A Kick the Bucket List

Many people believe there is a God (a supreme being/intelligence).  That we did not come from chaos or cosmic goop, especially as they examine DNA and that every DNA strand of a person is different. God likes variety.  There is no one person alike.

There are some that say they don’t believe there is a God, but if they get in a pinch– there are no atheist in a fox hole– they will cry out for help to God.  What I think most people have a hard time is believing they can actually have a personal relationship with God.  Religion teaches that we get to God through our good works.  It not a vital fellowship with God in daily life.  Even many Christians don’t maintain a fellowship with God on a daily basis.  It’s this once saved always saved philosophy of once you get into the kingdom of God that is all you do, and then you do your own thing from then on.

Genesis 3:8 says, "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden."

The implication is that they hid to avoid God walking up to meet them and God's response ("Where are you?") implies that it would have been natural for them to meet walking in the garden.

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Ephesians 4:18

Recently I picked up the movie, “The Bucket List” with actors Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.   Both of the characters had a terminal illness and met in a hospital room so they decided to do all these fun things in traveling before they died.  I was laughing at this one part where Jack Nicholson had all these chemotherapy treatments, and he looked in the mirror after vomiting from chemotherapy with his IV pole he was dragging around, and he said, "Some lucky guy somewhere got a sudden heart attack."  I laughed hard for about five minutes about that.  I don’t know why I found it very funny since my husband actually got that sudden heart attack and died instantly.  It's a little hard at times to deal with mortality for me at such a young age in life at times.  I am glad I can laugh about it now.

There was a survey of 1000 people, 96% of people do not want to know when they are going to die.  I am one of the 4% that would like to know –it’s sort of like being prepared and not being caught in dirty underwear.  I saw someone posted on Facebook their boyfriend or husband dancing around in his underwear and then when he turned around there was a brown spot!  There are scriptures that talk about being prepared for the Lord’s second coming.  There have been some false prophets who said it was going to be on a certain day. 

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42

I heard one reason that even Jesus –God’s son does not know when the day is because we are Jesus friends and He tells his friends all things. See this scripture that Jesus told his friends “everything”

---(no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15)

I like to search the “deep” things of God as far as I want to know God’s secrets.  Like Abraham, I want to be a friend of God.  (And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. James 2:23)

Hezekiah was told when he was going to die.  He cried unto the Lord, and the Lord gave him 15 more years.  Paul was warned several times that he was going to be bound and given to the authorities.  Paul was “ready” to go.   He was ready to face the Gentiles and face prison.

Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" Acts 21:11

Jesus told Peter how he was going to die.  When Peter asked about how John was going to die, Jesus told him not to worry about what John was doing, but come and follow him.  I have to come and follow the road that Jesus has given me to walk on.  At times the road is not easy.  Reminds me of that song –“I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” by country singer, Lynn Anderson, unless you think of there are also thorns at times in life.  Jesus is known as the Rose of Sharon. Song of Solomon 2:1

What the final moral of the story of the “Bucklet List” was about was to get our horizontal relationships on earth right before we go.  Not to have any loose ends untied.  The narrator said in the movie (Morgan Freeman) said that his friend went with his eyes closed and his heart open. 

Men and women of faith are prayer warriors. 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Ephesians 6:18

pray continually, 1 Thess. 5:18

I don’t believe I have the gift of prophesy per say, but I do have a gift of “prophet.”  Prophets will tell you like it is whether its popular or not and I’ve argued with God on several occasions on telling people certain things just like Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh.   I knew my popularity would go down if I told people certain things. 

Usually the gift is a word of wisdom or scripture for practical application.  I never understood why I got this one scripture for a guy who had Stage 4 cancer, “When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." John 11:4,  because the Christian brother died of cancer.  But I know his heart was right with God when he went.  Like he said in the movie, his heart was open (not closed).

Same thing happened to my dad, and the same thing happened to one of the thief’s on the cross.  Only one thief was right with God when he died and Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

For my bucket list, I received my scuba diving certification, parasailed in Hawaii, traveled to Australia and New Zealand, and bungy jumped in Queenstown, New Zealand.  On my spiritual list, it is being in a mighty outpouring of God’s spirit in the last days.  A “time of refreshing” coming from the presence of the Lord.   I’m looking forward to the latter rain that will be coming on God’s people. I  saw a great movement in the 70’s which I and many others became a Christian from that early rain forty years ago.  I believe we are in the latter rain now.  

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7

Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Joel 2:23