Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Heaven


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The Thiou River

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 46:4 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”

We have enjoyed living near a river in every European town we have lived. In Albertville it was the Arly. We enjoyed the Loire in the Orleans area. In the Grenoble area the Drac and the Isère rivers join. We walked along the picturesque Kander river in Kandern.  In Guebwiller we were just  two hundred meters from the Lauch River.  I loved crossing the quaint bridges hanging with flower planters. Pictured here is the Thiou River in Annecy, France, considered one of the cleanest in Europe.

Today’s verse describes a river that makes a whole city glad!  It is found in the city of God where the Most High will make His abode!  On the new earth this river will be clear, pristine and never polluted. This unique river is described as “the river of the water of life.” (Rev. 22:1-2) It will be clear as crystal and flow from the throne of God right down the middle of the city!  It will be a river that leads to His very presence, He who is the only Source of life! No wonder it makes the city and all its inhabitants glad!  

Rivers and the sound of water do lift my spirits. There is something so calming about flowing water. It is beside quiet waters that my Shepherd refreshes my soul. (Ps. 23:2) Near the very end of the Bible is an invitation to this water. (Rev. 22:17) But I do not have to wait until that day for my heart to be glad. Despite negative circumstances, the Lord gives me joy. In coming to Him, God keeps me occupied with gladness of heart! (Eccl. 5:20)

Thank you Lord, that You make me glad!


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Hanging It Up

Scripture for Today: Psalm 137: 1-2 “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps.”

I love decorating the Christmas tree with musical instruments. We have a set of white porcelain ones that stand out against the greenery. For me, Christmas is all about the music. The old classics are always my favorite with their rich descriptions of the Gospel message. It makes me smile and tear up to hear the old ones played in the malls as many have no idea of the profound truths they are hearing. (unfortunately, only with instruments) Harp music is something I especially associate with the joy of Christmas and the world-changing message of the angels.

Today’s verse has the captive Israelites hanging up their harps in the poplar trees. They did not do it for decoration but as a sign that they were done with singing. Their captors had demanded of them songs of joy. (verse 3) Their response? How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? (verse 4) What these captives did not realize is that all those who live by faith are foreigners and strangers on earth. (Heb. 11:13) We can continue to sing songs of joy when we look to that better country, a heavenly one. (Heb. 11:16)

I am not quite ready to hang up my harp just yet, although there are definitely days that I think of it. Quite frankly, the fear, negativity, isolation, and the surrender of some Christmas traditions can steal songs of joy. But I can choose to focus on what will never be stolen from me; my true country ahead! There, unending songs of joy will fill the corridors and resound in every corner!

Restore to me Lord, the joy of my salvation!


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The Condor

Scripture for Today:  I Corinthians 15:25-26 “For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

This vigilant squirrel is right to keep an eye on the condor flying overhead!  But perhaps he does not need to worry too much as the condor will only feed on a carcass.  They are scavengers and I suppose they have their place in the scheme of things.  But to me they are disgusting because of their eating habits, not to mention their grunts, growls and hissing!  There are two species of vultures to which the condor refers and they are associated with death in Scripture.

Today’s verse speaks of death as an enemy.  It is an enemy that touches every one and each time brings with it unspeakable sorrow.  It is an enemy mankind has brought on ourselves by our own sin and rebellion against God (Rom. 6:23).  But thankfully, death will one day be vanquished forever.  There will be a time when there will be no more mourning or death (Rev. 21:4).  The pain and sorrow of separation will in the future be a distant memory.  Death will take its rightful place, fully vanquished and overcome under His feet.

I know this is true as Jesus has already vanquished death for Himself when He rose up from the grave.  And God has already made me alive spiritually when I was dead in my sins (Eph. 2:5).  But what is true in a spiritual sense will one day be true in a physical sense as well!   I will enjoy a new body that will never wear out (I Cor. 15:54) and death will be “swallowed up in victory!”  No more funerals, obituaries or burials!  And best of all, no more goodbyes!

Thanks you Lord, for the coming victory over death.

(Look familiar?  Summer reposing while reposting!)


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Peek-A-Boo Canyon

Scripture for Today: I Corinthians 13:12 Colossians 3:1-2 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

The Peek-A-Boo slot canyon in Zion National Park ushers the hiker into another world!  The trail twists and turns, narrows and then widens.  It is eerily quiet and the temperature drops.  Some parts are dark with overhanging rock.  But in other places one can see orange, warm red and rustic brown on the curving sandstone walls.  Some walls soar up to 100 feet and the narrowest part is only 16 inches wide!  It is like a glimpse into another dimension.

Today’s verse gives us a small glimpse of Heaven.  Paul tells believers to set their minds on what is found there.  Christ is on His throne and He sits at the right hand of God the Father.  Our minds and our hearts are to be changed by this eternal perspective.  What we see on earth does not match up with spiritual realities.  What we see, touch and feel around us can be breathtaking, but it is not eternal.  God’s incredible creation is real but it will not last.

When I set my mind and heart on the realities of Heaven, it changes how I view that awful situation.  It affects how I see my problems.  What can loom so large for me is in fact only, “light and momentary trouble.” (II Cor. 4:17)  All the hard things in this life are, “achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  When I think of Heaven, my heart fills with hope.  And I need that hope to get me through.

Lord, help me see even a glimpse of what is to come!

(Look familiar?  Summer reposing while reposting!)


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Are We There Yet??

Scripture for Today: II Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

“Are we there yet?” must be the most often-asked question while going through this tunnel!  The Laerdal tunnel in Norway is the longest land tunnel in the world at 24.5 kilometers.  Because of concern for the well-being of the travelers, advice was sought from industrial psychology consultants.  To keep people positive, three large caverns were built every six kilometers with blue lighting to suggest daylight and yellow lighting on walls to represent sunrise!  But what would keep me positive is the sign with the length posted!

Today’s verse encourages positivity as our troubles are said to be “momentary.”  Regardless of the duration, every difficulty in life is temporary when compared to eternity!   Pain is momentary but glory is eternal.  And the glory experienced in Heaven grows in direct relation to our afflictions here on earth.  The hard times experienced by the believer are not only momentary but are working for him.  What awaits us far outweighs any sadness and pain on earth.

To answer the question, no, we are not there yet.  But we will be.  Ten thousand years from now I very much doubt that I will give this pandemic a second thought.  All the trials and difficult times I experience are but for a moment  They are a temporary condition.  And as hard as they feel, it is a pain that is never wasted.  My sorrow is not for nothing.  This truth keeps me from “losing heart” (verse 16).  Remembering this keeps me looking forward to what is unseen and eternal.

Thank you Lord, that life’s trials can seem small when compared to You and eternity!