A group of people I am involved in got into a discussion about Pat, a dear friend of ours who I have written about many times in the past. Pat is indispensable to Janet and me – not only do we love her but she helps us in just about every conceivable way. From painting the house to watching Lexie when we are out of town, nothing seems to be beyond the scope of Pat’s skills. And it goes without saying that we consider Pat a member of the family and really can’t imagine life without her.
Apparently, others feel the same way because we ended up in a discussion where it was revealed that several people, in an attempt at dark humor, decided that they should get Pat a cell phone to take with her after she passes on – so that people can still stay in contact with her beyond her mortal life here on earth. There was quite a bit of laughing, and there is no denying that life would be much more difficult without Pat among us, but the conversation really got me thinking about how so many people think about the afterlife.
God promises us eternal life with Him and I certainly think that we will be too busy worshipping God and looking with awe at all there is in heaven to be concerned with what is going on here in earth. I admit that I have often wondered about the answers to several questions I have about heaven. For example, if heaven is a place of joy, and we have left loved ones behind, how does God reconcile all that so that we experience joy in the midst of heartache? And what if we have loved ones who aren’t saved? Will we still have joy in heaven knowing that non-believers are eternally separated from God and His Son?
These are complex questions and many times people hold seances or consult mediums in an effort to contact the dead and extract answers to some of these questions. Certainly Houdini, the great escape artist, and his wife were great believers in trying to connect with those people who pre-deceased them. Houdini was driven to contact his dead mother and after Houdini’s own death, his wife relentlessly tried to speak with him.
None of this is in accordance with God’s will for us. The Scripture is quite clear that we will rejoice in heaven with God if we are believers. Likewise, there are stories in the Bible of people who were clearly outside the will of God when they tried to contact people in the spirit world. Our verse for this evening highlights one such verse. In Leviticus 19:30-31, we are told, by God Himself, “Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritualists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.”
God wants us to remain pure and clean – untainted by doing things that are not in accordance with His will. My encouragement this evening is that while we all fall short of the perfection of the Father and His Son, God loves us and wants what is best for us. And that includes not tempting us with things that we may find ourselves powerless to deny. My prayer is that you will go directly to God when you have questions that are on your mind. While there are no guarantees that they will be answered in this life, God has a way of sending us signals to let us know that He is present and active in our everyday lives. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace..