I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am established
here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop. I am certain in my heart
that "all that I am", I have received from God. So I live among
barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love of God. He himself
testifies that this is so. I never would have wanted these harsh words
to spill from my mouth; I am not in the habit of speaking so sharply.
Yet now I am driven by the zeal of God, Christ's truth has aroused me. I
speak out too for love of my neighbors who are my only sons; for them I
gave up my home country, my parents and even pushing my own life to the
brink of death. If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so
as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on
me. 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:30
Could I have come to Ireland without
thought of God, merely in my own interest? Who was it made me come? For
here "I am a prisoner of the Spirit" so that I may not see any of my
family. Can it be out of the kindness of my heart that I carry out such a
labor of mercy on a people who once captured me when they wrecked my
father's house and carried off his servants? For by descent I was a
freeman, born of a decurion father; yet I have sold this nobility of
mine. I am not ashamed, nor do I regret that it might have meant some
advantage to others. In short, I am a slave in Christ to this faraway
people for the indescribable glory of "everlasting life which is in
Jesus Christ our Lord." Acts 20:22; Romans 6:23
Excerpt from "A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus"
Radical responsive ramblings of a spiritual revolutionary "What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake." 2 Corinthians 4:5
Thursday, March 09, 2017
Thursday, March 02, 2017
"There's No Place Like Home"
When I was a child, we used to watch the Wizard of Oz
every year. One of the most memorable lines from the film was when Dorothy
said, “There's no place like home!”
Home is a place of familiarity, where you grew up,
where you have fond memories. Home
is a place of security, where you can let your guard down.
No matter where you currently live, once you receive Jesus as
Lord you have a dual citizenship. Your real home is in heaven.
But we are citizens of
heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him
to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal
bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power
with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:20-21
When you belong to the family of God, sometimes you actually get
homesick for heaven. You may feel restless
for home because God created you that way, with a spirit that longs to be with
God. It's like we have a homing
instinct guiding us there.
It's amazing that God has built this homing
instinct even into animals. The salmon return home from the sea to lay
their eggs in the rivers of their birth. Birds migrate home over long distances
every year as well. God designed something
in them that brings them home.
Likewise, God has built into each one of us, a desire,
a longing to be home with Him.
God has planted eternity in the human heart. Ecclesiastes 3:11
I believe we were all created for heaven. C.S. Lewis
put it this way...
"Creatures are not born with desires unless
satisfaction for those desires exists. A
baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such
a thing as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in the world
can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another
world." (Mere Christianity)
We were made for another world. You and I will never be fully
satisfied with life here on earth.
Ironically, many people think that if they have a nice big house, a
loving family, a stable job, two cars - then they will be happy and
content. But look at how many rich
people have it all and yet they are some of the most miserable people in the world.
Augustine said, "Thou hast made us for thyself
and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." We will always be
restless if we try to find rest here on this earth and through things of this
earth. We need to realize this world is
not our home and that true rest can only come when we finally return to our
eternal home in heaven.
Since you have been raised
to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where
Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things
of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:1-2
The more pain I experience, the more evil I see, the
more funerals I perform, the more I long for heaven. No more sin, sickness or
sadness there. God will wipe away every tear. The
greatest thing about heaven is that we will be with our Lord.
How do you get
there? Not by good works. You must admit you are a sinner, repent of your sin,
ask God's forgiveness and receive Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so
that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Jesus has provided the way of salvation. God has prepared a home for you in heaven and
He is waiting for you to come to your real home. I pray that you know Jesus as Lord and
that you too will be homesick, not just for your earthly home but for your true
eternal home in heaven.
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