Is There Gluten in Heaven?

Is there gluten in heaven?

We are reading Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn with our kids right now.  Three out of five of us in our family have gluten allergies.  We have certainly gotten used to this lifestyle change, but it was not fun or easy in the beginning.  Titus, my five year old, asked one day as he was being denied some sort of yummy gluten treat, “Is there gluten in heaven?”

My immediate response was, “Of course not!  You can eat anything you want in Heaven.  There’s no such thing as a gluten allergy.”  His eyes got wide and a smile appeared ear to ear.  Truthfully, I do not know if we even eat in Heaven.  The Bible talks about the tree of life that bears twelve fruits.  (Revelation 22:1-3)  The text never says if we will actually eat the fruit of the tree of life.  The Bible also refers to “the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 8:11)  There are many more references that would make me think there will be food that we will eat.  I do know that our bodies will be made perfect and there will be no such thing as allergies or any other bodily ailments for that matter.  Now that is something to look forward to! (Revelation 22:3)

The whole point is, I want to get my children (along with myself) excited for Heaven.  We are all born and we will all die.  It is a choice to follow Jesus and go to Heaven or deny Him and live in eternally separated from Him.  It’s like getting ready to move to a new city or take a fancy, expensive vacation.  You would never move or take that vacation without learning about the area, examining its details and features, and weighing its pros and cons.   It’s not enough to teach my kids about Jesus, how to follow Him and become more Christ-like.  I want them to be building God’s Kingdom and not their kingdom here on earth.  I want them to know what they have to look forward to.  I want them to know that being heavenly minded has its rewards and blessings here on earth as well as in heaven.

 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  Colossians 3:1-2

Warmly,
Jill

Adversity

I think it is a huge misnomer that if and when you become a Christian, life will be easy or perfect.  The world often looks at Christians as being judgmental, self-righteous and living the perfect life.  NOT!  From my itty bitty perspective, when I became a Christian, my focus and choices changed.  I stopped focusing on myself and started focusing on Jesus and the life He led.  I started reading the Bible and learning God’s Truths and how to abide in them.  So, in that regard…my life became a whole lot better because I was making wiser choices with God as my compass.  Life is still filled with issues, problems, tragedy, death, bodily ailments and emotional uproars.  The way these problems are handled and perceived can significantly change.  I often say to my husband, “Life is about problems and the way we handle them.”

Why does God allow adversity?  This is a loaded question.  First of all, we live in a fallen world.   From the beginning with Adam and Eve succumbing to the forbidden fruit, God’s original creation was altered.  Secondly, God uses adversity to show us our profound need for Him.  Why would we need a savior if our life was perfect?  The Bible talks about Paul and his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The apostle wrote, “I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (verse 10)

As our dependency on the Lord increases, we learn more about Him.  We become more like Him.  God uses our past adversities to help those in similar situations.  God does not waste anything.  God provides the courage to meet any demand from our trials and tribulations.  Genuine courage is not chilled by our fears and circumstances.  The courage and confidence of Christ to handle any circumstance can only come from Him.  By faith, we become courageous. 

Lord God in Heaven, I thank you that you know every moment and circumstance in my life before it even occurs.  Help me to rely on you more and less on my own strength.  I admit, in my own weakness I am insufficient.  Fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide my thoughts, steps and choices.  Remind me of your sovereignty and that you are the Prince of Peace, Mighty Counselor and Physician of all physicians.  Even the waves obey you.  I pray in Christ’s name, for your guidance though all of my life.  

Warmly,
Jill

Covenant Friendship

“Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as himself.” 

1 Samuel 18:3

I love reading 1 Samuel 18:3 out of the English Standard Version of the Bible. It states that Jonathan loved David as it was his own soul. A recurring principle in Scripture is that we are meant to run the race of life with others. We cannot live alone. We were created for fellowship and accountability, and our lives being intertwined with others. Jonathan and David’s friendship went beyond special. The fact that Scripture says Jonathan made a covenant with David shows the gravity of the promise he made. Jonathan, whose own father, King Saul, was trying to kill David, would honor their friendship even if it meant Jonathan lost his life. Scripture says that their souls were knit together. One of our children’s greatest influences will be their friends. I’m sure David would have rather had one Jonathan than twenty partially devoted friends. Pray today that the Lord will surround you with friendship and wise influence.

Do you have a friend or friends who hold you accountable and know you intimately?

Thank you Jesus for the example of Jonathan and David. I pray Lord that I would model their integrity in friendship today and pass those characteristics on to my child. I pray now for the friends You will bring into their lives. May their friendship strengthen their walk with You.  Amen.

Leeanne

This devotion is an excerpt from our new book Praying Through Pregnancy. We can't wait to share it with you.

Michele's beautiful design work!

God's Silence - Then What?

My Utmost - Oswald Chambers

When He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was —John 11:6

Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? God will give you the very blessings you ask if you refuse to go any further without them, but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes. The actual evidence of the answer in time is simply a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you may have said, “I asked God to give me bread, but He gave me a stone instead” (see Matthew 7:9). He did not give you a stone, and today you find that He gave you the “bread of life” (John 6:35).

A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that His stillness is contagious— it gets into you, causing you to become perfectly confident so that you can honestly say, “I know that God has heard me.” His silence is the very proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will always bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of His silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, then He will give you the first sign of His intimacy— silence.

Such truth and hope in God's Word!

Leeanne

Entitlement

“ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:11-13

Entitlement.  We are living among a generation that feels entitled to have, get and acquire whatever they dream of without necessarily earning it.  It makes me angry when my own children think they should have something just because they want it.  How often do I have that attitude?  Too often, if I am being honest with myself.  Growing up I accrued credit card debt because I often bought what I wanted without having the means to pay for it.  I guess I thought it was okay because everyone else was doing it.  What I didn’t realize (in my immaturity) was that it is essentially stealing.  I knew I couldn’t pay it off.  It was self-gratifying, impulsive and irresponsible. 

Entitlement can become a disease and the more you indulge the urges, the more you feed it and it grows.  You will never be satisfied because something is always bigger, better or just different.  Entitlement is prideful and self-centered.  A person thinks they deserve it just from being.  Or they compare themselves to others and if they have it then I should have it. 

True living is being satisfied with where God has you.  A thankful heart is feeling blessed for what God has given you and not focusing on what you don’t have.  It doesn’t have to be about lowering your expectations, but reframing them.  A person can always look at a relationship in their life and think of all the areas they’d like to change or that are missing.  Or they can choose to focus on all that is there and the attributes that person does have.  Be careful that your discontentment and ungratefulness does not send an inadvertent message to others that God is not a good God.  Reframing is a habit of the heart.  The old cliché is applicable:  Is your glass half empty or half full?  Give thanks no matter where God has you today.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Warmly,
Jill