In My Father's House

Mansions in the sky. 

Really?

Is that what you are looking forward to?

Jesus said:

"In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

The word translated here as "mansions" in John 14:2, in the original Greek language literally means, "stayings" or "residence."

Jesus, who created the heavens, the universe, and everything in it, has prepared a place for us to dwell with Him in Heaven.  It will be our eternal abode.  But I don't think it will resemble anything like the southern mansion in "Gone With The Wind."  And unlike what I heard some 'charismaniac' say once, that he was supposedly given a 'vision' of his mansion in Heaven and in it he saw "Georgian mouldings" and furnishings, I think our abode with Christ will be unlike anything in our wildest imagination.  Whatever awaits us, it will be glorious.

A Georgian mansion?

Really?

How sad.

Personally, I am not concerned about what the eternal building that I will reside in may look like.  That is so not my focus or desire.

What I am most looking forward to in my eternal abode with Jesus Christ—is being there—with Him. 

Because in His presence, there will be no more death, sickness, sorrow or tears.

But even more than that, there will be no more loneliness.  No more sense of failure.  No more feeling ashamed.  No more rejection. No more descent into madness.  No more frustration. No more hopelessness.  No more boredom. No more failed relationships.  No more division or disagreements. No more fighting or wars. No more feeling unfulfilled, discontent or useless.

It will be a place of perfect peace—because Jesus is our peace.

I can't wait to be there, with my Lord.

For me, the absolute hope and assurance that the sense of failure, loneliness and unfulfillment that I currently feel will vanish forever, helps me focus my heart on Jesus and my eternal abode with Him, and less and less on my current situation here in this fallen, sick, mad world.

Sadly, many of us are completely enslaved to the day-to-day cares of life in the here-and-now.

The pursuits and worries of this temporary life—our finances, career and material possessions—consume our every waking thought, and cause us many a sleepless night. 

This ought not to be.

Jesus said: "Why do you worry about all this?"

God has a purpose for allowing us to go through intense seasons of trials and suffering—to prepare us for eternity. 

Our trials and suffering should humble us, and bring us to the place where we choose to thank God for the difficult times in our lives—so that we as sinners will see our desperate need for Him daily, and see His great love for us.

Enduring hardship also causes us to have compassion on other people who are suffering, and through our own suffering—as God comforts us—we, in turn, can comfort others with the same comfort that we received from God.

Finally, God allows us to endure suffering that we will not stay firmly entrenched in this present world.  The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote (chapter 3, verse 11):

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." 

"Here we have no continuing city", states the writer of Hebrews, but "We seek the one to come."

We are just sojourners, or aliens, in this fallen word.  We're just passing through.  This is not where we are meant to remain.  This is not our Home.

Eternity is what God has placed in our hearts.  Our longing should be for Him and to be with Him in the place that He has prepared for us.

Jesus said:

"I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Ultimately, our destiny and eternal abode is with Jesus—in the place He went to prepare for us—in His Father's House. In the Father's House, there will be room for us. A staying. A dwelling place. It's what we were created for—to spend forever with Jesus.

So, please don't allow yourself stay entrenched and enslaved to the things and places of this world that are perishing.  We are not long on this earth.

Our true Home awaits us.

Revelation 21:3-5

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

And He said to me,“Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

   -Amen.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Our Need For Endurance

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise."

"Are we there yet?"

No.

We're not there yet. 

Our Story—though already written—is still unfolding. We're getting close to the end of the line.

But we're not quite there yet.

Perhaps, if you're like me, you have moments of getting weary in the long journey.

Dad is driving the station wagon. The family is packed in the car. You watch telephone pole after telephone pole pass you by.  The sun set hours ago, and now, after a long night, it's coming up again on the horizon.  Now it's night again, and as you lay in the back seat staring up at each passing street light, you see the faces of your sleeping siblings illuminated, as if you were watching them from an old movie projector.

It seems like this trip will never end.

We have need of endurance.

Our destination is solidly marked on the map.  It's not a question of if we will arrive there.  It's just a matter of when.

I'm so ready to be there.  It's been a long, and at times, very bumpy road.  I've taken a lot of detours and forks in the road that I shouldn't have taken.  Why don't I just let Dad drive?

Why are we so quick to abandon the road map? The road is narrow and difficult, but it's the only road that leads to my destination.

Not to worry. We'll get there. Dad is driving. 

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Be patient."

The writer of Hebrews recorded this encouragement and exhortation (Hebrews 10:35-37):

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
      

    “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry."

Who is your confidence in today?

Let it be only in "He who is coming." 

Our confidence should not be in the temporary things that are perishing; the government, the economy, our jobs, our 401-K plans, or our material things.  These things are fleeting, and as many of us have seen, these things are here today, gone tomorrow.  The Bible says for good reason: "Do not trust in uncertain riches."

Our only confidence—our hope—is in God.   

The promise of God's Word is that He will come and will not tarry. 

We're going to be home soon.  This current long journey will end, and a new, incredible journey will begin, and will majestically and wonderfully unfold, over the next thousands of millennia.

We simply cannot comprehend.

In the meantime, we have need of endurance.  The source of our endurance is Christ. 

The writer of Hebrews also states:

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,  and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  (Hebrews 10:19-25)

We're not in this alone.  

We have been set in God's family.  We are to stir up one another by loving others with the love that God loved us with, through His Son. 

Family spends time together, enjoying a meal together, and encouraging one another, and all the more so, as we see that Day coming, in which this present, difficult journey will come to the end of the line.

"Let us consider one another."

If you are listening, and your heart is open, God will put those people whom He has placed in your life on your heart, so that you will consider them, and then reach out and encourage them. 

Are you listening?

Reach out to at least one person today that God has placed in your life, and encourage them.  Don't wait. Pick up the phone, write them an email.  But reach out.

Spend some quality time with someone.  Everywhere around you, there are people who are struggling and hurting, who need God's love and encouragement today.

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but encouraging one another—and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Waiting

   "See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains."  (James 5:7)

We don't wait well.

That's always been one of my greatest struggles—the waiting—not knowing what's going to happen, or, when it will happen. 

For me, if I understand "why" I must wait, then I can usually make some sense of my long periods of having to do so.  But when I am struggling to understand the "why" it is extremely painful for me when I must try to just be patient—and wait.

Author Tommy Tenney wrote: 

"We're into microwaving—but God's into marinating."

We're an instant gratification society.

We grumble when there are two cars ahead of us in the drive-thru line at our favorite coffee shop or burger joint.  The 'One-hour-photo' is just not fast enough.  Sixty seconds of waiting at a red light kills us.  And having to wait a few seconds for our internet browser to open?—forget about it!

We want what we want, and we want it right now.

So why are we so doggone impatient?

May I suggest it's because we don't fully trust God to manage our lives.  We want to be in control of everything.  And coming to the painful realization that we are ultimately in control of nothing, can be a rude awakening indeed.

In the next verse, James gives us the answer: 

"You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

That's the answer:  "establish your heart."

"How can I do that?" you ask.

You have to settle in your heart and in your mind, by the gift of faith that God has given you as a believer, that God is sovereign—that He is in control—of all things.  That God is faithful.

Nothing can happen in this life unless God either allows it to happen, or He directly causes it to happen.

Nothing.

You must stand on the truth that God really does cause all things to work together  for our good, for those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (See Romans 8:28)

Do you truly believe that?  

Sometimes, I think I believe that, but it's little more than an intellectual understanding of the passage.  But this is a Promise from God our Father. 

In your times of trying to make sense of what is happening in your life, if you don't really believe God will keep His promises to you, like me, you need to pray, "Lord, help my unbelief."

We either believe that God is faithful—or we don't. 

And lately, my actions and attitudes have been those of a person who doesn't fully trust God to manage my life. 

That's what faith is—trusting fully in the Lord—no matter what.

Lord—help my unbelief.

The writer of Hebrews states that faith is having certain hope for what we cannot see.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  (Heb 11:1).

Paul also writes in Romans:

"For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." (Rom 8:24-25)

Faith settles in our hearts that God is faithful.  He has brought us this far and has helped us get through things that we didn't think we could ever endure.  Faith is assured that God will keep His promises, and even though we cannot see the outcome in our long seasons of waiting—God sees and knows the end from the beginning. 

And I either choose to believe that—or I don't.

The endurance and perseverance that we need to patiently wait for what God has promised can only come from Him.  And we can only receive that strength to the extent that we draw close to Jesus and cling tightly to Him—fully trusting in Him because He is faithful.

Because He is God.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Midnight Hour

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God..."  (Acts 16:25)

This account of Paul and Silas has always stirred my heart, and has again today challenged me to really examine my heart and the depth of my own faith.

In the previous verses in Acts chapter 16, we see that Paul and his friend Silas had been taken prisoner by a mob of people who wanted them killed.  They were severely beaten with rods and cast into a dark, dirty prison cell, and their feet were fastened into stocks, so that there was no possibility of escape.  Battered, bruised and bleeding, they were in all likelihood, going to be executed soon. 

Their situation looked pretty hopeless.

And yet, here they were—at midnight—praying and singing praises to God.

What is it that could motivate bleeding, hurting, imprisoned men—to sing hymns of praise to God in their darkest hour, when all must certainly have appeared to be lost?

Their hope, trust and joy was fully in the Lord.

If anyone had cause to groan about their dire circumstances, it was Paul and Silas in this hellish prison.

But they instead chose to praise God.  The biblical word here for praise, also translated as "hymn" in some bible versions, literally means to "celebrate God in song—to sing a hymn of praise to Him." 

The "Dark Night of the Soul" is the title of a poem written by 16th-century poet, St. John of the Cross. His poem "Narrates the journey of the soul from its bodily home to its union with God. The journey occurs during the night, which represents the hardships and difficulties the soul meets in detachment from the world and reaching the light of the union with the Creator. Rather than resulting in permanent devastation, the dark night is regarded as a blessing in disguise, whereby the individual is stripped (in the dark night of the senses) of the spiritual ecstasy associated with acts of virtue. Although the individual may for a time seem to outwardly decline in his practices of virtue, in reality he becomes more virtuous, as he is being virtuous less for the spiritual rewards obtained and more out of a true love for God."

Perhaps, like Paul and Silas did, you too are experiencing a season in your life that could accurately be described as the dark night of the soul.

Their powerful secret was—Paul and Silas were already free in their souls because God was with them. He never leaves us or forsakes us because He indwells our hearts. This is why they were able to turn and thank God and praise Him—in spite of whether their desperate and hopeless circumstances changed, or not.

We are to praise God because He is worthy of our praise—not because we want something from Him. Paul and Silas were not singing hymns to God to obtain a "get out of jail free" card.

They were singing out of a true love for God—out of sincere hearts that were thankful to God because He loved them. He had already demonstrated His love to them by sending His Son Jesus to die on the Cross for them, and for all men.  Their love for God was not based on the condition of their temporary circumstances, but was out their relationship with God as His sons—which was a relationship purchased for them by the sacrificial blood of Christ.

The ultimate act of Love.

Paul wrote in one of his letters to his young disciple, Timothy, that in the last days, men would, among other things, be "unthankful" and "unholy."

I believe this is the cause of most Christians' depression and apathy today.  We are living such defeated lives because we are so focused on our circumstances and problems, that we have altogether forgotten what God already did for us by sending His own Son for us. 

It's like our entire existence is dominated by our circumstances—we don't have that job yet; our marriage is failing; our spouse left us; we can't afford that new car we want; the new house we have wanted is still not within our grasp; our 32 inch flat screen TV just isn't quite cutting it like our neighbors 50 inch screen would; our Internet connection is way too slow; they don't sing the songs at church the way we like; we still haven't met someone who we could end up getting married to someday; we're so unhappy at our job.

Where exactly does God fit into your life in all this?

Let us come to the place in our hearts, where we can profess to God, "Lord, even if You never do another thing for me the rest of my life, I thank You Lord for loving me and saving me—for writing my name in the Lamb's Book of Life—for setting me in Your family forever—for sending Your own Son to take my place on the Cross—thank You Lord for the free gift of salvation by Your grace."

When we as Christians gather together to fellowship with one another, our conversation should be much less about our problems and temporary circumstances, and much more about thanking and praising God—for what He has already done for us—for what He has already given us—the gift of Himself.

As Paul and Silas were singing praises of thanks to God at midnight, it says that the "prisoners were listening to them."  In verse 26 we see what happened next:

"Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed."

The spiritual application for us today is clear:  if you are bound up in chains of unthankfulness in your heart, mind and emotions—turn your heart to the Lord and thank Him and praise Him—because He is worthy of all your praise.

If your heart is hard and your faith is dying today because the circumstances in your life are difficult, or even appear hopeless as Paul's and Silas' did—the only way the foundation of your self-imposed prison of bitterness and unthankfulness can be shaken and your prison doors opened—is for you to turn from the sin of your unthankfulness, and turn to God and confess it, and then thank and praise Him for what He has already done for you.

If you have Jesus Christ and His Spirit living in you—you already have everything. 

You have been given the gift of God Himself.

I know from my own painful experiences, how hard it is to see it as a "blessing in disguise" when are experiencinng a dark night of the soul in our lives.  But the truth is, just as He did by allowing Paul and Silas to be severely beaten and thrown into a dark prison for a time, so too will God allow us to experience a dark night of the soul to bring us closer to Himself. 

So, dear friend, thank Him and then tell someone else in your life how thankful you are for all that God has given you. Your chains of ingratitude shall be loosed. 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The River of Life

"My joy is full..."

With tears in her eyes, my wife leaned over and whispered those tender words to me, as we sat on a blanket under a large shade tree, having a wonderful picnic together with my daughter and my wife's sister. 

It was a little taste of Heaven—a sweet time of just being family. 

We have been blessed with an amazing restoration that has continued in our family.  A coming together.  A season where, more and more, we are seeing God move on the hearts of some of the people we love the most. A time of salvation.  A time of grace.

A time of love.

When we talk about the old days, and we recollect where we've been, and what we've been through—and then we recall where God has brought us—into sweet times like what we are experiencing today, one has to wonder, can it get any better than this?

But it just keeps getting better.

It's hard to believe that my wife and I endured our painful and destructive decade of seven separations, two divorce proceedings and adultery.  It just doesn't make sense that we are here today, more happily married than ever, and our joy is so full.  I said to my daughter and sister-in-law: "We shouldn't even be together here today."

But here we are.

And these kinds of tender, sweet moments with my wife just keep getting sweeter.  I literally shudder with a chill when I think back to those dark days, months and years when we were so at odds with each other.  When our home was so cold, dark and filled with loneliness and malice. When our marriage was dead. Such a loveless season.  A season that was devoid of hope.

But now our home and life together is filled with joy and singing.  My wife has a song in her heart every morning. She brings sunshine into my life every day. 

This is a verse from a 'just because' card my wife gave me a couple of years ago, that we found in a basket under the coffee table:

"I'm forever yours... because only with you, can I capture a moment where I know what it's like to feel Heaven."

We have experienced this kind of love and joy only because we have come together and fallen into the depths of the River of Life.

One of my mom's favorite old hymns has a line in the chorus that says:

"Come to the water, there is a vast supply—there is a River, that never shall run dry."

The River of Life springs forth perpetually.  Our eternal source of joy, peace, hope, mercy and love never ceases, no matter if our temporary circumstances are wonderful....or tragic. 

Today we visited my mom's grave site.  We recalled wonderful memories of happy times spent with mom, and the love we shared.  And we had times of tears, stunned by the fact that we are estranged today from some of our family members.  My mom was always the 'glue' that held our family together.  Since she went home to be with her Savior, our family has slowly continued to drift apart.  My daughter said, sobbing, "We used to all be so close..."

Our hope and prayer is that one day, our entire family will enjoy a sweet taste of Heaven like the four of us did today.

The Spirit of God is the eternal River of Life.  Jesus Christ is the source of all that is pure, joyous, true, wonderful, good and holy.  He is Love.  He is constantly available to all who will come to Him and drink. All those who drink of the living water that He gives—the River of Life—will never thirst again.

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well:

“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. And the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” - (John 4:13-14)

The only reason our marriage is so alive and filled with joy today, is because we surrendered our hearts and our hurts to the Savior who freely offers the fountain of water that springs up into everlasting life. And we continue to come to the water and drink, every day.  There is an endless supply.

The River of Life is Jesus Christ, and He is freely available to all.

Come to Him today and drink. Fall into the depths of His love.

     -You will never thirst again.



—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Root It Out

     Image ©Mark Faulkner 2011

"Stupid Weeds!"

Every summer these weed-like-things that look like tiny tree sprouts invade my lawn and poke their ugly heads up through, what is otherwise a pretty nice lawn. 

So, every time, I carefully dig down and try to pull them up by the root. But somehow, they keep coming back every couple of weeks. This has been going on for five or six years now.   

It's very frustrating—to say the least.

Somewhere along the line, over the last couple of years, I knew, because of the pattern these sprouts have taken across my lawn, that there obviously had to be a greater root system underneath that the sprouts were attached to.   And I have known for quite some time that I needed to find that doggone root, and root it out, once and for all.  I've just been procrastinating doing what I know had to be done.

Getting to the root of any problem is a lot of hard work.  It has been easier for me to just pull the growths out near the surface and keep them mowed down every week with the lawn mower. 

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

But the problem has only persisted and has been bugging me a lot.  It certainly hasn't just gone away by itself.

I had to finally do something about it.

And it was even harder work than I anticipated. I had to sit down and take several water breaks in the heat of the afternoon sun. Once I started to dig and located some of the root, I was amazed at just how extensive the root system was.  The thing was insidious!   One root that I dug up and started to pull out with all my strength was at least eight feet long, and it finally broke off at about ten feet.  There was much more root left, but that was all I could pull up in one piece.  

A tap root.

The root was about a foot underneath the surface and I had to dig deep to locate it and root it out.  But I was able to find most of it by going to each growth that I saw on the surface, and then dig down under each sprout and find the source. 

The surface of my lawn is a bit scarred today, but I can rest easier, knowing I got to the root of the problem, and solved it.  I know the lawn will ultimately heal as I water it and feed it with the right weed and feed.

Now, think about the analogy of my weed and root problem and apply that to your life. Think about your relationships and your personal habits. The stuff we see on the surface—the problems—such as division, miscommunication, marriage difficulties, as well as the sins of adultery, lust, pornography, substance abuse, over eating, lying (etc)—are just symptoms.  But the root of all these problems goes much, much deeper.

The root lies within our hearts.

I'll dig even deeper still and boldly state that the root of all our problems is due to our lack of a right relationship with Jesus Christ. 

A pastor friend of mine said the following to our group, at a men's retreat several years ago:

"Guys—every problem is a spiritual problem."

I think that is one of the most profoundly true statements that I have heard in my entire life.  

But to be honest, when I first heard it, I scoffed.  I thought to myself, "Well, sure, many problems are  spiritual problems. But every problem?  I don't know about that!" 

I was skeptical.

But over the last several years since that men's retreat, I have seen this to be painfully true in my own life, and in my heart.  And in the lives and hearts of many others.

Husbands; if you are not loving your wife sacrificially and unconditionally—as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, it's because you do not have a right relationship with Christ.  Certainly not a relationship where you are loving Him and are surrendered and obedient to Him.  As one friend of mine has said, "He's either Lord of all, or not at all."

Wives; if you are trying to control and manipulate your husband and are butting heads with him for spiritual leadership and control in the marriage, it's because you too do not have a right relationship with Jesus Christ.  Certainly not a relationship where you are loving Him and are surrendered and obedient to Him.  You're not under the cover of the shadow of His wings because you have stepped out on your own and tried to assume a role that God did not intend for you to have.  That's why you have no true peace and joy in your life.

If we truly are abiding in Jesus and are keeping ourselves in the love of Christ, we have surrendered our own selfish wants and feelings, and have chosen to fully trust Jesus as the Lord of our life, and then allow Him to manage it. 

As I encouraged a friend last night, who has no peace or joy of the Lord in his life, I encourage you to do this same thing—to ask the Lord to reveal to you if you really even know Him.  Not just know things about Him intellectually.  But to really know Him—personally and experientially.  Ask Him to reveal to you if you really are born again by His Spirit.  Are you truly a new creation in Christ? 

Are you really even saved?

Frankly, if you have no real joy and peace in your life, you need to ask yourself if you really know what Christ did for you on the Cross, and if you know how much He loves you.  Have you ever received His love and forgiveness?  Because, if you truly have, your life won't be ruled by your circumstances. You will have peace and joy in the Lord—even if, God forbid, your husband or your wife leaves you.  If you are not thankful for all that Christ has done for you, it's possible that you may have never received Him into your heart as your Savior. 

Cry out to the Lord today and ask Him to speak to you—to reveal to you if you really Know Him, or not.

I encouraged my friend again last night to cry out to the Lord for help. And he said, "I've done that, but it doesn't work!"

If what my friend said is true, then God is a liar.  But I know that God does not lie. 

Sadly, my friend does not believe God's promises.   Here are just a few.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."  (John 6:35)

"In My Father’s house are many mansions; if that were not so, I would have told you. Behold, I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  (John 14:2-3)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)

"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1)

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John 6:37)

"No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you."  (Joshua 1:5)

Jesus said He will give rest to all who are weary and burdened and who come to Him.  And He does not lie.

"Let God be true and every man a liar."  (Romans 3:4)

     Jesus either lives in you—or He doesn't.

     You either know and love God—or you don't.

     You're either saved—or you're not.

     There is no in-between. You need to know. 

You can sit in a pretty church building every week.  You can read the entire bible.  Maybe you went forward at a church service years ago. You can know a lot of things about God—and still not actually know Him personally.

The Bible says we are known by our fruit.   And the fruit of our lips should spring forth from a humble, thankful heart that is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for all that Jesus has done for us.  He saved us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

If this overflowing thankfulness to Jesus is not the fruit of your lips, then you simply don't know Him.

Get to know Him.

     -Search your heart and cry out to Him today.

He is the true Vine—the root of all that is good. He is the only source of everlasting life.

     He alone is Love.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.