Finally Home

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again, and receive

you unto Myself; that were I am,

there ye may be also. -John 14:3

Jan and Hendrikje Kasper sailed into United States waters

in January 1957. Their family of 12, along with other Dutch

immigrants on board the Grote Beer, crowded on deck to

catch their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty in New

York Harbor.

That inital view of Lady Liberty was exciting-and emotional.

They had just endured and arduous 11-day journey across

the sea on a no-frills voyage. They had left may friends and

family members behind in The Netherlands. They had

experienced rough seas brought on by a hurricane and had dealt

with seemingly endless seasickness. But now-finally-they had

arrived. This would become their new home.

Someday, those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our

personal Savior will leave this life and go to the place He has

prepared for us (John 14:3). The journey may be difficult or

uncomfortable, but we certainly look forward to the final destination.

Composer Don Wyrtzen wrote the music for a wonderful song

that pictures our earthly life as a "tempestuous sea." It ends

with these words:

Just think of stepping on shore-and finding it heaven!

Of touching a hand-and finding it God's!

Of breathing new air-and finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory-and finding it home!

When we see Jesus face to face for the first time- we will be "finally home."

-Cindy Hess Kasper

Those who love and serve God on earth

will be right at home in heaven.

Thursday's Devotion

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"The Half Has Never Been Told"

"...behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and

prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard." I Kings 10:7b

The Queen of Sheba was "blown away" by the magnificence

of King Solomon's greatness and wealth. She was even moved

by the demeanor or conduct of his soldiers and servants. She

had heard of his exploits and wisdom, but she had to exclaim,

"...the half was not told me:"

Our finite minds are incapable of cnceiving what our eyes

will behold and our hearts will experience when Heaven's grand

portals are first gained by our redeemed lives. Whether by the

rapture or via the grave, our access to Heaven and the opening

vistas of delight will undoubtedly be mind-boggling. And yet, as

a child of God, we'll be Home, comfortable, and surrounded by

the loving embrace of loved ones who have gone before, and

buoyed by the smile of His matchless face. We will not be

strangers in that "fair land beyond the river."

The Apostle Paul said it this way, "...Eye hath not seen, nor

ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things

which God hath prepared for them that love him (I Cor. 2:9).

Now let me try! Every preacher who ever preached and

described Heaven and its majesty would have their muliplied

hearers seem as deaf compared to Glory's wonders. If every

artist since the dawn of time could gather and paint Heaven's

grandeur, it would appear like a sketch of a toddler compared to

its glories. And if every imagination could be piqued to the limit,

it would be like a blank screen of nothingness in comparison to

Heaven's half that could never be told. I'm kind of homesick...

(Isaiah 64:4).

I have often marveled at that. Can you imagine!..... no wait you can't.

~Amy

Wednesday's Devotion

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"Spiritual Renewal"

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not

be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

When we get tired and weary in our physical life, we take a

vacation for a time of renewal and rest, a break from the ordi-

nary. But what about our spiritual life? When we are tired and

dry spiritually and need renewing, Isaiah tells us to "...mount up

with wings as eagles..."

The eagle sees a storm approaching, locks his wings and

starts to soar above the storm. When the storms of life come,

we don't have to be hindered or discouraged, but we can lock-in

our faith through prayer, godly fellowship, and focusing on God.

We will soar to a new spiritual height.

The eagle soars above teh annoying noise makers, the

hawks and crows. Sometimes Christians are teh easiest to get

offended, but if we get closer to God, we will begin to soar

above the person that offends us and the less offensive they will

become (see Psalm 119:164- 165).

The eagle seeks a high, secure place for rest and to raise

their young. As Christians, when we need to rest from the

"noise" of our lives we need to spend time alone with God and

abide secure in His presence and rest in Him.

So, if you're tired, weary and feeling spiritually dry, focus on

God, pursue His presence, and He will allow you to mount up

as eagles.

Tuesday's Devotion

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"The Double Cure"

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases" Pslam 103:3

Sam Hadley was a converted drunkard. He was giving his

testemony one night of how God had saved him and also gelivered

him from the desire to drink whiskey the same day. After the me-

eting a physician, a lady, came up to him and said , "I enjoyed the

meeting, but don't ever say what you said again. I am a doctor, a

graduate of such-and-such school, and I know you can never be saved

from the desire to drink whiskey. Drinking works on the stomach

until the stomach is just ulcerated, and there is no possible cure

within six months and sometimes years and possibly never." She

reiterated, "Don't ever say that you are--I don't say dishonest--but

you are simply fooled."

Sam said, "Whell, hallelujah!"

She said, "What is the matter with you?"

He shouted again, "Hallelujah!"

She said, "Are you a fool?"

He returned, "Praise the Lord!"

She said, "What is the matter with you?"

"Well," Sam said, "I knew God gave me a new heart. I never

knew before that He gave me a new stomach!"

The old song, ROCK OF AGES, says, "Be of sin the

double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old

things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

(II Cor. 5:17).

"The Butterfly Bush"

I just thought that I would share today's devotion with you. It's called the Butterfly Bush from the Baptist Bread.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32

Back in the summer of 2007 I was preaching in Pennsylvania and I was staying in the home of the pastor. His sons had built a beautiful fenced in atio for their mother and it was festooned with lovely and fragrant flowers. One plant caught my attention and it's "attendants" brought about my query as to the nature aof the flowering bush. This particular plant was blessed with an abundance of blooms and comvered with the bouyant flittering about of the majestic butterflies. I asked the preacher and his wife what kind of plant it was that attracted the colorful congregation and they replied, "It's the butterfly bush." Made sense to me!
Just think, God created a bush that attracted butterflies of various kinds and colors, and they flocked to its fragrant flora. He also created a tree that was made into a cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. The lifting up of the Savior on the rugged tree of Calvary has become a wondrous attraction to sinners down through the centuries. Since Christ was lifted up from the earth, His drawing power has been resplendent in the lives of those who listened and recieved the gift of salvation. Verse 33 ("This he said, signifying what death he should die."), tells us that Christ was speaking of HIs crucifixion, as the ultimate drawing power in the conversion of a soul. To think that He would joyfully (Heb. 12:2) give His life for us should be all the reason one needs to come to Him.