Scripture commands us to set our hearts on Heaven: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). And to make sure we don’t miss the importance of a Heaven-centered life, the next verse says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things [alone].” We cannot anticipate, or set our minds on, what we cannot imagine. That’s why, I believe, God has given us glimpses of Heaven in the... Read more
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). So what is our treasure? A. W. Tozer suggested we may discover the answer by responding to four basic questions: What do we value most? What would we most hate to lose? What do our thoughts turn to most frequently when we are free to think of what we will? What affords us the greatest pleasure? Based on your answers to these four questions, what’s your treasure? Many would... Read more
We often think of the Apostle Paul as the Lone Ranger, gallivanting solo about the empire, leading everyone to Christ, never afraid, never struggling, often alone, but never lonely. Scripture corrects this impression as Paul recounts for the Corinthians one of his recent stresses: Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find... Read more
In our side yard a tree has survived ice storms, heavy snows, and howling winds. Several times in the decades we’ve lived here, I thought it would fall. Now I expect it to long outlast me. I’ve taken pictures of my preschool daughters in that tree, and of their children, my grandsons. It has lost many thick limbs, but others have grown, and harsh circumstances have made it stronger. In contrast, many protected and untested trees have long since fallen.... Read more
I doubt many people have talked together more about eternity than Nanci and I did. I spent twenty years of our life together researching, writing, and speaking about Heaven, so we had lots to talk about! We found great comfort in anticipating abundant life in God’s presence. (I encourage you to talk openly with your loved ones and help prepare each other for your eternal home.) Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you . . . that you also... Read more
Our perspective today is informed by the reality that resurrection awaits God’s children. According to God’s Word, the best is yet to be. We who love Jesus do not pass our physical and mental peak in this life, nor do we reach it. Our peak, or its beginning, will come in the resurrection, not before (Revelation 21-22): Understanding that our peak doesn’t come in this life should radically change our view of deteriorating health, which otherwise would produce discouragement, regret,... Read more
I’ve heard it said, “There’s no wrong way to grieve.” I disagree. Certainly, there are different ways and lengths of time to grieve. We should not rebuke or lay guilt on the brokenhearted! The Bible says this about grief: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to... Read more
A reader of my book Heaven sent us this feedback: On page 33 you wrote, “And all of us, like Adam and Eve, are sinners.” I assume you were referring to the unsaved as sinners, not those who are followers of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul always opened up his letters and addressed believers as saints, though he knew they still sin as we all occasionally do. But to say that we who are saved are still “sinners” is to imply we... Read more
Over the last two and a half years of grief since Nanci died, I have been sensing deeply the friendship of Jesus. What could be better than for Him to not only love us so much that He would die for us, but to actually call us His friends, and not just servants? That is so beautiful and meaningful to me. “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I... Read more
This is a blast from the past, at least for those of us old enough to remember Dallas Holm and Praise, and his 1977 mega-hit “I Will Rise Again”: I have listened to “I Will Rise Again” multiple times recently, and it takes me back to a crucial time in my life. The song came out in 1977 which was the year Stu Weber and his wife Linda and my wife Nanci and I and many of our closest friends were... Read more
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