Well, the post office is doing it again. The price of postage goes up again this week. This time it’s only a penny. That’s probably not as irritating to the mailing public as several cents at a time. Now, for the first time, they are offering a forever stamp. If you buy them before the price goes up, you can use them after the price goes up without having to buy those extra one cent stamps. Something inside of me says that it costs the post office more in the expense of printing, handling and selling them than they get back when they make people buy one cent stamps to make up the difference. I guess they would say it’s the principle of the thing, people have to pay the full postage.
Forever, that’s an interesting concept. What is really forever? I’ve been in Israel and seen very old buildings, old ruins that go back thousands of years. Some of them are in really good shape, the stone construction lasts a long time. The monstrous boulders cut to a perfect shape that are holding up the walls and foundation of the Temple Mount look like they will last forever.
There is a museum there with a boat someone was able to dig out of the sand and preserve that was probably a couple of thousand years old. That took an amazing amount of special work to preserve the wood when it was exposed to the air after so long. You can see the boat, but it won’t float any more.
Forever. What does last forever? I guess we could get in to an interesting discussion regarding what lasts forever. The one thing I’m sure of is the promise of an eternal home in Jesus for those who obey and follow Him on this earth. Here’s one statement that talks about that.
13 And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.
15 I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. 18 So comfort and encourage each other with these words.
Did you catch that part at the end? Remain with the Lord forever? That’s one forever promise we can really grasp hold of. We can be confident and fully assured of this home. Let me leave you with one passage that tells us how.
9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
13 For “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9-10,13 NLT
