“Have you celebrated a special event recently?” is the question at the beginning of the “Milestones” feature in one of our local papers.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION

“Milestones” seems to be a regular feature in the NORTHERN NEWS. If the answer to the above question is yes, readers are invited to send a picture with description of the event and the names of the people on the picture to the editor of the paper.

My answer to the above question is yes!

I celebrated reading the BIBLE from cover to cover TODAY!

I read every word and started at the beginning of this year and today is Saturday, November 16, 2013.

I am writing this to encourage you to do the the same.

“FRAGILE” is written on the small parcel, I received some time ago.

But it is only just now that I noticed the yellow lable. The parcel is still unopened. I know what is in the box, and I don’t think what is inside is all that fragile, but I am glad that it was handled with care.

The word  “Fragile” reminds me that you see sometimes : “LIFE IS FRAGILE. HANDLE WITH PRAYER,” written on Church Signs. I think I have seen a sign like that myself here in Kaitaia in the past.

And I believe firmly that life is fragile and that life needs to be handled with prayer.

PRAYER IS TALKING TO GOD.

FRAGILE

Do you want to know where to pray?

1.  First Timothy 2:8  Everywhere!

2.  Matthew 6:6: In our rooms.

3.  Luke 18:10: In the church.

Do you want to know when to pray?

1.  Luke 18:1; First Thessalonians 5:17: Always, continuesly.

2.  Psalm 5:3: In the morning.

3.  Psalm 55:17: Noon and evening.

4.  Psalm 86:3: All day long.

5.  Psalm 88:1: Day and night.

Daniel prayed three times a day, Daniel 6:10.

I have actually been told to open the little box with the yellow label and I will do so when I  run out of BRAUN Shaver Cleaner. (Spray for cleaning shavers.)

 Please read the post “Singing in the ‘Lifeboat’ on this blog!

A SHIPWRECK

“Life is like a shipwreck; but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” – Voltaire

With great joy I am reading today how the Lord blessed Ludwig Harms.

Ludwig Harms lived in Germany from 1808 – 1865. (Lueneburger Heide) In his short life, only 57 years, the Lord used him as the pastor of a church, to establish a Bible school and to send out missionaries. There was in fact a revival.

The first question:

“What is the secret of your work?”

His answer:

“I have probably prayed more than others.”

The second question:

“Are you also involved in the political things in Germany?”

His answer:

“It is only through prayer that the judgments of God  can be stopped.”

Prayer is the answer. But you have heard that before!

“… a sunny day really does make you feel a bunch better about life,” writes Jude Dobson in the November/December 2013 FAMILY HEALTH DIARY.

She says also that she is sure that “there  must be some physiological basis to it.”

And there is of course.

That’s why I like the what Paul Gerhardt says:

SUN

“Die Sonne, die mir lachet, ist mein Herr Jesus Christ;

das, was mich singen machet, ist, was im Himmel ist.”

Paul Gerhardt was a famous hymn writer in Germany.

For those who don’t know German: He says that the sun shining on him is the Lord Jesus Christ and what makes him sing is what is in HEAVEN.

Now, what do we know about heaven?

If we want to know, we must turn to the Bible. What does the Word of God say?

A.  THE INHABITANTS OF HEAVEN

1.  God the Father lives there, Isaiah 63:15.

2.  Heaven is the home of the Lord Jesus Christ, John 3:13; John 6:38; Luke 24:51.

3.  God the Holy Spirit lives there, John 1:32.

4.  Angels are there, Matthew 18:10; Matthew 26:53.

5.  All the redeemed will be there, First Thessalonians 4:14

A.  THE BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN

1.  We will be forever with the Lord, Revelation 4:2.

2.  We will share in His glory, John 17:24; First Peter 1:11; Romans 8:18; Colossians 3:4.

3.  We will possess eternal life, John 3:36; John 10:38; First Peter 1:4,5.

4.  Heaven is a place of  perfect sinlessness. We will be free from SIN, Revelation 22:3. There will be sheer joy, because the curse of Eden removed forever from man.

5.  There will be no more suffering, Revelation 7:17. No hunger, no thirst and no death!

6.  Everything will be perfect and complete, Revelation 22.  In heaven we will have reached our final destination.

But I like even better, what another German hymn writer says. Philip Spitta, who lived from 1801 – 1851 begins one of his hymns like this:

“O Jesus, meine Sonne, vor der die Nacht entfleucht!”

That means that the Lord Jesus Christ is even our sun in the darkest night!

“Life is a shipwreck; but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” – Voltaire

I don’t want to forget to sing in my “lifeboat”. Others, who are singing now and those who have been singing in the past, remind me not to forget.

Three people who lived a long time ago are reminding me especially not to forget. They are Jehoshaphat, a king, and the other two are Paul and Silas.

A vast army came to attack king Jehoshaphat and he did not know what to do. He says so himself in his prayer. But he knew how to sing and praise the Lord. Appointed men sang, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy and the enemy was defeated.

Paul and Silas were in prison for preaching the Good News. I think they did not know what to do either. They did not sleep until midnight. But like Jehoshaphat they knew how to sing and praise the Lord. That’s exactly what they did. And what happened? The other prisoners were listening of course, the Lord sent an earthquake and all the prisoners were free, completely FREE!

My “lifeboat” is the Lord Jesus Christ and I have in fact many reasons to praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

1.  I praise him because of his majesty. Read about his majesty in Isaiah 24:14

2.  I praise him because of his glory. Psalm 138:5

3.  I praise him because of his greatness. Psalm 145:3

4.  I praise him because of his holiness. Exodus 15:11

5.  I praise him because of his wisdom. Daniel 2:20

6.  I praise him because of his might (power). Psalm 21:13

7.  I praise him because of his faithfulness. Isaiah 25:1

8.  But most of all I praise him because he has provided SALVATION.

Please add more reasons, because there are more!

The “shipwreck” occurred of course in the Garden of Eden.

A SHIPWRECK

Readers are invited to submit photos depicting the Far North’s special quailities.

I submitted the photo below:

“SERIOUS HORSEPOWER: Travelling back in time in Kerikeri.” (The Northland Age, Tuesday, October 29, 2013)

You can travel like this in KERIKERI