For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives
the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed
everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath
remains on them.
Since mid-September I've pulled out yarn, wool,
crochet hooks and felting needles to create Christmas gifts. If I didn't start
early and work faithfully to complete the items, I'd never finish on time. Handmade
gifts take time, energy, a dose of love and discipline. Along with creating I've been gathering, making purchases here and there as we find things our
family might enjoy. Next week I plan to scribble a list of everything we've
tucked away so far and start sorting (and maybe even wrapping.) Yes, I know
Christmas is about two months away, but I want to be ready. Why go to all the
effort? Because we have family and friends we love. It's that simple.
If I'm spending that much time preparing for the
holidays, how much more should I do to be ready for eternity? Everything! Not
that what I do will get me into heaven (that's all Jesus love and grace.) Yet for
me to have the hope of eternal life with God, I need to keep my focus on heaven,
even as I live on earth. Even though I often fail, I start fresh every day and measure
life against the truth of the Bible, prepare my heart with an ongoing dialogue
between Jesus and me and appreciate the Holy Spirit's work in my heart that
helps me produce God's fruit. With discipline, obedience, and faith, I
challenge myself to a life dedicated to God.
I pray when I'm finished in this world, that I'll
meet Jesus face-to-face. What a glory that will be. In the meantime, I prepare.
Why? Because I love Jesus. It's that simple.
Think about life with Jesus in eternity.