A Letter Written To And Answeredby BILLY GRAHAM

A Letter Written To And Answered by BILLY GRAHAM

DEAR DR. GRAHAM: You probably get asked this question a lot, but do you think we will be reunited with our pets in Heaven? Our dog died recently after almost 15 years, and I just can’t imagine being happy in Heaven unless he is with us. -- Mrs. S.J.

DEAR MRS. S.J.: God will provide us with everything we need to be happy in Heaven -- and if animals are necessary to make us completely happy there, you can be confident He will arrange for them to be with us.

Some Bible scholars have pointed out that the Bible suggests there may be animals in Heaven -- but without the aggressiveness and dangers that are part of their lives now. The prophet Isaiah saw God’s coming Kingdom as a place of absolute peace, where even animals that had once been enemies will be friends. He wrote, (Isaiah 11:6).

Over the years, my wife and I have had many pets, and I understand your grief; we are always sad when they die. I sometimes wonder, however, if God isn’t using them to remind us of a far greater reality -- and that is the reality of our own deaths. Life is brief, and it can end in an instant. The Bible says there is "a time to be born, and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:2).

That is why we must never take life for granted, but see every minute as a gift from God to be used for His glory. And if we aren’t sure of our eternal destiny, now is the time to be sure by making our commitment to Christ.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You

The Power of Perseverance is Practice

by Dr. Jeanne Sheffield Estrada

Character is not inherited or simply obtained by being around outstanding people.  Instead, it is created by persevering through difficult problems - and overcoming them.

The Bible tells the story of people that despite circumstances, opposition, or persecution, persevered through situations that were seemingly impossible. Great characters of faith like Joseph, Moses, David - and most significantly Jesus - worked through difficulties beyond what most of us could not imagine. However, all of them eventually not only overcame but persevered to victory. Despite the challenges and suffering set before them, they persevered in the face of their severe trials and tribulations by putting into practical practice faith with persistence.

Because we live in a fallen world, problems will arise, and the unpredictably in this year of 2020 is a sobering example. The good news is that Isaiah 9:6 says that we have a great “Counselor” on our side to help us work through every obstacle and His Name is Jesus.

Perseverance takes practice performed with persistence. While we are all inundated by problems in this life, as you persist in overcoming problems that you have resolved, the better you will become at resolving them going forward, and by doing so, by default you will inherit CHARACTER.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You

There are a lot of good people that do not follow belief systems like Christianity, Judaism or any other religions, but when asked about their faith they’ll say something like 'I’m not Religious, but I am SPIRITUAL,' but what exactly does that mean?

Well of course in the United States people are free to believe, practice or follow any type of spiritual path that they feel is right for them, but what does the Bible say about the nature of our spirit?

In Genesis it says that God made Adam a living soul and Zechariah 12:1 adds that “God Has made the spirit of man that is within him,” so yes — everyone is in essence 'spiritual,' but what type of spirit is that?

When we were born, we all come into this world as Body, Soul, and Spirit, but the Bible says all of our spirits are unregenerate because of the sin of Adam passed down to mortal man and have been corrupted and separated from the likeness of God’s spirit. Now by human nature our hearts are “Desperately Wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) but from our natural viewpoint “...all of our ways are clean in our own eyes...but the LORD evaluates our spirit.” (Proverbs 16:2) So how can we know of what spirit we really are?

As today’s scripture verse tells us, the last ADAM (Jesus) is the key to regenerating us and giving us a LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT, and the only way to have a holy regenerated spirit is by repenting of your sins. When you do, your old spirit will be joined with the Holy Spirit and your true heaven sent spiritual life will begin. (see Acts 2:38)

Friend, do not fall into the trap of defining your own spirituality but instead, “Believe not every spirit, but Try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1)

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You

Hidden inside the spelling of the word “believe” not so coincidentally is the word “LIE,” and this raises an interesting question about the state of how belief works.

If you think about it, either you BELIEVE something or you DON’T beLIEve something — and there’s no in-between. That is, either you believe something to be true, or else it is a lie…and that is the crux of today’s scripture message.

Either Christ rose from the dead or He didn’t! It’s really that simple, and the question is 'How does one know that, and what would cause someone to come to that conclusion?”

Romans 10:17 says that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” while Hebrews 11:1 adds to that “Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, (and) the EVIDENCE of things not seen.” You see, BELIEF is based on EVIDENCE and that evidence is what the Word of God says. The tough question all must make is, 'Is this evidence TRUE or is it a LIE?'

No one can convince you of that, because you have to make up your own mind. Perhaps it is a LIE and if so, you can ignore, scroll past, or delete, but if it IS true and you believe it, the promise is that God will save your soul for a life in eternity.

Do you believe this or is it a lie? YOU CHOOSE

NotesOnLife.org

We live in a “culture of offenses” where we must be careful to continually be politically correct or we might get in hot water and offend those around us. Sadly, offending people has become a sort of negative norm and has risen to the forefront in our daily interactions with each other. As hard as we try, somewhere someone is offending somebody sometime and we have no control over how people respond to what happens to them. So while we have zero control about the response of people that feel offended, we have total control of how WE respond when people offend us.

We can’t help the poor actions or offensive statements of others, nor can we stop racists from hating, sexists from denigrating, or elitists from power trips, but God has given each of us the spirit of Self-Control — the self-same spirit that Jesus practiced all throughout His ministry. When or if you are confronted with offensive verbiage or other abuse, practice the following:

See offenders as broken people in need of God’s grace, not as people who are out to get you

Extend grace and compassion towards those who hurt you.

Choose not to take up an offense and let it roll off your back!

Like anything in life, GODLY LOVE is the answer. When someone offends you, forgive and pray for them. Their offensive action is a clue they need inner healing and compassion.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You

Walking through this life isn’t always easy, often challenging, and sometimes even downright dangerous. The question — especially when times are tough and the answers uncertain — is 'What can keep you going and bring you to your goal?' and the answer from God’s point of view is FAITH.

The manual called “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” (B.I.B.L.E.) says that “Without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) The currency of heaven is the application of faith, because in God’s economy no transactions can occur unless faith is involved. The larger the investment of faith, the bigger and better the return on your spiritual investment.

Your results will be directly proportional to the amount of F.A.I.T.H. you invest in it by F-orwarding A-ll I-ssues T-o H-eaven. When you do and place your trust in God, LISTEN carefully to what He is telling you to do, TRUST those instructions and then faithfully FOLLOW His direction and the result will always be successful! God is right 100% of the time, and will always lead you on the perfect faith path.

Regardless of the circumstance or how difficult what lies ahead, do not just “have” faith but PRACTICE Faith. Truly Forward All Issues To Him, place your path in His hands, keep walking towards the cross, and His steps will always guide you upward and onward.

God ONLY honors faith, and your sure reward is at the foot of the cross of Christ. Step out boldly in your faith going forward, and what you invest will manifest “According to your faith (then) it will be brought to you.”

God Bless Your Day, Jesus Loves You

NotesOnLife.org/archive