MrsDrPoe: Paradise

It's once again Theology Thursday, and as always, I invite you to open your Bibles with me as we look at another portion of God's word.

My thoughts today once again come from listening to the radio during this week's travels.  The Coldplay song, Paradise, was on, and Mr. Poe and I were singing along.  Several times in the lyrics, it's said that the girl who's the subject of the song is disappointed by the world and dreams of paradise every time she closes her eyes.  Thought I've listen to and sang the song numerous times, this time it made me think...what is the "paradise" I think of when I close my eyes?

In the New King James version of the Bible, heaven is referred to as "Paradise" 3 times (Luke 23:43, 2 Cor 12:4, and Rev 2:7).  No matter what the answer is when we ask ourselves about what we long for and dream about, as Christians this should be the paradise that we think of continually- especially when we're disappointed with the discouragement and sin in the world.

After thinking about these things, I decided that my goal this month will be to dwell more on heaven.  I hope you'll join me! 

MrsDrPoe: "You Will Obtain Your Goal If You Maintain Your Course"

It's another Theology Thursday here on the blog!  As always, I invite you to open up your Bibles with me as we look at a portion of God's Word.

The title for today's post came from an old fortune from a cookie that I noticed on my jewelry box window this morning..."you will obtain your goal if you maintain your course."  When I read it, I started thinking about goals and courses.

Spiritually speaking, there are only two "goals" or end-points in life: heaven or hell; although, very few people would admit that their goal in life is to go to hell.  So if there are only two "goals" that are by nature mutually exclusive (i.e. you can't go to both), then the course each of us is currently on must lead to one or the other.  This reminded me of Galatians 5:16-26, which contrasts the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

The works of the flesh (the course that leads to hell):

adultery

fornication

uncleanness

lewdness

idolatry

sorcery

hatred

contentions

jealousies

outbursts of wrath

selfish ambitions

dissensions

heresies

envy

murders

drunkenness

revelries

The fruit of the Spirit (the course that leads to heaven):

love

joy

peace

long-suffering

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

self-control

After all these thoughts this morning, I asked myself a question that we all need to ask ourselves...regardless of what we say our goal is, what is the course that we are on?  Are we following the works of the flesh or growing in the fruit of the Spirit?  As the fortune cookie said, our course will take us to our true goal.