| (Note: Very early Monday morning I have to take my sister to Chattanooga for open-heart surgery. For that reason, I’m sending you Monday’s devotional on Sunday evening. I would appreciate your prayers for my sister, Helen. This will be here second open-heart surgery in less than two years) Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Heaven” Our Bible verse of today: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Welcome to paradise” Decades ago (when I used to watch television shows) there was a weekly drama series called “Fantasy Island.” It ran from 1977-1984 and it starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke and Herve Villachaize as his dwarf assistant Tattoo.” Fantasy Island was a beautiful but mysterious island in the South Pacific where guests would come to experience special adventures that would change their lives. It was a paradise setting that was intriguing and alluring. “Fantasy Island” was an entertaining show and each episode always ended with a positive uplifting outcome. But the setting – the island – it was beautiful. It was a tropical paradise – the kind I have been fortunate enough to visit numerous times in places around the world. I love palm trees and sugar-white beaches with clear aqua-blue water and cool sea breezes. That’s one version of paradise in my mind. But I have others. I also love the mountains of my home in Tennessee, and peaceful country roads showcasing Fall colors viewed from the seat of my Harley Davidson motorcycle. And then there are the soaring peaks of the Andes Mountains in South America, shrouded in mist and looking down upon lush green valleys, 13,000 feet below. What images of paradise do you hold in your mind? The dictionary defines “paradise” as “An ideal or idyllic place, beautiful to behold and where everything is as you would like it to be; utopia.” It is a place where your cares melt away and you are relaxed and deeply at peace. As Jesus was dying on the cross, one of the thieves next to Him professed faith and asked Jesus to remember him in the afterlife. To that Jesus replied with the words found in Luke 23:43, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Why do you suppose Jesus chose to use the word “paradise”? He could have just told the man that today you will be with me in heaven. But that wouldn’t have communicated the same sense of beauty and peace. Words have meaning, and Jesus chose His words carefully, intentionally. He knows that we know what a paradise is like. We all have images in our own heads, based upon our own experiences, of what a paradise looks like and feels like. That image in our heads helps us to gain some small understanding of what heaven will be like. Do you want to experience a little bit of heaven this morning? Settle back in your chair; get an image in your mind of your fondest “paradise” memory; and then savor it. Remember what it looked like. Remember how it felt to be there. Allow yourself to experience again the sense of awe, and pleasure, and the deep feeling of relief and relaxation as all your cares and concerns melted away. Then multiply that by about a gazillion times. Welcome to paradise. Welcome to heaven. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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