Whether we are grieving the loss of a loved one today or will be in the days to come, there’s nothing more comforting than maintaining an eternal perspective. As Eric Barger of Take a Stand Ministries wrote in his year-end newsletter: 

“We have been so blessed by the outpouring of love and concern we've received due to the passing of Melanie's father, Dale, just a few days ago. Our grieving process continues but, as I reminded those who attended the funeral, there is also an undergirding sense of peace in knowing that someday ahead, there is a reunion coming (I Thessalonians 4:13)! What comfort and hope that we who know Him have! "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (I Corinthians 15:55)!”

Why would anyone refuse to embrace this truth? To hold it close to his or her heart? To rejoice in the fact that the apostle Paul was writing not about temporary earthly healing but eternity in a land free of sorrow and suffering – a land of total joy?  

For the first three-quarters of my life, I was one of those people. I refused to seek out the truth about what happens beyond the grave, settling instead for a vague bit of wishful thinking that there might be Someplace and it might be Really Cool and Really Fun for everyone but Hitler. It was a perfect platform for total despair when I finally faced the biggest loss of my life.

"But God" is a phrase that is repeated 47 times in the New King James translation of the Bible, referring to the fact that nothing on this earth can thwart His purposes -- not even a hard heart. As He has promised, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved” (Acts 2:21b). And that promise is the door to unshakable certainty, peace, and joy.

If you are not absolutely certain about the reunion that Eric Barger highlights, and about your eternal destiny, I hope you'll make this the day that you find both. Repent and trust in Christ. Then, to develop “eternal eyes” capable of viewing all life’s circumstances with peace and even joy, delve into His word. The sincere seeker of His truth will find it. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote circa 600 B.C., “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

If you already know Him, please join me in renewing your commitment to sharing His truth with the lost. Yes, in doing so we will run into scoffing and rejection and all manner of persecution, but remember Jesus’ words in John 15: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” Proclaiming the Gospel is the best way to express our love for others, whatever the cost may be to us personally.

Remember, too, that “there is a reunion coming.” We need to do whatever we can to make sure those we care for will be there. 

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).

Okay, so you hate cigarettes. You want them banned everywhere, including on the street and in the wide open country. You applaud employers who fire employees caught smoking in their own homes. After all, "science" has assured you that even a whiff of second-hand smoke will kill you!

Not so fast. Two decades ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the largest long-term second-hand-smoke study ever done. The upshot? Second-hand smoke not only does NOT seem to cause anyone any harm; it actually seems to reduce the chances of getting lung cancer for some of its "victims," like the wives of smokers.

That study received almost no coverage in the U.S., and the politically correct, pure-of-lung powers-that-be quickly forced WHO to bury it. Ditto for a number of smaller studies that have been conducted since then. 

But now there's a new study admitting there's no connection between second-hand smoke and lung cancer, this one reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute . No connection. And it's actually getting some attention in U.S. media such as Forbes. One epidemiologist asks if it isn't time for an honest conversation about the evidence; according to columnist Jacob Sullum, he is "frustrated by the willingness of so many anti-tobacco activists and public health officials to overlook or minimize the weakness of the scientific case that secondhand smoke causes fatal illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease."

So here's my question for you: Does the fact that "science" has fibbed about this issue (for at least two decades) disturb you at all? Does it make you doubt its assertions in other areas -- say, just for instance, that evolution is "fact," as nasty little atheist scientist Richard Dawkins insists?

There are interesting parallels here, strange as it may seem -- because the evidence against evolution, and in favor of biblical creation, is truly overwhelming. And yet we are told that the majority of scientists, and an intellectually superior minority of laymen, are convinced that evolution is fact and the Bible is nothing more than myth.

In both cases, there seems to be an appalling lack of interest in the truth.

Does it matter? Aren't cigarettes bad? Isn't the Bible for fools?

I don't know about cigarettes. I gave them up almost 12 years ago, and have packed on enough weight since then to ensure an early death for myself (or so say the "scientists" -- those who join that great physician Michelle Obama in claiming that obesity is deadly, and who would undoubtedly insist that King David didn't know what he was talking about when he wrote, in Psalm 139, "In Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.")

But I do know about the Bible. Its exhaustively demonstrated and documented scientific truth is 100% accurate, even though it contradicts evolution theory from start to finish. Yet its writers could not have known any of these things apart from divine inspiration.

That means that we can also trust what the Bible's writers tell us about eternal life, and how to find it. We can logically heed their warnings against believing "science so-called," including the apostle Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 6: "Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge." And we can safely ignore the "No God! No heaven!" rantings of scientists like Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens (who now, I might add, knows how wrong he was).

The truth is, scientists are as deception-prone as the rest of us. They are just as suspectible to the herd mentality as any other human beings. And they are just as likely to be outright liars when it suits their purposes. This second-hand smoke study is just the latest demonstration of all three assertions. I hope it makes at least a few skeptics take another, very serious look at what the Bible has to say about absolutely everything.

In Matthew 7, Jesus is recorded as saying, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
 
He was certainly correct: Many (perhaps most) in our culture are scampering down the broad way leading to destruction, while relatively few are taking the difficult way leading to eternal life. 
 
The evidence is all around us. We have become a culture preoccupied by materialism and amusement (with “a-” meaning “not” and “muse”meaning “think”). Most people care only about being prosperous and busy busy busy to stomp out the boredom that would otherwise consume them. (I remember a day when my worst nightmare, as an atheist, was being stuck somewhere without a page-turning novel in hand.)
 
Here’s another piece of evidence, which our pastor called to our attention in a recent sermon. It’s the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) list of 2012's 10 most popular Christmas songs, apparently as measured by number of plays on the radio.  
 
As this list makes clear, Christmas is no longer a celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world. It has instead become almost exclusively a celebration of materialism and entertainment:  

1. "Sleigh Ride"
2. "Winter Wonderland"
3. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
4. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
5. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
6. "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
7. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"
8. "Jingle Bell Rock"
9. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
10. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

The only song on this list referring even remotely to Jesus Christ is #6, 1962’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?” And a good case could be made that it’s about the least reverent of all songs in its genre. It does not mention Jesus, nor His stated purpose of coming to earth to seek and save the lost.

In fact, it was written by a then-married couple wanting to promote peace during the Cuban missile crisis. Think about the last verse:

Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
Listen to what I say!

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light."

Hmmmm. A king telling “people everywhere”about the Child? But Herod wanted that Child dead, and went to horrific lengths to try to achieve his goal.

“Pray for peace”? But in 1 Thessalonians 5, the apostle Paul warns, “For when they say, 'Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Maybe it’s time for Christians everywhere to focus on the eternal life that Jesus came to bring to all who repent and trust in Him – and to say “Bah humbug!” to the world’s take on this holiday.

After all, as the apostle John said in his first epistle, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

In John 8:36, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

It was in early 2002 that I had my first real experience of that freedom.

I still smoked as much as humanly possible – three packs a day, more often than not. I still drank a lot, too; it was not unheard of for me to put away a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine in a single evening. But I didn’t see this as a problem: Early on I had overheard a pastor telling another new Christian who smoked, “We expect you to be in prayer about it.” No problem – I could handle that. And in fact, I often mentioned to the Lord that anytime He wanted me to quit these little habits of mine, He should just say the word.

I guess I never expected Him to take me up on it.

Not that I actually heard Him say anything about it to me. But in mid-February of that year, in the midst of a prayer, I suddenly knew with dead certainty that it was time to lose both cigarettes and liquor.

Even more amazing, I complied. Cold turkey. After 30-plus years of chain smoking and beer-guzzling, I became a teetotaling nonsmoker overnight.

What’s nearly as remarkable, to me at least, is that my taste for alcohol vanished instantly. I still enjoy non-alcoholic beer (apparently verboten among secular alcohol-abuse programs, for some strange reason), and upon occasion someone has given me the real thing by mistake. Deep in conversation, I have taken a sip, and have had to literally spit it out – the taste is foul to me now. 

This is real freedom, in my book – the God-powered freedom to turn one’s back on even deep-seated behaviors in order to glorify Him instead of oneself. In my case, that meant being sober, as the apostles Paul and Peter repeatedly advised, and taking seriously Paul’s admonition that the Christian’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

There are those who would deny that giving up a pleasure could be called “freedom.” But the “do what thou willst” freedom they prefer leads to enslavement. Just ask someone who’s addicted to alcohol or drugs or gambling or exercise or gluttony or sex or self-importance or any of a thousand other out-of-control pleasures; if they’re being honest, they will not describe their ability to pursue their poisons of choice as freedom.

“Freedom is slavery,” George Orwell said in his book 1984. Perhaps he was merely commenting on the propaganda he imagined would drive the totalitarian societies of the future. But it seems to me there’s a lot of truth to this slogan for a “free” society, even if Orwell didn’t realize it.

(From Heaven Without Her, pp 191-192)

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, 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. So shall it also be with this wicked generation." (Jesus, quoted in Matthew 12:43-45)

This strikes me as an excellent description of what’s wrong with much of the western world today, as many run pell-mell into various addictions and away from eternal life -- and why even the most determined addicts are so often unable to stay “clean” for long.

Jesus has, in fact, given us a wonderfully concise explanation for what happens when a man (or woman) tries to free himself of a demon-driven addiction. He starts out by quitting the bad habit and getting his life back in order again. But he doesn’t fill his heart with anything as powerful as the original addiction, or the demon driving it; new hobbies or friends won’t suffice, and he can’t summon up enough will power to make the fix permanent. Sooner or later he's populated by not only his original demon, but by some news ones as well, and he succumbs to temptation again – quite possibly plunging even deeper into his vice of choice and its devastating (sometimes deadly) consequences.

You’ve probably seen this happen to people you know. Maybe it has even happened to you.

Drug and alcohol are perhaps the most common snares these days, although of course there are many others, from gambling to pornography. Whatever the specifics, addictions can become such major preoccupations that their victims have no time, energy or motivation left for seeking God and His heavenly kingdom.  

Many will instead run as fast as they can in the other direction. After all, they know in their heart of hearts that what they’re doing is wrong, and that He doesn't approve. They may anticipate that He will demand that they clean up their acts – and tremble at the thought of what He will do to them when they fail, as they surely will.  It’s best, they reason, not even to go there; it’s best to simply reject God and His unreasonable demands and let the addiction reign. Why fight it?

This is why AA so often fails ... but Teen Challenge does not.

I think Jesus’ description of the unclean spirit explains precisely why some approaches to addiction relief work – and others do not.

Consider, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous vs. Teen Challenge.

AA does encourage its participants to “have a connection to a higher power.” But that seems to be as far as its adherents will go.

Teen Challenge, on the other hand, is an explicitly Christ-centered program. Jesus comes first, and He then heals those who yield to Him.

AA doesn’t seem to publish any statistics related to long-term success rates; I’ve seen guesstimates ranging from 5% to 15%. Teen Challenge, on the other hand, boasts a five-year success rate of 86%, according to independent studies -- which is to say that, five years after completing the program, 86% of graduates are still clean and addiction-free (including the 71% of graduates who had gone through other treatment programs before coming to Teen Challenge).  

How can this be? Teen Challenge asked its graduates, “What makes the program work?”

The overwhelming response: “Jesus Christ.”

So it seems clear: Both secular programs like AA and the unabashedly Christ-centered Teen Challenge work to “empty, sweep, and put in order” the hearts of those who come to them seeking relief from addiction. But unlike secular programs, Teen Challenge begins by leading them to the Lord Jesus, so that their hearts can be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

As a result, any unclean spirit that tries to return to its former home sees a “No Vacancy” sign.

This is great news for anyone who suffers from an addiction, or has a loved one who’s an addict. And best of all, in most people, healing can be accomplished without the need for any formal program at all; all we have to do is receive the gospel, in the process repenting and trusting in Jesus Christ. 

And there's a bonus that's the most wonderful news of all: anyone who does this can look forward to an eternity of pure joy, to be spent in heaven with the Lord Jesus Himself. It's an offer that one would be an absolute fool to refuse. 

NEXT: The story of my liberation from addiction

One of my favorite people in the world (Mare Danielsen!) posted a link to a fascinating little article for anyone who's trusting in diet and doctors for long life -- an article extolling the virtues of the foods our great-great-great-great grandparents ate. 

This lifespan issue has intrigued me for years. Every now and then, I spend some time looking up online mini-biographies of famous ancients, and have been interested to note that many of them lived well into their 80s. I've seen nary a mention of this being unusual -- not even a "ripe old age" comment.

The author of this article explains in very simple terms why the numbers seem to support the "miracle of modern medicine" myth; it's simply another example of lying with statistics.

Once again, we are reminded that it's the Lord who determines our individual lifespans. "And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them" (Psalm 139). 

Whether we die of cancer or heart disease, childbirth or infection, we're going to die at precisely the moment He has ordained for us; the only important question is where we will be spending eternity. Thanks be to God, that's one thing we can control, simply by repenting and trusting in Christ.  

One of the passages of Scripture that I’ve spent a fair amount of time with is the Lord’s parable of the soils in Matthew 13 – the parable in which seed falls:

• On the hard and compacted soil of the wayside, where the birds come along and gobble it up.
• On the rocky places, where it may germinate but, because there’s nowhere for the roots to go, the resulting seedlings are scorched and wither away.
• Among the thorns, so that any plants that may arise are choked out.
• On good soil, where it yields a tremendous crop.

As you probably know, in each case, the seed represents the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the soil represents the hearts of those to whom it is offered.

I have found this parable to be of great comfort (and phenomenal accuracy!) as I try to share the gospel with the diverse people in my life:

• Those whose hearts are hard seem to barely hear as the devil swoops in to devour the good news. They may not respond at all, or they may respond with scoffing, as the apostle Peter warned in 2 Peter 3. 
•  Those with rocky hearts receive the gospel with apparent joy, but fall away when they’re subjected to any sort of affliction or persecution – including, no doubt, the mocking of friends and family.
• Those whose hearts dwell in thorny places receive the gospel but soon allow the cares and deceits of the world to overwhelm it and choke it out of their thinking.

Sadly, the ones whose hearts represent good soil – whether it was pure loam to begin with or was turned into suitable ground through hardship, fear or sorrow – are few and far between, at least in my experience.

It’s the latter possibility that has become my constant prayer for the lost: Lord, please do whatever it takes to soften the hearts of these people, to transform their hearts into good soil so that the gospel can flourish, bearing fruit for Your glory and Your kingdom.  

Only He knows their hearts well enough to understand, and permit or deliver, precisely the right remedy; but we can rest assured that it probably won’t be what the world considers “good,” since all the blessings He has lavished on these people over their lifetimes have not prepared them to embrace the gospel. We just need to be there, ready to plant and nurture the seeds in the newly tillable soil of their hearts, so that they, too, may have eternal life.