YESTERDAY'S POST

Let me explain about Yesterday’s post.

I just finished putting the Japanese manuscript into digitalized format, so my mind has been full of God's amazing faithfulness, and seeing so many things fall into place those thirty years (I'm speaking of matters that He had been working on for generations before that too!)

The photograph from Daddy's hospital window had me, I remember, thinking of Heaven. It had been taken an early morning after Joyce and I had taken turns watching him through the night one summer when his I.V. lines had to be watched, and the sky turned from pitch black to hints of gray to these brilliant flaming golds and pinks. And Daddy had told me how he yearned for Heaven. We'd sung melodies together in the hospital room--but one day we know it will be in 4000-part harmony.

The lower photo is of the Namiki property up in mainland Japan I flew up to after my time of helping out in Okinawa was completed. We moved for road construction, and our house was torn down; this is a pic of the empty plot. I remembered; in asking us to move, the city paid for washer-dryer, 3 air conditioners, and 3 months' rent in our future apartment: yes, if He would choose to surprise us with things like this on earth, HE HAS DWELLINGS PREPARED FOR HIS OWN IN HEAVEN for sure!

So...yesterday's post wasn't "just" a reading in Revelation with photos unrelated to life. Speaking of which, the drawing above is of me with Daddy in his last nursing home, and my sister Janice said it was a very good liking of Daddy. (The stuffed panda was her gift!)

Thoughts from reading the ending of Rev. 13:6

Part of journal entry:

"And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." (Rev. 13:6) 

The child of God sees God's dwelling and those who have gone on before in ways pretty distinct and impossible to understand for the natural mind. The contemporary "utopia" is merely a mental reference point, not actual place, to those who do not know God; while I can stay secure because I know it is.

I've heard people say of a deceased loved one, "he lives on in our hearts." Yes, but there should be more! "We can meet again." Yes, but there should be even more than that! There should be anticipation of surety of joining up with them when spirits are pure, will not misunderstand, hurt, reject, kill in any way, but will accept, listen, love, and work together to praise God together. That is filled with anticipation, and "let's just wait until we meet again" just doesn't do it!

It is not just how a person lives when everything is honky dory that matters. It is how a person lives when he sees he may be approaching the gates of his eternal abode. And the measuring rod, to me, is not so much about what a person says about the living ones around him (anyone can put up a good front) but how does he feel about meeting them again in the afterlife? Would he be able to look them in the eye? Or would he be rushing into their arms for a long-sought-for embrace?

God's tabernacle. Would he be saying, "So this place really existed..."? or would he plop down all happy relief and weary, laying down arms, looking for the Lord of the Manor, though the body would no longer able to move, heart and eyes longing to see HIM?

IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL WHEN WE SEE JESUS!

ARMOR BEARER THOUGHTS (from I Samuel)

Actually, the entire below post was deleted once and then rewritten...I guess God would've let me forget whatever He knew was unnecessary and let me recall that which was okay to be communicated, so... here 'tis. My three "armor-bearer friends" below thought the article was worth transmitting.

1. GOLIATH's Armor Bearer "one bearing a shield went before him" (I Sam. 17:7) What stays with me about this story is not Goliath or even David, who felled him, but his father. The king, impressed with the shepherd boy's bravery, asked, "Whose stripling is this lad?" I'd love it if people's first reaction to incredible encounters in my life were to wonder about My Heavenly Father.

2. JONATHAN's Armor Bearer "Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said unto the young man that bore his armor, Come, let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side...for there is no restraint for the LORD to save...the LORD saved Israel that day" (I Sam. 14:1,6,23) It's not so much the battle as what happened afterwards. The people should've been thanking God for the victory but barely saved Jonathan's life from King Saul's misplaced judgement.

3. SAUL's Armor Bearer "Then said Saul unto his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through with it...his armor bearer would not" (I Sam. 31:4) We see when this record of Saul's death (even his closest soldier could not bear to kill him) reached David, he mourned for him. Christians often think they are unblameworthy if they do not retaliate when wronged, if they do not get angry or take matters into their own hands. But do they ask God to cleanse their hearts such that when misfortune strikes offenders, the reaction would be to grieve for them?

NOT SO LONG AGO

I realized the other day the room was beginning to look normal to me, whereas when we first moved here, I remember saying I had to take down all those pictures off the walls so the place wouldn't like a photo museum, more like a home. But those thoughts haven't crossed my mind the past year or so.

Moving down to Okinawa...was the end of August 2024, so almost TWO YEARS AGO?! Wow.

Several months before that had been my trip Stateside, then several months before that, I'd been visiting here in Okinawa. At that time, I had no idea I'd be back here to LIVE!

The day before my sisters and I left the Izena island two years ago after our week's visit with our cousin, an elderly neighbor had come over with a bag of specialty island rice for us. And in following months, Rumiko told me the Lord gave her a good, long talk with that friend.

She and her husband moved right after that, but we know the God Who feeds the fowl of the air follows and cares for her too.

Last night, I had the urge to pray for a young Christian we met at another small island our cousin grew up on. I found the blog post dated Feb. 2024: "We stopped at an inviting building wondering if we might pick up something to eat, then found it wasn't a cafe but were delighted to learn they were Christians...!"

(That's Wakana on the left in the light jacket.)

So I prayed for Wakana until God seemed to tell me it was okay to stop praying, mostly that she would take her eyes off herself and let the Lord fight--the battle was won only when it was HIS, but it was already won if she let Him do the fighting.

I wonder if God'll let me see again, on earth, Wakana, or that dear Izena Grandma?