itchies | heaven?

itchies

ive got the itchies & it aint fun

these red itchy spots are spreading all over my body as we speak. cant imagine where i cld have gotten them from other than the blanket on qantas. i know, eeks. thing is, ive had a similar rash a year ago (tho not from a qantas blanket i reckon) so i know it will go away... in time! managed to sneak off to the dermatologist at lunch so hopefully spots will stop appearing once i administer the treatment.
boohoo. hope i dont scar too badly

heaven - what do you imagine it to be?

we had a really good study yest nite on 1 Peter 1. it began with us pondering aloud what heaven wld be like & there were some pretty interesting responses: "many angels, shining.. with harps!" "lotsa singing!" "an old man with beard??" "paths of gold..." "we will be very happy!"

not all biblical (esp the old man bit), but interesting :)

learnt that even as we struggle to live right & godly lives here in the big, bad world, there really is comfort & joy to be had. Peter was encouraging the early church by pointing them to the living hope that we are born into & the inheritance that is kept for us who believe. an inheritance that will not perish, fade or spoil. not sth we naturally think of or cling to when we are faced with stressful deadlines, a loved one in poor health or the crippling loneliness of the night, is it? i mean, inheritance is such a faraway notion - how can it help me now?! we ask. yet its far more real & enduring than the temporary struggles we are grieved with today. we are told trials are i. temporary & ii. to prove our faith & bring glory to Jesus

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold...- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed." (v6-7)

what touched me was the passage in Ezekiel 36 (God's promise to the Jews which is also relevant to us)

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and to be careful to keep my laws...

You will be my people, and I will be your God."

can you imagine? no more struggle with sin, no more battles within, no more distractions. amazing! what im really looking forward to in heaven is no more tears, no more suffering... and being in that complete, perfect relationship w God & Jesus. wholly immersed in adoration & fellowship with Him for all eternity. its really a wonder & relief, wont you say?

help me Lord to truly believe & cling to the living hope that i have in You... help me to live in the light of eternity, to be faithful in the trials You allow in my life (yes, even the itchy spots!) most of all, help me to live like i belong to You, my Maker & God.