Here's an especially interesting Days of Praise essay from the late Henry Morris, whose credentials that the world would find impressive include:

--A bachelor's degree in civil engineering
--A master's in hydraulics
 --A Ph.D. in hydraulic engineering 
-- Professor and chair of civil engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
-- Professor of applied science at Southern Illinois University

But in truth, his greatest work involved co-founding the Institute for Creation Research; writing some of the most fascinating books of all time (my favorites include The Modern Creation Trilogy, co-written with his son John Morris, Ph.D., and The Long War Against God); and writing countless essays for the ICR's Days of Praise booklets, which can be accessed here as a daily e-devotional or monthly booklet. The Lord used Dr. Henry Morris to change many lives, including mine; I can't wait to meet him in heaven.

In the meantime, I found the following devotional especially interesting in its description of the Christian's state after death but before the resurrection. What do you think?  

To Die Is Gain

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

Although the glorious resurrection bodies which have been promised all believers must await the return of Christ, even the spirit-existence after death is better than this present life for the believer. Paul himself expressed “a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (v. 23)—“to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Thus, it is “gain” when a Christian dies! Since Christ, in His resurrection body, is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the spirits of “sleeping” Christians are also there. The intermediate state is somewhat analogous to the dreaming state, in which the consciousness travels to various places and experiences while the body is asleep. In fact, death is called “sleep” for the Christian (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

However, in some amazing way, these conscious spirits of believers are still distinct and recognizable. Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:3), as well as  Samuel (1 Samuel 28:12-19), were identifiable in their spirit-form, even by people here on Earth.

One of the greatest blessings of dying and going to be with the Lord will be the joy of returning with Him “at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:13). “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. . . . And the dead in  Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:14,  16), just before the rapture and glorification of the saints who are still  living. As wonderful as it might be to live until Christ returns, it will be  even better to be with Him!

The death of a Christian, therefore, may be a time of loss and grief for those left behind, but it is a time of joy and blessing for the one who dies, including a happy reunion with those who have gone before. HMM 

(Originally posted 9/19/13)

One of the Bible’s most intriguing passages appears in 1 Corinthians 15, known in some circles as the great resurrection chapter. Ponder anew verses 35 - 38:

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.”

Which would seem to say that our earthly bodies are akin to seed husks – the dry outer coverings of what will ultimately arise from the ground. 

We talk about this often at the nursing home, wondering what our eternal bodies will be like, and how we’ll be able to recognize each other. Seems like everyone has some idea about these things.

One frequently mentioned theory is that we’ll all simply be restored to some ideal age – the age that each of us was happiest, for instance, or the age that Jesus was when He died (i.e., 33).  But if the apostle Paul was being somewhat literal with this analogy, our earthly bodies have no bearing on what we’ll look like for all eternity. Instead, today’s bodies are like seed husks. Once they have died and been sown, the living beings within will emerge – and if Paul’s analogy holds, they won’t look anything like the original husks.

Some have speculated that heaven has additional dimensions, which is impossible for us to even imagine. If I’m remembering the number correctly, modern mathematicians have supposedly “proven” that there are at least eight dimensions in our universe, although we can’t see beyond three. In fact, at least one additional dimension would seem to be implied in Ephesians 3: 17b-19, in Paul’s prayer that believers:

“…being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height -- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

Width, length, depth and height -- four dimensions, and Paul wasn’t writing about time as the fourth dimension, as we tend to think of it today. 

At any rate, this is one of many puzzles that won’t be solved until we get There. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55: 

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?'" 

I for one can’t wait to find out what our resurrected bodies will look like -- I wouldn't miss it for the world! In the meantime, may we join the apostle in concluding, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 57). 

(originally posted 12/25/13)

My friend Dale sent me this lovely story, which I hope will inspire you as much as it does me. 

"A few years ago a  group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had  assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's  dinner.

"In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding.  
 
"Except for one. He paused and took the time to feel compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.  
 
"He told his buddies  to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when  they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.  Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.  
 
"He was glad he did.  The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running  down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to  care for her plight.  
 
"The salesman knelt  on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.  
 
"When he had  finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?'

"She nodded through her tears. 

"I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly," he added. 
 
"As the salesman  started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....'  He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. 'Are you  Jesus?' 
 
"He stopped in  mid-stride .... and he wondered. He gently went back and said, 'No, I am nothing  like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place.'

"The girl gently nodded. 'I only asked,' she said, 'because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples.  He sent you to help me, so you are like Him - He knows who will do His  will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister.'
  
"Then slowly he made  his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about  in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?' 
 
"Do people mistake  you for Jesus? 
  
"That's our goal,  is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we  live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. 
 
"If we claim to know  Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life  unfolds day to day. 
  
"You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing to pick us up on a hill called Calvary, paying in full for our damaged fruit. The least we can do in return is to show His love to this lost and dying world -- even when it inconveniences us."

(originally posted 10/29/13)

It is a continuing source of amazement to me how often the Bible dispenses both great spiritual truth and down-to-earth practical advice in one fell swoop. And every spring I find new examples of this uncanny instruction right here in our own yard.

This year, we’re trying to regenerate the worst spots in our ancient lawn, hoping not so much for a luxurious carpet of green but for something a little better than an eyesore. But this process has given me some new insights into lawn-making, thanks to all the time I’ve had to spend watering the new lawn by hand.

At first I was bored almost to tears with this daily chore; I’m not used to having so much time alone with my thoughts, without a Bible or book or blog to ponder, and no means of listening to radio, podcasts or music. But this solitude has given me a great deal of time to pray and think and take a closer look at the Wisconsin arm of God’s splendid creation.

And now that the grass is filling in, I’ve even had some fun observing what scripture tells me about His creation.
 
For instance, in spite of all that fresh, clean topsoil we spread as a foundation, there are still stubborn spots where the grass refuses to grow – most likely, where our old spreader hiccupped and refused to drop seed. But these little islands have not remained bare; instead, they’ve become home to a huge variety of nasty weeds, the sort that plunge enormous tap roots into the soil almost as soon as they hit the ground.                                                                                                          
The other day, it occurred to me that this phenomenon is an apt demonstration of Luke 11:24-26: "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man," Jesus said, "he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."  

The solution? Next time, make sure that there’s plenty of good seed everywhere to stave off the bad. In the meantime, we'll wait to pull these new weeds, “lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them” (Matthew 13:29).

There’s been plenty of time, too, to inspect a few relatively neglected perennial beds.  Some of their plants remind me of the rewards of patience, and how Christians are called to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12b). For a gardener, what better illustration of this principle could there be than seeing, for the first time ever, the lavender-blue spikes of a Baptisia australis planted at least five years ago? Well worth the wait! Hope I remember this in the years to come, Lord willing, as the Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ I just planted across the driveway chugs along, producing plenty of foliage with nary a bloom in sight.   

I’ve also noticed the abrupt vanishing of some especially cheerful plants that are such a delight to come across in the summer garden, such as gaillardia and lupine. Short-lived perennials like these remind me of seed sown in stony soil which, as Jesus explained in His parable of the sower, “is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Matthew 13:20-21).

In short, don’t expect plants with shallow root systems to provide more than a season or two of showy blooms.

Of course, once one begins reviewing this particular parable, the gardening parallels are endless – especially those involving the thorns that spring up and choke out all the good seed. No garden is without its thugs, and the aging gardener eventually throws up her trowel and gives up. Far better to spend our days tending to scripture’s spiritual truths, laboring to produce fruit for the Lord rather than feasts for our eyes. 

Do you ever play the “Whatever Happened To ….?” game, googling up some names from your past to find out where old friends or foes landed, and what they’re doing? I played it again last night, looking up a once-close friend I lost touch with decades ago, and was saddened to find him making appearances on New Age web sites of the “may the world unite in love, prosperity and happiness” ilk.

In retrospect, it's not too surprising. This friend -- let's call him Nate -- grew up in what we would today call a thoroughly dysfunctional family. The worst blow: When he was just setting out on his own, his father committed suicide after a long struggle with depression and a devastating business failure. 

Nate didn’t handle it well. Crushed by both his loss and the stigma associated with suicide in that “less enlightened” era, he plunged into drinking and drugs and partying so wild that even I, ever the party girl, gladly let our friendship evaporate.

So I was happy to learn last night that he had apparently pulled himself out of that lifestyle. He’s now a psychologist, sporting a neat goatee and expensive suits and pursuing an avid spiritual life amongst those who worship Mother Earth or Mankind or Self or All of the Above.

Which is very sad. Apparently in his quest for peace and purpose, Nate failed to make truth a prerequisite. And that failure may well haunt him for all eternity, because by embracing the New Age he is rejecting Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth and the life”; as He said, “no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).  

Nate and his family attended church back in the day, but in the wake of his father’s suicide, he turned his back on its teaching.  I’m sure there were a lot of reasons that he did so.  But I’ll bet that a major one was the gossip he and his siblings had to endure. Not that anyone ever said anything to their faces; but they couldn’t help but overhear. “Suicides can’t go to heaven,” a slew of professing Christians whispered when they thought the grieving kids were out of earshot. “Thou shalt not murder, you know. He’s surely in hell now!”

I don’t personally know where Nate’s dad is spending eternity. But neither do these self-appointed judges. Murder is not the unforgivable sin, nor is suicide; the unforgivable sin is, quite simply, unbelief. And no one has a right to judge what another human being holds in his heart at the moment of death.

Yet some uninformed people insist that, according to Christianity, suicide invariably leads to hell. It’s a common and evil myth – one that can understandably ambush suicide's uniquely grief-stricken survivors, driving them out of the arms of Christ and into false religions that promise happily-ever-afters for everyone. Never mind that such promises are nothing more than flimsy wishes built on the lies of these false religions; for someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, such lies are preferable to the hellfire prescribed by those who have never bothered to investigate what the Bible says about much of anything.

I will try to reach Nate, of course. After decades of building up resistance to the truth of biblical Christianity, he may be too hard-hearted to even give me a hearing. But “with God, all things are possible” (Mark 10:27); it’s certainly worth a try.