Tag Archives: Heaven

Hope for Troubled Hearts

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“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” John 14:1 ESV1

Read John 14:1-3

I have heard it said that there are at least 365 admonitions in Scripture to not fear. Supposedly, Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor during the Second World War, searched the Scriptures for these exhortations, memorized them, and meditated upon one of them each day. Evidently, Pastor Wurmbrand found 366 such Scriptures—one for each day of the year including Leap Day. It was Leap Day when he was captured by the Communist Regime and imprisoned for his faith.

Over the last few years, as I have been reading and studying Scripture, I have been searching for all the verses that command us to be fearless. I want to make a Fear Not calendar to encourage and empower myself and other Christians so that we might valiantly face the challenges that arise before us. I found one such verse at the beginning of John 14. The words of Jesus are:

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled’” (John 14:1a).

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So Right Yet So Wrong

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He said …, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Luke 16:31 ESV1

Read Luke 16:14-31

Contrary to popular opinion, God doesn’t grade on a scale. If He did, none of us would get a passing grade. Think about it. How many lies must one tell to be a liar? Only one. How many times must one cheat to be a fraud? Just one time. How many times must one steal before becoming a thief? Only once. Likewise, how often must one tell the truth to be completely trustworthy? Every single time. How often does one need to be faithful to be honest? Always. How many times does one have to refrain from taking without permission to be law-abiding? Every possible time. “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10).

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There Are Points in Heaven for That

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“When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:13-14 ESV1

Read Luke 14:12-24

My youngest daughter has always had the heart of a servant. Continually, she has looked for small ways to bless the people around her. When she was young, she was often troubled by the fact that her acts of kindness were not reciprocated; many times, she never even received a word of thanks for her benevolence. When she would bemoan others’ lack of gratitude, I would encourage her with: “There are points in Heaven for that.” Upon hearing these words, my daughter was reminded that God saw her intentions and her actions; even if those benefitting from her kindness didn’t appreciate it, He did.

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Truly Amazing

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Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.”  Matthew 19:21 ESV1

Read Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17-27 & Luke 18:18-27

Most of us want to be amazing at something. We want to stand out above the crowd in some area. We want to be noticed for some significant accomplishment. As a society, we venerate the surprisingly talented. We revere the exceedingly intelligent. We are mesmerized by the astonishingly beautiful. We worship the incredibly athletic. We esteem the exceptionally wealthy. And we honor tremendously influential. Because we are constantly trying to earn accolades and be more amazing than the next guy, we completely miss a great secret: it is actually a blessing to be extraordinarily average, because those who do have a great deal of talent, intelligence, beauty, athletic ability, wealth, or influence are often at a disadvantage.

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