How to Enjoy Life and Have Good Days

 

How to Enjoy Life and Have Good Days

 

The Bible says:  “For let the person who wants to enjoy life and have good days keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from treachery and deceit.  Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right.  Let him search for peace and go after it eagerly.”  (1 Peter 3:10-11)   

 

I think we all want to have a good life.  This verse gives four things a person can do to have a good life.  1.) Keep your tongue free from evil.  2.)  Turn away from wickedness.  3.)  Do what is right.  and 4.)  Search for peace.

 

The first principle – keeping our tongue free from evil – is more difficult to accomplish than it might appear.  Our words are powerful – they can bring life and blessing into the lives of others or they can bring misery and death.  Our words come out of what is in our hearts so that is why it is so difficult to control our words.  If our hearts aren’t right, you guessed it.  Our words won’t come out right either! 

 

So we not only need to watch our words but we also need to watch our hearts.  If we have the habit of being anxious about how we are going to take care of ourselves, it can cause us trouble .There is nothing wrong with taking care of ourselves and our loved ones, in fact we are supposed to work hard to care for ourselves and our families.  But I said “anxious” self-care.  We do our very best and then we ask God to do what we can not do and trust Him to see us through.  This following scripture illustrates how ugly words and trouble come in through anxious self-care.

 

“You are jealous and want what others have and your desires go unfulfilled: so you become murderers.  You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain what you want, so you fight and war.  You do not have, because you do not ask.”  (James 4:1-2)  We are encouraged here to pray to God and ask Him for the things that we need or want instead of fighting with one another.

 

Joyce Meyer in her book “Life without Strife” writes: “We can live our lives trying to take care of ourselves or we can trust God to take care of us.  God want to take care of us! …Self-care leads to strife.  Trusting God leads to peace.  The strife resulting from self-care will ultimately destroy the people who have failed to trust in God for His care.

 

When things seem out of control and when people are taking advantage of us or harming us we want to strike out and put them down.  If they fight dirty then we want to fight dirty back.  But anxious self-care does not produce supernatural results.  We need supernatural results in our lives that only God can give!  We need to give God our problems and ask for His guidance.  The Bible tells us: “Cast all of your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:7)  Scripture teaches us that God is our defense and our vindicator and our reward, (Psalm 27:1: 59:9 and Matt. 22:44) We need to let God be God in our lives!

 

God has given strong promises to those who love Him.  When we are in trouble we can stand on these promises and be comforted.  One of my favorites is: “Fear not for I am with you, be not afraid for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, yes, I will uphold you with the right Hand of My righteousness.”  (Isaiah 41:10)

 

There are other things we can do to “keep our tongues from evil”.  Scripture says: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as Christ has forgiven you.”(Ephesians 4:32) Our hearts and our words need to be ruled with the law of kindness.

 

 And we also need to keep our words truthful.  One of the Ten Commandments states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16) We will live the good life when we go after the truth and when we are kind and caring and forgiving of others. 

 

The second thing we need to do to enjoy a good life is to” turn away from wickedness”, according to our verse in 1 Peter. And when Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer (Matt.6:9-13) He also taught us to ask for God’s deliverance from evil.  Staying away from all appearances of evil is a recurring theme throughout Scripture.  We may believe that we aren’t at risk for playing with evil.  We don’t even get near evil we tell ourselves.  We are upstanding folks – we don’t rob banks or harm others. But don’t be too sure!  Think again!  Destructive attitudes and angry hatreds can slip into our hearts and minds when we least expect them to and hide out under our radar screen.  And soon we are dancing with the devil.

 

Scripture says:  “For wherever there is jealousy and contention, there will also be confusion and all sorts of evil and vile practices. (James 3:16)  As we live our lives we will have temptations.  Dark clouds can descend upon us.  Along our way we are sure to encounter disagreements and arguments and troubles. We can count on it!  And these hateful surprises can cause us to hate back in return and our joy and our peace and our good life is gone. .

 

When we least expect it friends betray us; family members stop speaking, insults hurt our feelings.  With the pain and confusion we become angry and judgmental.  And if we are not on guard, the love that burned so brightly in our heart for these dear ones can grow cold.  Yes, the temptations will come!

 

 Like James 3:16 says,-where arguments and jealousy are in the mix, the door is opened to evil and vile practices..We don’t win the argument so we become jealous because we are competitive and winning is important to us!  We are angry that we aren’t getting our way and they think we are wrong!  Why is it so difficult to be wrong?  So important to be right?  Does our pride make it easy for evil to get in the door?  Pride will trip us up every time!

 

We must be vigilant – watchful – staying away from evil is not as easy as we thought!  We are in a war – a spiritual war - onward Christian soldiers!  We have to constantly humble ourselves and keep giving our egos to Christ - hide in Him- give Him our problems and keep giving them to Him when we take them back.  He can take care of our problems no matter how impossible they appear and He promises that He will even if we don’t see it until after we die. But we will be victorious in Him!  We can count on it!   .       

 

The third rule for enjoying a good life according to our scripture verse is: “Do what is right.”  Sounds so simple!  But watch out, it’s harder than you think to do right!  Joyce Meyer writes in “Life without Strife”; “The decision to do right must follow the decision to stop doing wrong.  It may appear that the one automatically follows the other, but it doesn’t.  Both are definite choices.  Repentance is two-fold: it requires turning away from sin and turning to righteousness.  Some people turn from their sin, but they never make the decision to start doing right.  As a result, they are lured back into sin.” (p. 79) So we must make a choice to do good! And keep making that choice! 

 

And the fourth principle for good living in first Peter is, “Search for peace.”  Here we are told to “search” for peace.  We must go out after it and work for it.  To have a peaceful resolution to a problem requires wanting it, picturing it, believing in it, praying for it negotiating for it, humbly giving up something for it, not insisting on always having your own way!

 

When people are treating us badly we feel like fighting back.  Such a natural reaction but then Scripture tells us to “search for peace.” Jesus teaches us a different way to fight our battles.  He spoke these words: “But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  (Matt.5:44)  This is a new way of thinking!  Jesus came to open up a “new and living way.” (Heb.10:20)  We are to minister life instead of death.  We are to be peacemakers.    

 

Living and enjoying God’s “good life” requires fighting a spiritual battle. And we can not fight this battle on our own.  Our victory is in Christ so we must fight our battles in Him.  Jesus tells us:  “I am the Vine and you are the branches.  If any person remains in Me and I in him/her, that person will bear much fruit.  For apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)  We can’t do anything outside of Christ!  But if we stay close to Him – in Him – we will bear much fruit.  He is the one who fights our battles.  And He always wins!   

 

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How to be a Peacemaker When We Would Rather Fight

 

How to be a Peacemaker When We Would Rather Fight

 

 

God calls us, His children, to be peacemakers in this troubled world.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He gives each of us a wonderful gift - the gift of His peace.  He promises his followers:  “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you.  Not as the world gives, do I give you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (1 John 14:27)  Jesus has given us peace, but it will slip away from us if we do not make an effort to hang onto it.

 

 It is not so easy to hang onto to the peace that is ours or to be the peacemaker that God calls us to be.  Not so easy at all!  It is easy to argue!  Take sides and become angry.  Scripture says that we are in a spiritual war and if we are to obey God and be peacemakers we will have to fight against strong spiritual powers.  (Ephesians 6:12) 

 

There are so many things to be angry about these days!  When we are angry it’s easy to criticize people, spread gossip and pass judgments.  We feel better about ourselves when we put someone else down.  As Christians we know that God wants us to cooperate and love each other and we usually do love the people that love us back.  But does God expect us to love some of the people that we have good reasons not to love?

 

Well, the answer to that last question is “yes”.  God does call us to love the unlovable.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies.  Hate is not conquered with more hate- but with love.  And evil is not conquered with more evil but with good.  “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Romans 12:21)  If we walk in love aggressively, evil will not be able to overtake us. 

 

We can keep the peace by the words we say or do not say.  Wrong words can certainly start trouble.  Scripture says:  “A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.”  (Proverbs 15:1)  And “A gentle tongue is a tree of life.”  (Proverbs 15:4)  And a verse I love: “A fool’s anger is quickly and openly known, but a prudent person ignores an insult.”  (Proverbs 12:16) 

 

Most of us have a hard time ignoring an insult because we worry about our reputation.  But God will take care of our reputation.  We don’t need to carry that heavy burden around. There is little hope for peace without a willingness to humble oneself.  Scripture says:  “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  (Proverbs 16:18)  How many divorces have happened because of pride and selfishness?  Neither party is willing to say “I am sorry or “I was wrong.”  We can be God’s peacemakers when we have a humble spirit and apologize when we need to.  And when we don’t have to have our own way all the time.

 

To accomplish being the peacemakers that God has called us to be we need to set our loved ones free to be themselves.  Respect them and understand that our loved ones don’t have to agree with us on everything.  Give up your right to be right.  Agree to disagree and allow the other person the liberty of having her/his own opinions.  If you feel that your loved one’s opinion is wrong and hurtful then pray and trust God to take care of them and you.  All of this requires us to learn to walk away from our selfishness and learn to be humble.  Not an easy task!

 

Joyce Meyers writes in her book, “Life Without Strife”  “One of the best ways to turn around a sour relationship is to ignore the negatives and magnify the positive aspects of that person’s character.”(p.110)   She adds: “I believe many divorces could have been prevented if the marriage partners had magnified each other’s strong points…What a difference it would make in our lives if we could be totally positive.”

 

I still remember the look of sad discouragement on my second cousin Linda’s face as her handsome husband laughingly told some not so nice jokes about her to her relatives and then openly fussed and fumed about her many faults.  I wasn’t surprised when shortly after we heard the news that Linda and her husband were getting a divorce.  Over the years I have talked with many women who have been divorced. And nearly every divorced woman has described her ex as a person who daily criticized her and who found fault with nearly everything she did. Scripture says that real love “keeps no record of wrongs.”  (1 Cor. 13:5b)  Did these failed marriages ever have “real” love in the first place? 

 

 Of course a wife or husband should never overlook a serious problem in a marriage.  Too many marriages are less than they could be because the husbands and wives have the habit of criticizing each other over little things.  The husbands and wives who enjoy grand marriages that are long lasting and loving are the husbands and wives who respect one another and try to build one another up.  These successful husbands and wives give compliments to one another and work together as a team.  And when one isn’t perfect the other knows how to give their spouse a break.  Scripture says: “Love always protects, always trusts (God), always hopes, and always keeps on going.”  (1 Cor. 13:6) 

 

Recently the new Pope Francis called for the Catholic Church to be more about spreading love to hurting souls and less about being so legalistic and judgmental.  Pope Francis realizes that God desires that we live in a climate of love and not in a climate of legalism.  Just before Jesus was arrested and put to death He prayed an intense prayer for us and all of His followers.  He asked: “that they (believers in Him) may be one, as You, Father are in Me and I in You.  That they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me.”  (John 17:21) 

 

When Jesus prayed this prayer for you and me He knew that He would soon be whipped and scorned and brutally murdered on a cross.  But during this dark time in His life He  was still concerned about us – His followers and how we would live in the future.  He was praying that we believers would stay together and be one in the Spirit.  That we would give up our hatreds and prejudices and love and forgive and protect one another.  And that the world would be attracted to His love shining out from us and from our churches.  And that hurting souls would come to this Jesus and be saved through the witness of our love..

 

This was – and is – the deep desire of Jesus’ heart - that His followers would be as one - unified and loving and forgiving of one another.  That is what He prayed for.  Are we willing to do what it takes to answer His prayers? 

   

Some of the ideas in this blog were taken from “Life without Strife” by Joyce Meyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

What Does the Bible Say About Death?

What Does the Bible Say About Death?

 

 

It seems that the apostle Paul listed death as one of the many things we have been given - one of our belongings.  This is what he wrote: “All things belong to you, your teachers Paul and Apollos and Cephas belong to you and also life and death and things present and future; they all belong to you, and you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.”  (1Corinthians 3:21-23) 

 

We have been given many things in this package called life – and death is one of the things in the package.  We don’t want it but it is there just the same.  We fear death, hope it won’t come for a long time, wish it would go away.  But there are some good reasons why we have to die!

 

In the beginning God had warned our first parents, Adam and Even that if they ate the fruit growing on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that they would die.  Adam and Eve probably did not know what dying meant since nothing ever died in God’s newly created healthy loving world.

 

 But sadly Adam and Eve ignored God and disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit and they began to die from that time on.  They knew right away after they disobeyed that things weren’t the same.  That the world and their lives had somehow been changed for the worse!  Just as God had warned, they were no longer immortal and their bodies would no longer last forever.  And their sin brought all of creation down with them.  And Scripture tells us that all of this broke God’s heart.

 

God told Adam and Eve that because they had sinned they would have to leave their beautiful garden home, the Garden of Eden.  For Adam and Eve it may have seemed like God was punishing them when He drove them out of the Garden of Eden, but really this was proof of God’s kindness.  The Tree of Life was in the middle of the Garden and God was afraid that Adam and Eve might eat the fruit of the Tree of Life and live forever. (Genesis3:22)  So that is why He told them to leave.

 

If Adam and Eve could have stayed in the Garden and eaten the fruit from the Tree of Life, it would have kept them from ever dying!  But then they would live forever in their sin!  Forever is a long time to be stuck in sin and sickness and God had better things for them.  He wanted them well and sinless and with Him in heaven.  God prevented Adam and Eve from eternal sinfulness by giving them the gift of death.  Only death could give them the gift of eternity.  Death, though it would appear to be our greatest enemy, would in the end be our friend! 

 

Let’s read through the Bible and check out some of the things it says about death. First of all the Bible describes death in several ways.  Death is referred to as an exit or a departure.  On the Mount of Transfiguration Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ and “were speaking of Jesus’ departure (his death) which was about to happen in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31) 

 

And just before His death, Jesus told the disciples that He was going where they could not come.  Peter was upset since he wanted to follow Christ everywhere.  And Jesus lovingly told him,” Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”  (John 13:36)  Paul said about death: “to be absent from the body (to depart from it) is to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)  Death is an exit from this world to another place - a departure.

 

Sleep is used as a picture of death in the New Testament.  Perhaps Scripture speaks of death as a restful “sleep” because death is a means of rejuvenation  “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…that they may rest from their labors,…”  (Revelations 14:13)

 

The Bible describes death as a collapsing tent!  Paul speaks of death this way:  “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”  (2 Corinthians 5:1)

 

 Our present body is like a tent, (a temporary structure) where our spirit lives. Tents deteriorate in the face of changing weather and storms.  If used regularly, a tent often needs to be repaired.  A tattered tent is a sign that we will soon have to move.  Death takes us from the tent to the mansion.  Our address changes from earth to heaven.  A tent (our temporal body) reminds us that we are only pilgrims here on earth on our way to our permanent home.

 

Scripture speaks of death as walking with the Lord through a valley while He continually comforts and protects us as a Shepherd takes care of his sheep.  “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  For You are with me.  Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  … and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  (Psalm 23:4-6)

 

We will be the same person in heaven as we are here on earth, except we will be glorified and purified.  And our desire to sin will no longer be a part of our being.  We will see our family and friends and we will be “known even as we are fully known.”  (1 Corinthians 13:12)  At the point of transition between life and death some people have actually testified that they saw departed relatives awaiting their arrival.  As he was dying, my great grandfather told his children who were gathered around him that he could see his wife who had died years earlier waiting there for his arrival into heaven. 

 

The New Testament doctrine of the resurrection teaches that God intends to put us back together again.  In 1 Corinthians 15 we are given four contrasts between our present bodies and our future ones.  “It (your body) is sown a perishable body, but it is raised an imperishable body.  It is sown in dishonor, and it is raised in glory.  It is sown in weakness and it is raised in power.  And it is sown a natural body, but it is raised a spiritual body.”  (1 Cor. 15:42-44)    

 

And when the Bible describes heaven, the descriptions go way over the top!  Here are just a few hints as to heaven being more than we can imagine.  “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  (Romans 8:18)  “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”  (!. Cor. 2:9)   And speaking about how we will be in heaven: “You will fill me with joy in Your presence, and at your right Hand are pleasures forever more.”  (Psalm 16:11)   

 

Most of us are fearful of that future time when we will be called upon to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  But we have the promise that God will walk that valley with us.  And we know that even though it may be a deep valley, there will be victory for us on the other side if we belong to Christ.  We have that promise again and again throughout Scripture.   “Oh death, where is your sting?  Oh grave, where is your victory?  …Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (1 Corinthians 15:55a-56)

 

    

 

 

 

Will Dogs and Cats be in Heaven?

 

Will Dogs and Cats be in Heaven?

 

 

Yesterday was a very bad day – one of the worst!  Our dog, Pierre died yesterday- a very bad day!  Pierre was a 40 pound white curly haired poodle with floppy ears and a happy teddy bear face. He loved to chase cats and bark at the mailman. When we would come home from work or errands Pierre was always right there to greet us, jumping up and down with joy and wagging his curly tail. All of life was exciting for Pierre and he would leap around greeting each new day with enthusiasm.

 

 Pierre was our spoiled baby.  He would jump in my husband’s lap and lick his face and growl to be petted.  He would follow my husband around and crouch under his feet when he was working at his desk or sitting at the dinner table.  And he would follow me from room to room often attracting my attention by stealing one of my socks and running away with it in his mouth.  I could never sit down and watch television without having to pet Pierre.  He would sit next to me and growl or paw at me if I stopped petting him even for a minute.

 

Pierre has been our dog for seven years.  It was September 2006 when we stopped by the local Humane Society to look at all the animals that were up for adoption.  And that was when we found Pierre, abandoned by his first owner and sitting with his back turned away from us chewing on his feet.  One glance at him and we were hooked.  When we brought him home his excitement knew no bounds.  He loved his new home and he and our other dog, Prissy became best pals and he loved both of us with all his heart.   

 

But Pierre had tummy problems from the very start.  He threw up his food and patches of his skin would turn red and his fur would fall out.  The vetenarian ran blood tests and insisted that everything looked normal.  We bought special organic food for Pierre and cooked him special dishes.  And the vet gave us special prescription creams for his skin.  These measures kept his problems under control. 

 

But then a month ago Pierre had a check-up and the vet called back to tell us that his blood work showed that his kidney function was a little low.  He gave Pierre some meds and we were to come back in two weeks for another blood panel.  Pierre got better on his meds and we prayed for him and were hopeful. 

 

But then a week ago Pierre started crying and stopped eating.  We rushed him back to the Animal Hospital where he was put on I.V. fluids and given special meds.  For a few days he seemed to get better but then his failing kidneys just shut down.  And without his kidneys functioning, his insides fell apart and he started bleeding internally.  He cried and vomited and writhed around in terrible pain.  It broke my heart to see him in such agony. There was nothing more the vet could do and we sat there numb and helpless before our dying dog.     

 

We knew the humane thing to do was to put Pierre out of his misery, so we held him and loved him and talked to him and cried as the vet gave him a shot to put him to sleep.  And then when he was finally asleep and anesthetized, the vet came back bringing another shot that would stop his heart from beating.  We left the room before this final shot was given as we couldn’t bear to watch him die. 

 

Our house seems cold and empty now without our Pierre and his big personality.  And our other dog Prissy misses her best buddy and she hides in the corner looking sad.  I try to go on with my life but all I feel like doing is crying.  Where did my Pierre go when he died?  This baby of mine with so much love and joy in his heart, where is he now?  Is he chasing cats in heaven now or did he turn into nothing and cease to exist when he died?   Is this wonderful dog of mine just gone forever?   

 

Some Bible scholars say that dogs and cats don’t have eternal souls like people do.  That since animals aren’t valuable like people are, God won’t take time to bother with them!  And He won’t put animals in the re-cycle bin and renew them.  He will just throw them on the junk pile when they die!  God only redeems people since they are important.  I wonder how these Bible scholars are so sure!  How do they know that dogs and cats don’t have souls?  Or don’t come back renewed when God makes everything new.  I don’t find these ideas written in the Bible! 

 

The God that I read about in the Bible is a great big God of love and mercy.  He never has been a God who just cares about the important, valuable people – like we often do!  The God in my Bible cares about the people that we don’t consider important – the unattractive people, the lost people, the least and the worst.  And if God cares so deeply about the people who aren’t important (all people are important!), I imagine He also cares about dogs and cats even if they aren’t valuable and important like we are (according to some Bible scholars!) 

 

If you and I love and care about our pets doesn’t God love and care about them even more?  He created them and gave them their big personalities and their meows and their wagging tails.  Don’t you think that He cares about all of His creation?  Isn’t He big enough to redeem it all as well?        

 

In Isaiah 65:17 God refers to creating a new heavens and a new earth in the future.  In subsequent verses the text moves back and forth from the millennial kingdom to the new earth.  And God makes clear that He will have animals living there – in both the millennial kingdom and in the new earth.  (Isaiah 65:25)  “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food and they will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain.”   Notice that all of the animals have been made new since they don’t do any harm to one another in this new earth.  The lion eats straw and doesn’t hurt the lamb.  God has redeemed them since they are different than they were here on earth.  Here in God’s new earth they will not ever harm or kill each other!  Can we imagine that?  

 

Romans 8:18-22 says that the whole creation (that includes animals) has been subject to suffering and futility and death because of human sin.  When Adam and Eve sinned against God they fell from their sinless (deathless) position.  And not only did Adam’s original sin pass to all of us – Adam’s children causing all us humans to inherit death, but Adam’s original sin also brought a curse – a fall- to the whole creation according to Scripture.  The whole creation (animals, plants, fish, the weather, etc.) groan in longing for the liberation that will come to humans, and thereby to all creation itself.(Romans 8:18-22)

 

Scripture says that creation (the earth and all that is in it) is under human rule (Genesis 1:28-31)   Creation (the earth and everything in it) will share the rewards of the redemption of humans just as it shared the punishment for the sin of humans.  Animals are a central part of creation, next to humans

 

 I believe that animals are one of the most significant parts.  Adam was called upon by God to give names only to one other part of the creation – the animals.  (Genesis 2:19-20)  That was Adam’s very first job.  Adam worked the garden, but God didn’t ask him to name the vegetation.  Clearly, the animals had certain qualities that set them above other creation.  Animals were to be special to humans, and because the first human, Adam, was ordered by God to name the animals, it makes Adam’s connection and ours with them more personal. 

 

Throughout the Bible we are told that God will restore His fallen creation and not leave it in its fallen state.  Of course God’s fallen creation includes animals.  Humans will be redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  And after the great Judgment Day a sinless new earth and new heaven will be created.  If the new earth is all the best of the old earth and more then we should expect it to contain animals.  If animals were not part of the new earth, this would seem an obvious oversight.  Would God take animals away from us in heaven when He gave them to us humans for companionship and help here on earth?

 

God’s perfect Garden of Eden was ruined through Adam and Eve’s sin and will be restored through Christ’s reign of righteousness.  One of Christ’s names is the “Second Adam.”  (He will bring back what Adam lost)  Animals were a part of the Garden of Eden, and then they, along with all creation, were cursed through the sin of the first Adam.  Since that is true according to Scripture, wouldn’t we expect animals to be part of the new earth, made right through the virtue of Jesus Christ (the Second Adam).

 

So, do dogs and cats go to heaven?  Will we see our beloved pets again on the other side?  I believe that we will.  I can not picture Paradise without flowers and trees and animals. – dogs and cats.  And I believe that our gracious and loving heavenly Father cares much more about all the animals He created than we do.  When Scripture says that the whole of creation will be cleaned of sin and made new, I believe that that creation includes the animals. So yes, I think our pets will be in heaven.  What do you think?      

 

 

 

Some of the ideas in this blog were taken from Randy Alcorn’s article “Will there be animals in heaven? in Eternal Perspective Ministries.