Are you troubled, scared, and lost? Are you experiencing problem after problem, and feel like there's no hope anymore? Don't worry.
Not one sparrows falls to the ground without your Father's knowing. Even all the hairs on your head are co...
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son (Revelation 21:6-7).
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Today I receive all of God's love for me.
Today I open myself to the unbounded, limitless, overflowing abundance of God's universe.
Today I open myself to God's blessings, healings, and miracles.
Today I open myself to God's Word, so that I become more like Jesus every day.
Today I proclaim that I'm God's Beloved, I'm God's Servant, I'm God's Powerful Champion,
And because I am blessed, I am blessing the world in Jesus name. Amen.
[Novena to God's Love by Bo Sanchez]
Life in New Heaven and New Earth
I always imagine heaven as a happy peaceful place. Where everyone is singing, dancing laughing, serving one another, and praising God. Like life is just simply splendid.
Here's the catch, we're always fascinated by vampires, goblin, and immortal men. But they always complained about suffering in living through lifetimes. They've been described as someone wanting to die desperately and yet couldn't to do and so suffer terribly.
But Jesus spoke of a different eternal life [in heaven] and a resurrection [at the end of times] where people can no longer die. Of a world where no suffering and death. He said:
The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming of age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the one who will rise (Luke 20: 34-36).
In the book of Revelation, John was given a vision of a new Heaven and a new Earth:
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more...God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away. And the one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelation 21:1-5)
You see God promised forever. It was written all over the Bible. Aside from heaven He also talked about a new world in the coming of age. It was a perfect world where His children will live forever. Where there's no suffering, no sickness, no deformities, no sin, no pain.
Do you know why immortal men in fiction hated living forever? Because they've seen their loved ones passing away. They've seen the coming and passing of generation to generation. They've seen the change of era, wars, epidemics, and people suffering and dying. Hence, the Bible described death as separation.
But, would it be different if everyone were living forever? Plus a bonus of a perfect world?
A world, as I've before, where there's no suffering, no sickness, and no death. Where everyone are helping one another, and receives the same love they give to others. A world where there's no poor or rich; no one is striving to live in small incomes, no discrimination, and where everyone is equal. Where every motive is seen. Where people live in truth, and no more seeing what's only in the surface.
There's a bread and water of heaven when you eat and drink them, you'll never get hungry and thirsty. The bread is not like the bread of this world, which is full of calories and sweeteners. It was a plain bread, and the water a plain water. But both are so delicious and warm in the inside. Something we've never tasted in our lives before. They restore every part of us, even with little of it. What's more we recline in the table of God, where it's always like a feast every day of our lives. We don't eat to be happy anymore. But we eat because we're happy. It's a different thing.
The Bottom Line
God said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." (Mat 6:33-34)
It's easy to be happy when you have everything; when your cup overflows, and when you have nothing to worry about. That's why we work hard to be secure in everything. We buy life/accident insurance, we invest in the stock market, we secure educational plans for our children, and take all sorts of additional incomes just so we'll have security in the future.
But what if you're poor like one of us, what if your struggling in your salary, and feel like tomorrow is so uncertain. If your poor and your single parent, you worry about what you and your children will going to eat tomorrow. What's their future going to be.
If your middle class and struggle in your salary. You worry if you can live your life to the full, because there's still so many places you want to go, moments you want to experience. But all these things need money, and you still have to support your own family.
If your rich, but you don't know what you're living for, and thus waste your life over addiction, drugs, partying, and stuff. But still never get satisfied, always yearning for something beyond.
If you're helpless and thirsty, wouldn't it be God becomes the source of your happiness? If you don't have a choice but suffer, wouldn't it be God becomes your rock?
That's why Jesus said: "Blessed are you who are poor for the kingdom of God is yours...blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh...(Luke 6:20-21).
That's why He also said: No one is greater than John the Baptist. But the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.
# Dear Lord, we're now going to seek you more than any riches here on earth. Because happiness here on Earth is constantly changing like the waves of the sea. Please hold us tighter because we easily get distracted by the riches of this world.
How about you? What's your definition of success? God said: "Look at me and don't be swayed by the noise of this world. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you, for where your treasure is there also will your heart be." Share your ideas below.
