Do pets go to heaven?

"Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."    Genesis 1:24-25.  CSB

Today, I would like us to consider the destiny of our pets when they die. For those of us who are going through this loss of a pet right now, it can be a dreadfully painful time. The love that was once there on four legs disappears and, with it goes a part of our heart. One of the first things that we want to know is: 'Are they now in heaven; will I see them again.?' However, this is a question that many can not answer for sure. 

C. S. Lewis, a well-known apologist for the Christian faith in the 1900s and author of the famous book series The Chronicles of Narnia, is known for his assertion that animals would get to heaven through their owners' relationship with God. Therefore, a Christian's pets would be found in the new heaven because of their owner's faith.

"The theory I am suggesting ... makes God the centre of the universe and man the subordinate centre of terrestrial nature: the beasts are not co-ordinate with man, but subordinate to him, and their destiny is related to his. And the derivative immortality suggested for them is not a mere amende or compensation: It is part and parcel of the new heaven and new earth, organically related to the whole suffering process of the world's fall and redemption." (C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Chapter 9, 1940, p. 145).

Again, Billy Graham wrote: "I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there (in Heaven), I believe he'll be there."

— Rev. Billy Graham, often called "America's Pastor"

And yet, over the years, I have met many church leaders who frown on the thought that a pet would have a place in heaven when they die. One thing that is uppermost in my mind is, If God created animals in the first place (Genesis 1) and considered that what He saw was good and then when He flooded the world (Genesis 7) why did He save so many pairs of each animal in the ark? The obvious answer is, because He wanted them to continue to live and breed many more. So, in my opinion, God loves the animals and gives us oceans of love through their existence in our lives. So why, would He prevent them giving us comfort when we are in heaven?

The Reverend Vet Jenny McKay, an associate pastor in Cheshire writes" 

'None of us can say for sure if we will see our beloved family pets, and indeed, all other created beings, in the afterlife. However, a careful consideration of the Old and New Testament, the reflections of the saints, particularly St Francis of Assisi, and other renowned theologians and scientists of our time, builds a strong case that in 

the renewed Kingdom of God, we will meet again'.   Psalm 36:6
https://www.christianity.org.uk/article/opinion-do-animals-go-to-heaven

So I am firmly convinced, that when I go to heaven, my furry friends will also be there to greet me. 

I hope you obtain peace of mind, that you will too.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Meditate on these things

"Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things".

                                                                            Philippians 4:8   CSB

When Paul wrote this verse, he was encouraging us to consider that this is an excellent description of Jesus. Let's break the verse down:

Truth  Jesus is the truth, always has been and always will be. Whatever He tells us can be relied on. He will never lead us astray. He is for the truth, lives for the truth and wants us to be the truth in Him. It is the only way,

Honourable  Basically this is being noble of character. If only we can take this on board, people will flock to us because, the world is dishonourable. People, even though they probably don't realise it, are searching for this quality.

Just  Jesus stands for justice. This is why He died on the cross because the world was unjust and in Him dying for our sin, He gave us the chance to live in the same manner

Pure  This means to have no sin, which describes Jesus fully. The word pure is associated in Greek writing as a word for Holy, sacred and immaculate. He gave us the opportunity to live this way by accepting us unto Himself. He helps us daily to live this way. 

Think about the others characteristics of Jesus; He is lovely and it is lovely to know Him and realise that one day we will meet Him face to face. He is commendable and of a good report. Wouldn't you like someone to think this about yourself - 'He or she is commendable and they really live up to what they profess?' That would be an awesome thing for someone to say about you, wouldn't it? Well, they will if you live closer to Jesus, walk with Him daily and get to know him even better than you do. Like I say, you are the bible to unbelievers.

He is praiseworthy. Just think, when we praise Jesus, it is like the devil runs away with his hands over his ears. He can't stand this. Praise stops satan in his tracks, so, we need to praise Jesus more and more.

In verse 8 of the NKJV, 'If there is any virtue.' The word Virtue is a rare word in the New Testament, but generously used in Greek writings. In the Greek it is a word called aerate, which means moral excellence as described in the CSB interpretation above.

So, to meditate on these things is to, deliberate, evaluate and compute over and over. Can I suggest that you do this, if you don't already?

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Christ in you, means VICTORY!

"You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world".  1 John 4:4  CSB

John is speaking about antichrists, which are in the world already. An antichrist opposes and replaces Christ with the goal of distracting and derailing Christians from pursuing Jesus. These are anyone who tries to take Christ's place. However, the main antichrist will arrive prior to the tribulation.

Here in this verse, John encourages us with three areas:

(1) You belong to God. At the time of your salvation, you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour and, because of this, you belong to Him. The devil doesn't like this one bit so, he will attempt to bring fear upon you, together with confusion. These little antichrists will do all they can to mislead you and lead you down the wrong path. They get into the church, some as prominent leaders. So, beware, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for who he can devour. (1 Peter 5:8). Resist him and keep your eyes open.

(2) You have overcome the world. 'For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden, 4because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith'. 1 John 5:3-6

(3) The Power of Christ its within you. The power of Christ who lives in the believer, is greater than the power of the world. The Holy Spirit is far stronger than any attack by the Devil. The believer needs to allow this encouragement to avoid being fearful of satan, and rather to trust the Lord and obey His commands. By doing so, we can overcome the powers of darkness and walk with boldness in this life.

We can never take the devil on alone. We need Jesus and He reigns in your heart and is far more competent to deal with him at any time of day or night. So be wise, armed with the fact that the one who dwells within you - Jesus, is able to fight your battle. Beware of fighting your own battles and give it all to Jesus, even if it is petty. Remember, things that are small in the beginning, can grow into major sizes. So keep nothing back; give it all to Jesus and, be reassured that Jesus has your back.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Is everything futile?

2“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” 3What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labours at under the sun? 4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it hurries back to the place where it rises."    Ecclesiastes 1:2-5   CSB

As a young Christian back in the 80's, I was totally confused when I first read this by Solomon. In fact, I read it in the Good News version and it read that 'Everything is useless.' To my new convert mindset, it sounded extremely confusing and some people, still find Ecclesiastes this way. So let us take a look at what he actually meant.

The word futile literally means 'breath' and implies that something only has fleeting value and then evaporates  like a puff of air. One could understand this statement  as meaning that everything is worthless - hence, useless. But really, it is saying that everything is short-lived and quickly passes by. A generation is born and another one dies; the sun rises and then sets; we wake up and then go back to sleep, we go to work and then retire, and on and on.

Many scholars believe that Solomon didn't write this book because of the dating of certain events. However, many others believe that he did and the dating that the other scholars suggest, are wrong. The thing is, whether he did write it or not, it is the message that matters and the writer declares that life receives joy and meaning, not from riches, fame and work but, from from reverence for God and obedience to His commandments. All human accomplishments will one day disappear but God won't, His word stands forever, even though there is ,'a time to give birth and a time to die' Ecc 3:2. Dying, for the believer means transferring to another destination, and that is heaven where we will spend eternity.

Solomon shares his heart and knowledge of God in chapters 3:9-15: 

"What does the worker gain from his struggles? 10I have seen the task that God has given the children of Adam to keep them occupied. 11He has made everything appropriate in its time.

He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. 12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life. 13It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. 14I know that everything God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him. 15Whatever is, has already been, and 

whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted".

So therefore, don't shy away from reading this work of Solomon, especially the poem in chapter 3:1-8 which makes interesting reading and is bursting with wisdom and intellect.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Don't kick and struggle

"I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. 9Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you."   Psalm 32:8-9.  CSB

A young horse or donkey, requires a lot of work by its trainer before it can be ridden in safety. It  requires instruction, patience and discipline before it can reach anywhere near this standard. Initially, it will kick and struggle and show lots of stubborn-ness because it resents someone teaching it. Because of its reluctance to obey and be pointed in the right direction, it may have to wear a bit and bridle so that it can be shown the right way to go. Even then, the struggle is on for this to happen, especially with the stubborn donkey. It may be a long time before the horse is ready to be ridden, however, with the donkey, it may take a lifetime.

Just think for a moment, aren't we like this when someone tries to show us what to do - to change the way, we know is the right way? Don't we kick and struggle because we resent being told what to do or that we are wrong in our thinking? Okay, we don't require the use of a bit and bridle to teach us the way, but, some of us come close to it.

It starts in our youth, possibly following school, college or university. A lot of us, have this feeling of superiority, that we know it all and don't wish to be shown any other way. We soon learn that life is not like this, especially when we start in a job. Let me say this, you may have all the degrees possible and be more qualified than the boss that stands before you telling to what you need to do. However, he is still the boss and he may not be able to match your certificates, diplomas and degree papers, but he probably has more experience than you have at this time and he definitely knows the way the job goes. So discipline and obedience is the name of the game if you want to remain there.

It's the same in our walk with Jesus. He knows the way we have to go and, from time to time He will place people with us who we need to listen to and obey. Just because you have read the bible through four times, does not make you a Bishop. You are still inexperienced in your faith and God wants to direct you and instruct you through, using these people. Being harsh and argumentative with them will get you nowhere and will also give you a bad reputation. Stop kicking and struggling and let the person mentor you until you are ready to 'fly the nest'.

Remember, God has placed you where you are at this time. He is watching over your progress and will not take you to the next stage until, you are ready to go. His word to you is, stop struggling and kicking out and receive the instruction and teaching that He wants to give you. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Put your trust in Jesus - Final part - You have a future

"Watch the blameless and observe the upright,  for the person of peace will have a future."                            Psalm 37:37  CSB

The word 'peace' in this context means, 'everything as it ought to be.' You are a person of peace because the Prince of Peace dwells within you:

"For a child will be born for us, a Son will be given to us,  and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselour,  Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace".   Isaiah 9:6  CSB

We probably only hear this verse quoted around the Christmas period and that is sad because Jesus is all these things to us each and everyday. Here we read the Prince of Peace, the Prince of everything as it ought to be. You and I belong to Him and therefore, we have a future - He is our future. Without Him we have nothing (John 15:5). We have a future as long as we remain within the Prince of Peace and allow Him to remain in us. When we do, we have everything as it ought to be.

Take note of the first words of this verse: 'Watch the blameless and observe the upright.' This is proof that people observe us. As I say many times, we are the bible to them. They take note of our conduct. Occasionally, someone may say they wish they could handle things as we do. What they notice is not us, in fact, but the Prince of Peace within us - Jesus Himself. They are also quick to mention things when our behaviour doesn't live up to what we profess. We are the bible to them and whether they honour God themselves or not, what they see in us, should always point to Jesus.

So, for a time, we have come to an end of our study on Psalm 37. I hope that you have picked up on a few things that you can incorporate in your walk with Him. Remember, you can trust Him to take care of all your needs. You have a future with Him beside you and one day, that future will take on its full meaning when you are with Him in heaven. Until then, keep Him close to you

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Put your trust in Jesus 3 - He'll take care of it all

“The little that the righteous person has is better than the abundance of many wicked people. 17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.18The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever. 19They will 

not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger.    Psalm 37:16-19.  CSB

No matter how much the wicked will acquire, it will eventually lead them to being broken and destroyed. But no matter how little the righteous have, the Lord will support them and watch over their lives; and this will be forever. They will receive blessing from Him, this may be while they are here on earth but, much more when they enter heaven. He will lift us if we 

fall and hold us up and, He will be a blessing to us, so in turn, we may be a blessing to others.

So as David says in verse 16, it is far better to be in want than to have everything, and miss out on eternal life. There are many rich people in this world today but, not one of them can hold on to their 

riches when they die; it will go to others. If that person knows Jesus as their Lord and has been a blessing in their earthly life, to others, he will receive blessings in heaven. If not, they will stand before Jesus on Judgement day and receive what is owing to them.

Do you know, nothing is certain in this life. Most of the USA  this past week, thought that Kamala Harris would become their leader; However, she was trumped that day. Nothing in this life is certain, except Jesus and eternity. He is our hope in times 

of trouble; ~ He is our escape when we feel trapped and He is our comforter when we have become hurt. In fact, He is everything that is good, to us. He also watches over us wherever we are.

We have an inheritance. Our insurance premiums are fully paid up and eternity is guaranteed for us because, our deposit has been paid. Jesus did this on the cross that day. All the more why we should live the way He wants us to. One day we will see Him face to face; that is a wowser to start with. We will also see the men and women of God that we have read about, Moses, David. Peter, Mary and a host of others. Imagine if you are musical, you will be able to jam with David and his band - another wowser.

But until then, He will satisfy us and help us to hold our heads up high. That's the best wowser of all.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out