choices, you choose

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:46) 

Heaven and hell were mysteries to me

I did not grow up in a religious home and I had no understanding of the Bible’s teachings regarding heaven and hell. All I knew was what I saw portrayed in movies, all wrong. I pictured heaven as a place with angels sitting on clouds and playing harps, and hell was a place with a red devil holding a pitchfork. None of this is in the Bible. But, one day I found a little gospel pamphlet in a a friend’s glove compartment that explained clearly about the consequences of sin and an actual place called hell where the unregenerate will end up forever. The answer was also spelled out, that Jesus had shed His blood to pay for sin. This is what brought me to place my trust in Jesus as my savior from hell.

Over the last couple of days, I have been discussing a very uncomfortable subject, hell. There are many religious groups who have eliminated hell from their doctrines or redefined it as something different from what Jesus clearly taught, that it is, which is a place of never-ending separation from God in a fiery torment.

There is a terrible eternity for the unrighteous

Here are just a few of the many verses about the eternal destiny that lies ahead for the unregenerate (unrighteous).

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Thess. 1:9)

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Rom. 2:6-8)

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)

Therefore

“For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” (Eph. 5:5)

 Tomorrow, Part 4: There is a wonderful eternity for the righteous.