Above the Sun: The Bible tells us how to get to heaven (part 1)

January 6, 2019

by Barrett Vanlandingham

Your chances of being a guest in someone’s house increase if you know the homeowner. Generally speaking, they would invite you to their house. Then, you would follow directions to arrive there successfully. But if for some reason you still can't get there on your own, you would call them and they would come get you.

As a Christian, you can know you are going to heaven because God loved you enough to send his Son to die for you as the ultimate sacrifice for your sins (ref: John 3:16). The apostle Paul said, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

          In John 10:9-11, Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. He uses a figure of speech to reassure his followers (sheep) that he loves and protects them spiritually, and in fact would lay down his life for them so they could live eternally in heaven.

          The writer of Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.”

          This passage tells us we cannot be perfect, but we can perfectly carry out God’s plan of salvation by partnering with Jesus who IS the author and perfecter of our faith.

          Since God created mankind, He knows that everyone sins and falls short of where we need to be spiritually. That was the message Paul wrote in Romans 3:23-24, and added that we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

          We just have to make sure we have a relationship with Christ Jesus since He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Here is how that is accomplished:

1) Hear God’s word, (Rom. 10:17; John 5:24)

2) Believe that Jesus is God’s son (Acts 16:30-34)

3) Repent or turn from worldly ways, (Luke 13:3-5, Acts 2:38; James 1:21-22)

4) Confess with our mouth and attitude what we believe about Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33; 2 Tim. 2:19)

5) Baptism (immersion) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins. (Gal. 3:26-27; Romans 6:1-11; Mark 16:16)

          No matter how much we demonstrate our faith and love for the Father by obeying Him (John 14:15), it is still God’s grace that saves us in the end (Romans 3:24). Without God’s help, we could not find our way to heaven since we continue to “fall short.” The good news about God is this: “But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Simply put, walking with God leads to heaven.

          Have a blessed week!

Above the Sun: The New Year Is Full of Blessed Assurances

December 30, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          There is something refreshing about the thought of starting over, and in just a couple of days, 2019 begins!

What will you do with your New Year? I think most people simply want to make it count! That’s what Paul said to do (Ephesians 5:16). We should always look for opportunities to make a difference for the Lord’s kingdom. Lost souls are depending on us, and frankly, we do not know how much time we have. James 4:13-14 describes life as a vapor that vanishes after only a little while. That “little while” has an exact number that only God knows (Job 14:5, Psalm 139:16).

I love the old saying, “Preach Jesus, and if necessary use words.” In 2019, will you look for opportunities in your daily life to tell people about Jesus, or maybe show them Jesus through your attitude? What else might you consider an improved use of your time for the coming year? Will you have a conversation with God every morning before you get out of bed? Will you read the Bible all the way through, or maybe the New Testament? Will you have a more positive attitude and try to see the water glass as half full this year instead of half empty? Will you try to improve the living conditions of those you live with by doing one act of service every day that you do not normally do? Those are some of the goals I keep for myself. I usually fall short.

The Bible has a wellspring of encouraging words that every Christian needs to remember in 2019 as we partner with God in winning souls.

          “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:23-24).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

The kind of hope that Paul, David, and Peter wrote about here is not a “wishful thinking” kind of hope, but one that we as believers and participants in Christ’s work and God’s grace can fully trust and celebrate all year long.  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Giving to others is the real blessing

December 23, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          Sure, receiving a gift is always such a blessing, but I think most of us would agree that being able to give to others is an even better gift. Anyone who is a mature thinking human being understands this.

          I remember one time when my wife Lisa and I were in college back in the 80’s, she had been babysitting a lot at night and on weekends which really threw a kink into my plans for dating her. I did not understand why she needed to save up so much money. But when Christmas rolled around and she showed up with an Alvarez Silver Belle banjo inside a beautiful black case with a nice big red bow tied around it, I was completely blown away. It wasn’t just that I had received from her the very banjo I had wanted for so long, it was the look on her face. She obviously felt even better for giving me this present than she could have felt for anything I could have given her.  As the years have passed, I have come to realize she lives her whole life this way. Let’s just say I am pretty sure I married way out of my league.  God is good.

          The apostle Paul lived his life this way even though he constantly faced opposition, punishment, and jail time for his devotion to the teachings of Jesus. As Paul was leaving Ephesus heading for Jerusalem he not only reminded the leaders of the Ephesian church the importance of teaching people about the good news of God’s grace, but also reminded them of the blessing of giving to others.

          “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ ” (Acts 20:35).

          A friend of mine told me the other day about someone he knows who is about to worry himself sick over what to ask for this Christmas from his parents. This person is an ADULT.  At first, my friend thought his friend was stressing over what to get for someone else. But NO. It was the other way around. He was actually wringing his hands and popping his knuckles over what HE would ask for!  I am pretty sure the words gift and blessing do not apply in any way here.

          Let’s face it, some people are just better at being selfless than others. But it is a quality that can be learned by all.  And once it is learned, a selfless attitude leads to giving to others, which is truly a blessing.  Merry Christmas!

Above the Sun: Some gifts cause more misery than joy

December 16, 2018

by Barrett Vanlandingham

          As I was scrolling through my Instagram account, I saw this ad: “Feeling overwhelmed? Here’s an easy way to borrow up to $40,000.” The man in the ad was depicted as feeling stressed at first, and then after seeing what offers were available to him he looked relieved and could not contain his smile of contentment. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that having to pay back thousands of dollars is not going to help anyone feel less overwhelmed.

          I also receive a lot of emails pretending to be helpful. Just a few days ago I got one posing as Discover. They wanted me to verify some large purchases. How nice of them! It was definitely a scam. The sender said they would charge my account $1521 if I did not click the provided link, type in my account information, and let them know if these were my charges. I knew it was a fake because we had not used our card lately. Also, I hovered my mouse over the link provided, and the address that popped up was not even affiliated with Discover. Also, it was not addressed to me, and it did not include any part of my account number. I just hit delete. It is always safer to check your online accounts directly instead of going through email links.

          One of my daughters was also targeted recently through phone calls and letters not long after she started a new coffee catering business. She had consulted with state and local agencies to make sure she was doing everything by the book. So, when she received calls that told her she was required to purchase a set of laminated posters and a book containing labor laws, and then post them in her business, she did it because they said it would keep her out of trouble with the law. But after doing a little investigating, she discovered that her $600 purchase of these posters from a company called Personnel Concepts is not required. They agreed to give her a full refund. I guess we will see.

          While there are a lot of false and deceptive messages out there in this broken world, there is one place we can turn and know that truth is present. The Bible. It contains God’s inspired word. It is all we need (2 Timothy 2:15). Its time tested messages are just as relevant now as ever. Its truths become more credible with each passing generation as historical, geographical, and scientific discoveries continue to uphold the stories told in the combined 66 books we call the Bible. God’s word is a gift that continues to change lives for the better.

          Have a great week!