EUPHORBIA MILLI!

    Euphorbia Milli by Dinesh Valke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Euphorbia Milli pictured above gets its common name, the ‘Crown of Thorns’ from the legend that the thorny crown worn by Jesus at His crucifixion was made from this plant.  Here is this beautiful flowering plant being made into a crown of thorns to be placed on the head of Jesus to cause pain and humiliation, an ‘alteration of its original state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended: a perversion of what was good.’ New Oxford American Dictionary definition of perversion!

How many things on this earth have been perverted, or ‘altered from their original state?’

Too many to name, not that I would want to.

But guess what!  We have a hope, the ‘Anchor of our soul’ that we will not always live in this world where perversion is so commonplace.  Jesus said, ‘My Father’s house has many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ John 14:1-2. The place He is preparing for us is called Heaven.  

In a book entitled, ‘Imagine Heaven’ by John Burke (A must read), there are testimonies from people who have had an NDE, or near-death experience and gone to Heaven!  John Burke writes,  After reading close to one thousand NDEs, the most common thing I’ve heard is how impossible it is to put into words. Listen to the expressions of their struggle:  

There are no human words that even come close.  Crystal McVea, from her book entitled ‘Waking Up in Heaven’.

There are no words to express His divine presence.  Gary Wood, from his book entitled, ‘A Place Called Heaven’.

What I saw was too beautiful for words.  Dutch patient, from a book entitled, ‘Consciousness Beyond Life’ by Van Lommel.

The kind of love that I experienced there, cannot be expressed in words.  Suresh.  From a book entitled, ‘Near Death Experiences as Evidence’ by Miller.’

We do know from the scriptures that Heaven is a place where we will be with Jesus.
John 14:1-2.

It is a place where His ‘divine presence’ is everywhere because God is love and is omnipresent. As Miller is quoted above saying, ‘the kind of love I experienced there cannot be expressed in words.’  Another NDE called Heaven ‘just pure love’.  Another said that to be in Heaven was like ‘being bathed in love’.  And another said, ‘Heaven is just pure love.’

Jesus called it ‘Paradise’. Luke 23:43. The dictionary defines paradise as ‘an ideal or idyllic place.  NDE’s are quoted as saying, ‘the music was incomparable to anything I ever heard before.’  ‘I saw colors I would never have believed existed.’ 

It is a place where there is no distortion or corruption of ‘the good’ and ‘very good’ of what God has created, because Jesus defeated the perverter, the devil who ’came to the earth to steal, kill and destroy’.  It’s a place where animals, originally created to eat ‘every green plant for food’ Genesis 1:30, will no longer be inspired by the devil to kill you or each other!!! Isaiah 11:6-9.

Listen to what Captain Dale Black, an airline pilot had to say about his NDE.  ‘Part of the joy I was experiencing (in Heaven) was not only the presence of everything wonderful, but the absence of everything terrible.  There was no strife, no competition, no betrayal, no deception, no lies, no murders, no unfaithfulness, no disloyalty, nothing contrary to the light and life and love.’ 

And the Euphorbia Milli will still be a beautiful plant as God intended and never again be used to create pain and humiliation! 

There will be no more death or pain. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.’  Revelation 21:4.

Heaven is HOME.  As Don Piper wrote in his book, ’90 Minutes in Heaven’.  ‘When I was in Heaven, ‘I was home; I was where I belonged.’

Don’t you want to go there?  Do you have this ‘hope as an anchor of your soul?’  

Remember these powerful words from the scriptures!  ‘Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners.’  WHY?  

So He could, ‘bring you safely HOME to God.’ 1 Peter 3:18. NLT.

Softly and Tenderly

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling for you and for me
See on the portals He’s waiting and watching
Watching for you and for me

Come home, come home
Ye who are weary come home
Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling, “O sinner come home”

O for the wonderful love He has promised
Promised for you and for me
Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon
Pardon for you and for me

Come home, come home
Ye who are weary come home… 

Alan Jackson.