Will You Go to a 'Better Place'?

“We know that he/she is in a better place.” People often say this after a loved one dies, and it provides comfort in the midst of bewilderment and grief. Tuesday’s Salt Lake Tribune had the phrase twice, quoting people whose friends had died due to tragic car crashes.

But how can we know we will depart to a better place? The Bible answers that decisively. It says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13).

The key to having eternal life is to have the Son of God, Jesus Christ. But what is eternal life? The best-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, tells us it is the opposite of perishing. “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:15-16). [Note: everlasting and eternal are the same Greek word.]

Jesus illustrated both eternal life and perishing when He told about the rich man and Lazarus. Read the thought-provoking account in Luke 16:19-31.

In their earth-life, the rich man was blessed and comfortable every day while Lazarus, hungry and full of sores, begged at the rich man’s gate.

Both died. They went to opposite places. In their after-life, the rich man was begging for relief from torment, while Lazarus was comfortable in Abraham’s bosom. Lazarus had eternal life while the rich man was perishing. One was in a better place; one was not.

As a biblical truths examiner (www.examiner.com) I will not impose a certain religion or church on my readers. My approach will always be non-denominational but will regard the Bible as truth for all people of all times.

So how does the Bible say we can live eternally in a “better place” after we die? Simply by believing in God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We learn who He was and what He taught and did for us by reading the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

What does “believing in” Jesus mean? Many people believe He was a true prophet, good teacher, great example, or at least—a historical person. The Greek word for believing means to be persuaded of, place confidence in, to trust and rely upon, not mere credence. When we believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, we stop putting our faith in our own logic, our good works, our church membership, or in human religious leaders.

Jesus Christ guarantees eternal life to all who believe in Him by faith. Do you trust in Him alone? Then you will go to the “Better Place.”

Airport Security: Scancer or the Pet Down?

Let me get this straight. If I want to fly, my choices are to have a stranger see me naked or to be fondled by a stranger! Before TSA started the more intense frisking, I always refused the scanner. Not because of someone seeing me virtually naked. A good laugh never hurts anyone.

Doctors and nurses and morticians see people naked all the time—why not TSA scan viewers? Even though I’m at an age where it should be illegal to wear a swim suit in public, that’s not what bothers me about the scan. It’s the radio waves or whatever they shoot you with. How do we know they are safe?

My parents bought my childhood shoes at a store with an x-ray machine. You put the new Buster Browns on and inserted your toes in the machine. When you pressed the x-ray button your parents could see how close your toe bones came to the end of the shoes. Of course, eventually x-rays were found to be harmful and these machines disappeared. It’s a wonder I don’t have toe cancer.

But that’s the thing. I’ve already survived two kinds of cancer. I don’t want to expose myself to another cancer while being exposed at the airport. So I plan to let them frisk me. I might even giggle or moan while they do it—make the frisker feel as uncomfortable as I do!

But what about pilots and flight attendants not being subject to the new rules? Won’t that defeat the purpose of having stricter guidelines? Don’t let terrorists know they can buy a uniform and two fake IDs and get on an airplane without being scanned or patted. That sounds scarier than cancer from radio waves.

What think ye?

Cat Humor

“A devotional book about cats? You wrote cat devotionals?”

Yes, and I had as much fun doing it as a kitten in a basket of yarn.

Barbour Publishing asked me to submit two humorous stories about cats and draw a spiritual lesson from them. Okay. Back in 1970-something our cat named Moondust did a funny thing, so I wrote about that. Then I had no more funny cat stories. So I wrote about my friend Kim’s cat who is so obese that when he lays on his side he looks like bagpipes.

Barbour bought the stories and requested eight more. I started asking friends, “What’s the funniest thing your cat has done?” I learned that people enjoy telling stories about their cats and that cats often make us laugh.

Nick’s cat was the best dog he ever had. In Hawaii, Cindy’s cat liked to bite the tails off geckos. Every gecko on the wall in their house was tailless! And Steve had to get married with his hand and wrist completely bandaged because his cat freaked out that morning.

So how do funny cat stories deepen one’s relationship with God? You’ll have to read Heavenly Humor for the Cat Lover’s Soul-75 Fur-Filled Inspirational Readings to find out.

Oh Bother

Isn’t one of God’s Big Ten—commandments, that is—not to take His name in vain? I know God’s ‘name’ involves who He is, not only His titles, and we are not to dishonor Him in any way, but using His name as a slang word or exclamation surely breaks God’s third command.

Using any of His names “in vain” means saying them empty of their meaning. This treats God as if He doesn’t matter. One way people do this is by the expression, “Oh, my G__.” It has become popular to use this phrase to express surprise, horror, amazement, fear, disgust, excitement, and what the dog did on the carpet.

You hear it on most TV shows from actors’ mouths and even from non-actors on reality shows. From game shows to antiques road shows, from funny home videos to home makeovers. Producers used to bleep God’s name out, but not anymore.

Now a seven-year-old boy in “The Switch” says it, even in the promo clip to advertise the movie. How will that influence children who view that trailer on TV?

What to do? We need American idols and icons to reverse this degrading trend. Can we convince them to stop using the names of God and Jesus as expletives? This goes for calling various things “holy”—like cows and excrement—as well.

No, the pop stars will probably not embrace my humble opinion. Lacking that, perhaps an Internet grassroots movement would work. What’s your favorite expression for joy? Consider switching to something clean and innocent like Hoo-Rah! Alright! Yippee! Awesome! Excellent! Peachy! Or Gomer Pyle’s Shazam!

For a negative term, consider: Tarnation! Rats! Stink! Winnie the Pooh’s favorite—Bother, or what my son coined as a child—Oh Boo!

I challenge you to set a guard by your lips and let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, especially one that misuses God’s name. If you want to start a trend—copy and send this to all your email friends. That would be Way Cool!

Human, not Racial, Profiling

When our nation elected a so-called “black” president, I thought it would be a giant step toward unifying the races. After all, technically, President Obama is mulatto—half black as well as half white. Surely he would fairly represent all the races.

Perhaps he does or tries to, but this has not trickled down to the media. They still write about “the white vote,” “Latinos losing confidence in the president,” “reverse discrimination,” “racial profiling,” and our president as being “black.”

Why can’t we all just be “Americans”? And view people from other countries as “fellow-humans!” And fellow-humans who live in America without proper documentation as law-breakers who deserve to be caught and prosecuted! Does this make sense to anyone but me?

I work with people from several ethnic and religious backgrounds and from different sexual preferences. I consider myself a friend to each of them, and we all work together for the good of the company.

Being friends, and working for the good of America. Is that too much to ask? I guess it’s just too black and white.

Sanctification Hurts

Sanctification is the big Bible word for God’s training process. In other words—suffering. It produces godliness in His children who are exercised by it, but it does hurt.

Joyce and I grew up together in PA and went to the same Bible college. She and her husband are long-term missionaries in South America. They were involved in a car accident in December and have had difficulties with the insurance company. It took until May to get their car out of the shop. Now the other driver has brought a personal law suit against them, which the insurance co says they have to handle.

Add to this the stresses of ministry, need to renew visas, and health issues, all of which are pruning them. She wrote this to me:

"As I read your email it made me think of this old song...'He washed my eyes with tears that I might see the wonder of His love revealed in me!' And we probably thought we KNEW what that meant when we were teens.
We have read a good deal of material in recent years by Andrew Murray, Tozer, Moody, Torrey...so different than a lot of the 'Jesus is your good buddy, loving you, and just wanting you to be a really happy camper!'
It seems that so many are talking of the Lord's return these days--which is good, but it seems like more people are also getting the message, as you say—‘the bumps are to climb on.’ Becoming more like Him is not a quick, easy process...but it is so worth it to Know Him and the power of His resurrection!"

God’s purpose in sanctifying us is to draw us closer to Him. We pray more—committing our problems and needs to Him and then WAITING. And it makes what we read in His Word much more relevant and meaningful than when we aren’t experiencing hardships.

Our response to suffering can be either to shake our fist or bend our knee. Joyce is on bended knees. And I’m on mine praying for her and her family.

John 3 dot dot 16

A second grade boy attended our church AWANA Club for the first time. I opened my Bible to coach him in memorizing a Bible verse.
He said, "I don't have a Bible. My mom doesn't have a Bible either. I'd like to have a Bible."
I said, "Work on learning this verse, and I'll be back." I got a brand new Bible from the church information counter and gave it to him.
He looked so amazed.
Then I thought of using the opportunity as a teaching moment. I asked him, "Why do you think I gave you that Bible?"
"Because I'm learning this.” He pointed to the verse.
"No. That's good, but that's not why I gave you a free gift. Why did I do that?"
"Because I did what you told me to?"
"Not really. I gave you something free. Why do you think I gave you a free Bible?"
He thought some more and then had an epiphany: "Because I wanted it?"
"Yes! And that's what God does too--He gives us the free gift of eternal life when we realize we need it and want it."
Then I used the "Cross Talk" pamphlet to explain that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and give us eternal life when we trust Him for it. Not being familiar with the Bible, he read the Scripture reference like this: “John three dot dot sixteen.”
At the end He wanted to talk to God right away. He said: "God, can I have the free gift and go to heaven when I die and not have my sins anymore?"
Epiphany!
The Greek word for giving light.