Finding Emma Martin

       As I was driving a short distance from the store to show my Mom my Wed. night church, she mentioned that one of the things she wanted to do is find her aunt’s tombstone near where we were; an aunt she loved but whom had died many years ago before I was born.  We stopped by the graveyard and looked through about 1/3 of it only to notice many stones were so damaged by environmental factors that we may never find it.  So I will contact the ‘owners’ to see if there is any record of her burial plot.

       Despite knowing her body is/ was in the ground, I know that is just her flesh (1) and not who she was as a person.  That flesh will either rise up one day at the catching up (2) or ‘rapture’ if she was saved, or will rise up at the white throne of judgment (3) if she wasn’t.  But at her death, who she was- her spirit either went to be with the Lord (4) forever- in Heaven if she was saved, or down to Hell (5) if she wasn’t.  So we won’t find ‘Emma’ in that cemetery, just her old shell that she doesn’t use anymore.  Hopefully, she was saved, is in a better place now, and one day soon I will meet her.

(1)  ...Will we descend together into the dust?  Job. 17:16 NIV

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.  Ec. 12:7

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.  Ec. 9:10 NIV

(2) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  

1Th 4:16,17

(3)  And I saw a great white throne, …And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  Rev. 20:11-15

(4)  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  2Cor. 5:8

…I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;  Php. 1:23 NIV

(5)  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  Mt. 25:46

(them that know not God) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  2Th. 1:9



If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His salvation, know that salvation is only found through Him and His blood.  You can be saved through faith in Him.  Please read my page 'if you'd like to be saved'.

Four Hearing Tests

       It was only a few years ago that all four of us (2 parents, 2 teens) got hearing tests because it seemed like we could never hear each other and communication was very frustrating.  What we found out is that we were all fine according to current standards, so the problem was not in the hearing, but in the listening- or lack thereof.  Go figure!  Part of the problem today is that we are always so busy that we don’t take time to really listen.

Be still, and know that I am God…  Ps. 46:10

       We need to learn to discern the voice of God by listening to Him.  It is when we quit doing other things, stop all interruptions that would distract us, and allow Him to reveal Himself to us, that we begin to hear the Lord’s voice.  The more time we spend in His presence, the more we will be able to recognize when He is speaking- by experience.

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  Heb. 5:14

       We only learn a person’s voice by listening to them long enough.  It isn’t our own talking that helps us know their voice, or know them as people, but when we listen to them we learn the sound of their voice and more about them personally.  So it is with God.  The more time we spend with Him, the more we know Him, therefore the more we know His voice when He speaks.  Here are some warnings about not hearing the Lord.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.  Heb. 12:25

While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.  Heb. 3:15

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (fiction).  2Tm. 4:4

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:  Jer. 5:21

       Stephen told the council that their ears were stopped; in other words, they intentionally blocked their ears (Ac. 7:57) from listening to the truth.  Jesus said the people’s hearts “waxed gross” (were fat), their ears were “dull of hearing”, and their eyes closed (Mt. 13:5).  This must have grieved Him.  Are we much better?  Do we only listen to the things we approve of and ignore the rest, or do we accept all the Word of God as vital to our lives.  The Lord wants to speak to us if we will only hear; but first we must ‘be still’ in His presence and listen.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:  Am. 8:11

...He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.  The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.  Is. 50:4,5 NKJV

We need to hear the Lord.

What David Heard

My heart has heard you say,

“Come and talk with me, O my people.”

And my heart responds,

“Lord, I am coming.”

Ps. 27:8  TLB

The Lord wants to talk with us today.

How amazing is that?