ABOUT THE RAPTURE

This was a devotional I read this morning and was so very good I felt I needed to share it here:

"We tell you this directly from the Lord."

I Thessalonians 4:15 NLT

WHEN A BELIEVER DIES

What Paul wrote about death, he got directly from the Lord: "We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died."  The Lord reserves this high privilege exclusively for those who die in Him: they will be the first to experience the resurrection.  Try to imagine that moment.  Arising from their rest like we do after a good night's sleep, now dressed in Christ-like bodies, they awake to the sight of their Lord returning in glory with His angels.  They meet Him-the first believers to witness His return, the initial wing of His airborne vanguard to escort Him back to earth.  This is no pipe dream or mere fantasy Paul got it "directly from the Lord."  Our source is unimpeachable!  He writes: (1)"Together with them, we which are alive..will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (vs17 NLT).  Living believers will rise to join with resurrected brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, spouses, friends, family of God Never-met-before, in a spectacular mid-air reunion with Christ. We'll be together, inseparable, eternal, one international, multicultural, love-based, Christ-centered family! (2)"Then we will be with the Lord forever" (vs17 NLT).  No speculating or imagining what He's really like, "For we will see him as he really is (1Jn 3:2 NLT).  We will see, touch and talk with Jesus as we do each other.  And He will respond to us in real time! (3) "Encourage each other with these word" (1 Thessolonians 4:18 NLT)

Copied fromThe Word For You Today daily devotional

This brings great delight to my heart as I think of our precious Suzette and all our other relatives and friends who left this earth before us.  What a well deserved blessing they have earned.

NO TEARS IN HEAVEN

  This is a counted cross stitch peace I did back in the late 80's and it hangs in our main bathroom here at our home.  I did this piece during a period when I was healing from a great hurt and shedding a lot of tears and it brought me comfort at that time.

Since our beloved Suzette left us 6 months ago today (May 19th) I look each day at this PROMISE from the Living Word and it brings comfort to know Suzette is in a place where she is not shedding any tears!!  Our oldest son, David, made reference to this on the phone to me the other day and spoke of thinking about how much it meant to him that hangs there and made such an impact that he hadn't really thought about until now. 

More importantly, it is an encouragement to be happy and enjoy the life I have: my wonderful husband, Mickey, the children and grandchildren, my wonderful church, the ministries I am involved in, my many friends.  Just the wonderful life God allows me to live, day in and day out, in spite of the worse loss imaginable, that of a child. 

Since there are no tears in Heaven and we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses it becomes doubly important to me that Suzette is looking down with great happiness, watching and observing all I am doing.  I know that this will not be possible if I am sad or crying because that would make her cry and there are no tears in Heaven!!!!

So I CHOOSE, you know it is a choice, to be happy and grateful for the years I had to be her mother here on earth and the eternity I will spend with her in Heaven.

THERE ARE NO TEARS IN HEAVEN