The question of the ages: "Do you think you will go to Heaven?".....
I realize some don't believe there is a Heaven...some don't think there is really a God...and certainly a number of people do not think Jesus died for them...they are doin' fine without all that "religious stuff".
Ok...but how about the rest of us?
Being a Christian is a unique lifestyle no doubt!
I have grown up with all kinds of "stuff" people have said and gave input to what they thought about..."Heaven".
John Lennon wrote his song in my younger years: "Imagine there is no Heaven"...leading one to believe we could all get along and be at peace if we just accepted one another and find ways to get along.
"Is God Dead?" was a thought that was given attention when it appeared on the front cover of Time Magazine on April 8th, 1966. Friedrich Nietzsche is given credit to giving that assessment.
I have heard how we are all "God's children", regardless of which way we choose to believe in Him. After all, our cultures are all different...Buddhism, Muslim, or Hinduism...and if that isn't enough to get you started...look at all the different beliefs within Christianity itself. Do Jehovah Witnesses believe Jesus is equal to God the Father, do the Mormons believe Jesus has always been God?...and then there are the Roman Catholics, the Presbyterians, the Pentecostals, and so on. How about those "guys" who "dance with snakes" to prove the God they serve?
And then there are other things.....
How many times have I heard about the "end of the world?" How about all the abortions and how we as a country (U.S.) are being accused guilty...of murder?
Then there are those who say they had tried being a Christian...but it didn't work. Others claim God is in the trees, the mountain tops...in nature itself. Still others claim the heart of man is basically good...we just have to uncover all the "junk" that has covered our very hearts...and we will find our true selves and can find joy in life.
I don't know about you...but I have found there is "alot of stuff"from every walk of life. So, back to the question..."Do You Think You Will Go To Heaven?" Is it important to you?...Do you even care?..."Is this life just the "cards you were dealt"...deal with it?
Well, how about all the success stories? People have great testimonies how they changed their lives around...when they bought a juicer and went vegan! Or, when they started sending out "positive thoughts" and just like a boomerang...good things come around!
All this can become quite mind boggling...yet, there is one thing for me that seems to settle all the ideas, formulas, and direction needed for me to experience what life has for me and a purpose to why I even exist. This thought allows me to find peace within, accept myself for who I am, and actually gives me power to turn my attention to the needs of others. It's like I come to a point at certain times in my life where I "feel their pain"...and then I pray for them...to the God I believe in.
This all started for me when I learned this song when I was a small child by a beautiful lady that seemed to have so much love for me (yea, my family was all messed up too...my Mom and Dad split up shortly after I was born ( I did not take it personally lol), anyway, this lady whose name was "Leona", said to all of us one day that when we get sad, or scared, or just not happy...we should just sing this song until the "bad feelings" go away. The song went like this:
"Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak...but He is strong!"
I think I was around 5 years old when I learned this song...and I remember when I had a severe car wreck at age 49...I was in the driver's seat wondering if I was still alive...and I was kind of in and out of consienceness...that song came to me: "Jesus loves me this I know, For the Bible tells me so, Little ones to Him belong, We are weak, But He is strong!"
I realize psychology studies show what I was doing at the moment of the car wreck was..."my inner conscienceness was reverting to a place that offered me rest and peace from the trauma I was encountering at the moment".
Ok..so? All I know is...I felt it...His Love for me! I really wasn't much of a friend to Him at the time. I had been at a gathering and gotten pretty drunk...and made the worst decision of my life...drive home. On top of that, I lived in a large city at the time, and where I crashed (I ran into a cement foundation of a railroad crossing at... they say I was going minimum 70 miles an hour). Anyway, it was a rough part of town, and I was told later by local authorities that when a person is stranded in his car in this particular area, it was an average of 3 to 4 minutes before you were robbed. I had been there for over 45 minutes before anyone arrived at the scene... and by His Grace I was not robbed.
So, what am I trying to say here? I'm just sayin'... I am one of many...throughout history...throughout various cultures...throughout individual lives...that confirm this fact: He Lives! I am not here to defend this statement...I am here to proclaim it. There is still another...who has a way of convincing others...He has been sent as a Helper for us and the work of Christ Jesus...but I must warn you...if you are sincere and upfront about wondering if Christ Jesus is the One to put your trust in...and you make a decision to believe in Him, then it is entirely possible you just might find the answer to the original question of this article: " Do You Think You Will Go To Heaven?"...with a heartfelt answer "Yes"... and actually get things like joy and purpose into your life...if that is what you are looking for.
Saint Paul, whose culture and way of life was totally different than mine, said this about Christ Jesus:
A Gleaning from Romans 8:35-36
" Do you really think anyone is going to drive a wedge between the love Christ Jesus gives to us and our hearts receiving His love? Are you kidding me?? Through His Grace...."It ain't gonna' happen"!
There are no pressures or troubles, no hard times or distress, no suffering or hatred of any kind, no hunger or famine, no homelessness or if we are stripped naked, no bully-type threats, no backstabbing, there is absolutely no dangers of any kind that can stand up to His love for us.
Look, even if we are killed in "cold blood"...because of a bitter hatred for the One we believe in...like sitting ducks..getting picked off one at a time, it does nothing to diminish His love for us. Why?...because:
"Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
We are weak...but He...He is strong!"
Note: If you would decide to give your heart and life to Christ Jesus...here is how I learned to do it: First, get yourself in a quiet place for a little bit, then "speak from your heart"...you know what I mean right?....kind of like being honest with yourself...the best you know how.
Then, you simply ask Christ Jesus to forgive you of your sin(s), the reason I put ( ) on sin is because there is really only one sin that is the root of all other sins in our lives...the sin of rejecting Him....doing His work at the Cross for us and recognizing that without this work at the Cross...we would die in misery...with no hope of anything to look forward to...in this life we live now or in the Life to come ( pretty wild thought, huh!?)
Ask the Lord Jesus to come into your own heart and life, that you would make room for Him...and give Him the freedom to become the Lord of all areas of your life ( I have found this one is a process).
I would then simply thank Him for the privilege of doing this...and then it happens!....He takes You directly to His Father...and you get introduced to Him! Trust me, it's a big thing in Heaven when you do this...angels go absolutely "nuts" in joy...or so I have been told....
I realize some don't believe there is a Heaven...some don't think there is really a God...and certainly a number of people do not think Jesus died for them...they are doin' fine without all that "religious stuff".
Ok...but how about the rest of us?
Being a Christian is a unique lifestyle no doubt!
I have grown up with all kinds of "stuff" people have said and gave input to what they thought about..."Heaven".
John Lennon wrote his song in my younger years: "Imagine there is no Heaven"...leading one to believe we could all get along and be at peace if we just accepted one another and find ways to get along.
"Is God Dead?" was a thought that was given attention when it appeared on the front cover of Time Magazine on April 8th, 1966. Friedrich Nietzsche is given credit to giving that assessment.
And then there are other things.....
How many times have I heard about the "end of the world?" How about all the abortions and how we as a country (U.S.) are being accused guilty...of murder?
I don't know about you...but I have found there is "alot of stuff"from every walk of life. So, back to the question..."Do You Think You Will Go To Heaven?" Is it important to you?...Do you even care?..."Is this life just the "cards you were dealt"...deal with it?
Well, how about all the success stories? People have great testimonies how they changed their lives around...when they bought a juicer and went vegan! Or, when they started sending out "positive thoughts" and just like a boomerang...good things come around!
All this can become quite mind boggling...yet, there is one thing for me that seems to settle all the ideas, formulas, and direction needed for me to experience what life has for me and a purpose to why I even exist. This thought allows me to find peace within, accept myself for who I am, and actually gives me power to turn my attention to the needs of others. It's like I come to a point at certain times in my life where I "feel their pain"...and then I pray for them...to the God I believe in.
This all started for me when I learned this song when I was a small child by a beautiful lady that seemed to have so much love for me (yea, my family was all messed up too...my Mom and Dad split up shortly after I was born ( I did not take it personally lol), anyway, this lady whose name was "Leona", said to all of us one day that when we get sad, or scared, or just not happy...we should just sing this song until the "bad feelings" go away. The song went like this:
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
We are weak...but He is strong!"
I think I was around 5 years old when I learned this song...and I remember when I had a severe car wreck at age 49...I was in the driver's seat wondering if I was still alive...and I was kind of in and out of consienceness...that song came to me: "Jesus loves me this I know, For the Bible tells me so, Little ones to Him belong, We are weak, But He is strong!"
I realize psychology studies show what I was doing at the moment of the car wreck was..."my inner conscienceness was reverting to a place that offered me rest and peace from the trauma I was encountering at the moment".
Ok..so? All I know is...I felt it...His Love for me! I really wasn't much of a friend to Him at the time. I had been at a gathering and gotten pretty drunk...and made the worst decision of my life...drive home. On top of that, I lived in a large city at the time, and where I crashed (I ran into a cement foundation of a railroad crossing at... they say I was going minimum 70 miles an hour). Anyway, it was a rough part of town, and I was told later by local authorities that when a person is stranded in his car in this particular area, it was an average of 3 to 4 minutes before you were robbed. I had been there for over 45 minutes before anyone arrived at the scene... and by His Grace I was not robbed.
So, what am I trying to say here? I'm just sayin'... I am one of many...throughout history...throughout various cultures...throughout individual lives...that confirm this fact: He Lives! I am not here to defend this statement...I am here to proclaim it. There is still another...who has a way of convincing others...He has been sent as a Helper for us and the work of Christ Jesus...but I must warn you...if you are sincere and upfront about wondering if Christ Jesus is the One to put your trust in...and you make a decision to believe in Him, then it is entirely possible you just might find the answer to the original question of this article: " Do You Think You Will Go To Heaven?"...with a heartfelt answer "Yes"... and actually get things like joy and purpose into your life...if that is what you are looking for.
Saint Paul, whose culture and way of life was totally different than mine, said this about Christ Jesus:
A Gleaning from Romans 8:35-36
There are no pressures or troubles, no hard times or distress, no suffering or hatred of any kind, no hunger or famine, no homelessness or if we are stripped naked, no bully-type threats, no backstabbing, there is absolutely no dangers of any kind that can stand up to His love for us.
Look, even if we are killed in "cold blood"...because of a bitter hatred for the One we believe in...like sitting ducks..getting picked off one at a time, it does nothing to diminish His love for us. Why?...because:
"Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
We are weak...but He...He is strong!"
Note: If you would decide to give your heart and life to Christ Jesus...here is how I learned to do it: First, get yourself in a quiet place for a little bit, then "speak from your heart"...you know what I mean right?....kind of like being honest with yourself...the best you know how.
Then, you simply ask Christ Jesus to forgive you of your sin(s), the reason I put ( ) on sin is because there is really only one sin that is the root of all other sins in our lives...the sin of rejecting Him....doing His work at the Cross for us and recognizing that without this work at the Cross...we would die in misery...with no hope of anything to look forward to...in this life we live now or in the Life to come ( pretty wild thought, huh!?)
I would then simply thank Him for the privilege of doing this...and then it happens!....He takes You directly to His Father...and you get introduced to Him! Trust me, it's a big thing in Heaven when you do this...angels go absolutely "nuts" in joy...or so I have been told....
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