Second Day of Spring

Today is March 21 and it is the second day of Spring. Yesterday there was a lot of hype on the weather broadcasts and in social media. Not so much today. And today is just as pretty a Spring day as yesterday was. The second day just doesn't get the respect it deserves.

Even in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Thursday got more hype than Friday even though Friday was still first round action.

Heaven won't be that way, I don't think. There will be no second day let down. The beloved hymn says, "When we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we've first begun." Day 3,650,000 will be just as good as Day 1.

It's my personal opinion that heaven won't have 3,650,000 days. Not even 2. There will be no sun because the Lamb is the light in heaven. I see that as just one eternal day. I wrote a song about that years ago. Here are the lyrics.

The Bible speaks of heaven as the hope of all the saved,

Secured as our destination by the life that Jesus gave.

To get there just one thing you must do, to get there just one way:

Believe in Jesus then make preparation to live in an eternal day.

Heaven's a place of rare beauty, that's one thing we know.

We'll stand with our loved ones around King Jesus and praise him while ages shall roll and roll and roll.

And then we'll sing for a million years, shout for a million years, sing for a million more, shout for a million more;

That's the just the beginning of an eternal day spent in the presence of God.

Remember how Enoch walked so close to God that he was not?

God must have had something so special in store that Enoch missed life's last stop.

And I believe John must have seen it, too, as down through the clouds that city came - 

A city not built by hands of men! It's our home for an eternal day!

Heaven's a place of rare beauty, that's one thing we know.

We'll stand with our loved ones around King Jesus and praise him while ages shall roll and roll and roll.

And then we'll sing for a million years, shout for a million years, sing for a million more, shout for a million more;

That's the just the beginning of an eternal day spent in the presence of God.

Here's a link if you'd like to hear the recording by Jubilee (Carri Corbitt, Donny Joe Martin, and me) from a long time ago.

An Eternal Day

Be Faithful and See What He Will Do

Our Bible study Sunday night was from Malachi 3. That's right, "Will a man rob God?" I've been preaching a series of sermons on Sunday mornings called Letting Go. Let Go of your Fear. Let Go of Your Past. Let Go of Your Own Plans. Let Go of Your Defeats. I thought about a sermon called Let Go of Your Money but I thought I'd let Malachi handle the heavy lifting.

First, let me put out there that I believe God gives each person/family all he/they need to tithe, live, and be generous. Failure to do any of those three is a sign of shoddy stewardship. And I believe that what God provides is exactly what you need, maybe not what you want but what you need.

⁶ "I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. ⁷ Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. 

"But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 

⁸ "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. 

"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' 

"In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. ¹¹ I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. ¹² "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty.

As you read the text of Malachi 3:6-12, you should notice that God expects people to be faithful in stewardship and he has no problem testing him in the matter. The word "test" is not a word that means to determine what a person knows or doesn't know, which is usually a negative thought, but to prove the validity of something, which is usually a positive. God is saying, "Be faithful and you have proof that I am who I say I am and will do what I say I will do."

Those who are faithful stewards will see the truth that God blesses those who are faithful, provides for them, and gives them a good reputation in the community.

Certainly, we want God to bless us. Be faithful and see what he will do!

And we want God to provide for us. Be faithful and see what he will do!

Did you notice the third promise? God will give the faithful and good reputation…"all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land." That was a promise to God's called people of the Old Testament, Israel. A good way to relate that to today is to realize that faithfulness of Christians - the Church - will result in blessings, provision, and a good reputation. Remember, God's called people (Israel in the past, the Church today) have always been tasked with carrying the blessing of the Good News.

If you have tried sharing your faith recently you may have noticed a negative reception to your effort. Have you wondered why? Could having a good reputation in the community help? I think so. I think that Christians who are faithful to what the Lord says will have a reputation in the community that will open paths for sharing the gospel.

For the sake of the lost around you will you consider being faithful? Not just in stewardship but in all things?