Think on heavenly things.

That was the thrust of Pastor Randall's sermon yesterday.

No, we can't go around thinking so much about heaven that we don't get anything done while we're here on earth.

The Bible, however, admonishes us to think on things of heaven.....good things....positive things....things that give us hope and a future after we've completed our days here.

Pastor spoke of an interview he heard given by a newsman with a woman who was on the aircraft that plunged from the skies a week or so ago......for several seconds without crashing. She talked about the raw, fierce, primeval screams that were coming out of people....people who were experiencing their impending death. They were sounds that she most likely would never hear again.

He went on to talk about how we need to have a certainty about us....a certainty of our future in heaven. We need to discuss it and talk about it on a regular basis. We want the talk of heaven to become familiar ground so that when it's our time to receive our last moment here on earth, we can do so with some kind of peace that comes from knowing where we're headed.

He spoke about the gift of knowing approximately when our death will arrive when we are terminally ill and how we have been afforded time to make things right with God and others. Not all people have that opportunity.

He talked too, about his own dad, how, when he was getting closer to his own death, all unimportant things like negativity, quarreling, anger, jealousy, hatred.....all those things were gone from him. He concentrated on heavenly things........on God and His goodness, truth, family, moments cherished with his children and grandchildren and his wife, words of wisdom, kindnesses shown, and even laughter.

Those are the heavenly things that will last here on earth when we're gone, and those are the things that God will be pleased with. Good things. Things of love and gentleness and kindness to others.

Heavenly things.

Help us God to stop always thinking about things of this world, things that will soon be dust and to fill our thoughts with heavenly things, things that will last.