July 31, 2020As we say “Good-bye” to July later today, many of us are filled with mixed emotions. It has been a month of mostly beautiful, sunny days in southern Quebec, but it has also been a time of sadness for some who have lost family members and friends. Karen and I were saddened to learn of the passing of two ladies this month: the mother of one of our neighbours and Lois Gamble, who was a dear friend for many years. Their deaths brought back memories of Karen’s parents, who went to be with the Lord in 2014 and 2015. One thought that seemed to jump off the page in reading the first chapter of Dr. David Jeremiah’s book “Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven” this week is that as we grow older, more and more of our friends are in heaven. You can watch Dr. Jeremiah speak about heaven at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu3urc7I6yI.
In yesterday’s edition of the Montreal Gazette, an article by Chris Knight is entitled “Why U.S., China and UAE are all blasting off to the red planet.” Knight writes about three spacecraft lifting off this week for a six-month journey to Mars, as well as giving a history of similar space missions since 1960. In yesterday’s launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, a miniature helicopter called Ingenuity hitched a ride on the bottom of the rover Perseverance. Knight writes: “Weighing in at 1.8 kg (or less than 700 grams in the lower gravity of Mars), Ingenuity aims to be the first aircraft to fly on another planet.”
When I was a teenager, I had a newspaper route and remember the day that the front page had the biggest headline I had ever seen: “MAN ON MOON.” Fifty-one years ago this month, images of American astronauts on the moon were shown around the world. You can see this historic mission at: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/07/18/apollo-11-moon-landing-scn-orig.cnn/video/playlists/moon-space/.
In Dr. Jeremiah’s message about heaven, he notes that the Greek word for heaven – “ouranos” – is defined as “raised up” or “lofty” and is the root word for the planet Uranus. Although we don’t know where heaven is, we know who is there: the Lord and all who have placed their trust in Him. The most important reservation that you and I can make is to reserve a home in heaven!
Scripture for the weekend: “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-20 (NASB)
Thought for the weekend: “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” – Dr. David Jeremiah
Steve