Day 353 - People Will Know Each Other

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here People Will Know Each Other Day 353 In some ways life in heaven will be very different from life as it is now. In other ways, it will be much the same. One of the ways it will be the same is that people will know and recognize each another. "On the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17, Christ's disciples somehow recognized Moses and Elijah even though they had never met them before," says Dr. Thomas Ice. "So I don't know if we're going to have name tags, but, yes, we'll be able to recognize people." In heaven you will have a new, glorious body, but your soul will be the same one you have now. Your soul is eternal, and other people will surely recognize and know you in heaven. After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (Matthew 17:1-4) Moses and Elijah, first of all, were recognizable. Second, they were seen talking with Jesus. Then Peter suggested putting up additional shelters for them. The Bible does not describe what Moses and Elijah look like, but you can draw logical conclusions from the disciples' observations of the event. Amazing Lord, I am so glad that I will have a transformed body in heaven, and I am even more glad that I will still be me and those I love will know me in an instant. Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 352 - A Wonderful Reunion

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here A Wonderful Reunion Day 352 In heaven there will be a wonderful reunion. You will see your family and friends, all of those who have gone on to be with Jesus when they died. Dr. Luis Palau tells about a man who was grieving his daughter's death: "He would go every Saturday to the grave and stand at the grave and weep in front of his daughter's grave and sob inconsolably. And he would talk to her as though she was there." One Friday evening the man attended an evangelistic event and made the decision to surrender his life to Jesus Christ. The next day, he said, "I was going to go to the grave and suddenly it dawned on me: 'Wait. My girl is not here. She's in heaven, and now I'm a believer. I'm going to heaven. I don't have to visit the grave and weep, because my girl is happy in the presence of Jesus Christ!'" Jesus changed his life. Now this man lives with the absolute assurance of a happy reunion with his daughter in heaven. The Bible tells about a future time when believers in Christ (those in heaven and those still on earth) will all join together in the presence of the Lord. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Lord, I am thrilled to know that good-byes on earth will soon be hellos again. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 351 - Longing for Home

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Longing for Home Day 351 The Bible says just enough about heaven to make people wonder what it will really be like. "As it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'" (1 Corinthians 2:9). The reality of heaven is going to far surpass anything you can imagine now. Revelation 21 describes the heavenly city—a city so magnificent and vast that you can hardly comprehend it. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates…. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass…. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (11-12, 18-21, 23) The walls will be over 200 feet thick. Each of the four sides of the city will be approximately 1,400 miles long: "I figured it out one time—396,000 stories high and one half the size of the United States," says Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Read the entire chapter of Revelation 21 for further details. Sovereign King, Your kingdom is glorious beyond my imagination. I am prepared to be amazed! Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 350 - Preparing for Eternity

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Preparing for Eternity Day 350 One thing is certain—eternity is in the future for all people. The Bible says that thanks to Jesus, you can spend that eternity with God in heaven. But how can you prepare while still living on this earth? Dr. Joseph Stowell says, "The Word of God comes along and trains you and talks to you about living life from an eternal perspective. You read through the Gospels, and you become convinced that Jesus Christ is driven by one reality—eternity. His whole perspective is driven by the fact that there is a world to come; this one will soon be done. And what you do here will count for the world that is yet to come. "Life here really is a dress rehearsal for the world to come. A person who embraces the world to come and lives in light of it has his whole world radically re-altered. He looks at people differently. Looks at his money differently. Looks at the things around his life differently. Looks at his own self differently." Live your life from an eternal perspective, not longing for this one to be over, but driven by a new set of values found in God's Word. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight to life. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb." (Psalm 19:7-10 nlt) Lord Jesus, teach me the values of a biblical, eternal lifestyle, and change my world in light of this reality. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 349 - God Has Set Eternity in Your Heart

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here God Has Set Eternity in Your Heart Day 349 Even if you know that heaven is your eternal destiny, you have probably had days when you've said, "Oh Lord, just take me home now." Do you long for the time when you never have to say good-bye again? When there will be no more sickness, no more suffering, no more growing old? The Bible says God has set eternity in your heart. To long for a better place is not a vain hope or delusion. You were made for eternity, and because of this, you can never be fully satisfied until you get to heaven. "Training our minds and hearts, the totality of our being on heaven is instinctive because our souls are eternal," says Dr. Joseph Stowell. "There's something in us that feels right about believing there is something on the other side of death. "But instincts don't quite cut it because you have to have some content. When we are born again in Jesus Christ, when we've repented of our sin and embraced the finished work of Christ on the cross and have been reborn so that the Holy Spirit lives within us, now these instincts for eternity suddenly take on meaning because the Holy Spirit excites and nurtures our desire for home." Let God's Spirit move inside you and excite you to live life in light of eternity. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Holy Spirit, I can't wait for heaven. No more tears, no more good-byes, no more sadness, just Jesus Christ and His love. Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 348 - Exploring Eternal Life

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Exploring Eternal Life Day 348 "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Ephesians 1:18-19). So many people do not take the time or make an effort to discover the truth about Jesus Christ and God's plan for eternity. Our prayer is that you take the time to read God's Word, to pray, and to learn more about Him. Do not believe all you hear. Find out the truth for yourself. The Bible has much to say about Jesus, eternity, heaven, death, and abundant life. Dr. Erwin Lutzer says, "Christ is the only one who can forgive you, declare you to be righteous, scoop you up out of the pit of sin, and place you right before the throne of God." The key to eternal life, Jesus, is You. Help me to learn more and to back up my beliefs with facts. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 347 - Hope for Eternity

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Hope for Eternity Day 347 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death" (John 8:51 NASB). "Jesus said … 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'" (John 11:25-26). God has promised you eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ when you believe in Him and surrender your life over to His will. "It was a great opportunity to be told that there was a living God and that there is eternal life and that a person doesn't have to be good in order to receive God's gift of salvation," says Chandra. "You don't have to be good in order to live forever. You have to just accept Christ as your Savior and believe in the cross and what Jesus did on the cross for you, the shedding of his blood, and accept Him as your Savior. And at that very moment you start eternal life." Eternal God, You have promised life to those who believe. I believe, Lord, I believe. Amen. Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755