The Joys of Heaven
Part II: A Closer Walk with God
by
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The gifts of the Holy Spirit are amazingly spectacular and greatly to be desired. However, as the apostle Paul hastened to point out, without love, these gifts, awesome as they may be, are profitable for nothing.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1–3 NKJV).
Love, therefore, is the principal thing and the greatest gift of all. If our hearts are not touched or transformed by God’s love, we are nothing and these gifts will not be profitable to us. Without love and unity within the body of Christ, the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not flow freely among us. The body of Christ is made up of many members, a diverse group of people having different talents and abilities but all functioning together as one unit. Division within the body of Christ hinders the work of the Holy Spirit. Love and unity, however, form the foundation on which the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit operate optimally.
In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul placed great emphasis on love and unity within the body of Christ. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:1–6 NIV).
A life worthy of our calling is a life in which our love and care of one another are evident. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NIV).
True and genuine love is selfless and affectionate towards one another. It knows no jealousy and seeks the happiness of others as much as it seeks its own. True and genuine love does not talk down to another or lord it over anyone. It holds no one in bondage by unrealistic expectations. It is liberating and gives others the freedom to be their best selves while inspiring them to love God with all their hearts and to love others as they love themselves. Those who spend time in constant devotion to God have the genuine love and desire to do what is right and pleasing to God and do so naturally without pressure from anyone.
It is important to treat each member of our local church body with the same love and respect that we have for members of our own individual families. After all, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ! We love and care for members of our individual families including the ones who are rebellious and bring us a lot of heartaches. We suffer along with them when they suffer. We share their burdens to lighten the load. We pray with them and for them. We rejoice with them when they rejoice and we grieve together when we lose a loved one or when everything just plain goes wrong. Can you imagine how happy and healthy our local church body and the larger body of Christ would be if each believer shows this same level of love and compassion one for the other?
A very good example of this is the love and support my church family shows to my family during my husband's illnesses. They reach out to us through emails, text messages, phone calls and get well cards, plus they keep us constantly in their prayers.
Several months ago, my husband had his gall bladder removed during an emergency surgery due to it being inflamed by gallstones. Shortly after he returned home from the hospital, I received a text message from one of the sisters at my church telling me that she and her husband would like to prepare a meal for us and wanted to know whether there were any dietary restrictions. I got so emotional when I received the text. It was so heartwarming to know someone cares enough to want to relieve some of the burdens by providing a meal for us, a meal that I didn't have to cook myself! When I asked her what I did to get so lucky, her response was that we have a friend in common — Jesus. Jesus has a way of drawing together people from varying backgrounds and uniting us all together as one great, big, happy family.
Two days later, I received an email from another sister in the faith offering to prepare a meal for us! My heart truly melted with all that love and affection. Just knowing that somebody cares enough to reach out to us makes all the difference! A few months later when my husband was admitted to the hospital again with extreme shortness of breath, the love and support were once again overwhelming. A third sister and her husband offered to prepare a meal for us plus the prayers and well wishes kept on coming. Isn't that what love is all about?
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About the Book
In July of 2016, Jesus spoke to Gwendolyn in a vision, saying, “I have placed some books inside of you. You will need to vomit them up.” In another vision, Jesus gave crystal-clear cylinder glasses of water to Gwendolyn and her daughter and gave them the urgent command, “Quick! We need to get these to everyone in order for them to be caught up in the rapture!”
In The Joys of Heaven, a two-part series, Gwendolyn poured out these books proclaiming the power of the cross and of Jesus’ great love, which heals and transforms lives. In Part 1: Every Day with Jesus, the first part of this very powerful and inspirational book, she appeals to the unsaved to make Jesus their Lord while empowering the believer to move forward by faith. She also discusses several revelations of staggering events to come that will affect the immediate future of mankind.
In Part II: A Closer Walk with God, Gwendolyn challenges believers to step up to a higher standard of holiness, to experience a deeper fellowship with Jesus, to take back the power that belongs to the church, and to march onward and upward to victory. She charges them to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to once again experience the power of God to do the miraculous among us.
About the Author
Gwendolyn Cotterell-Eidukonis graduated with honors from DeVry University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Jesus has appeared to her in several visions which led to the publishing of her first book, Beholding His Glory: A Journey Side by Side with Jesus, in September 2015. Gwendolyn continued her inspired writing when in a recent vision Jesus told her that He had placed books within her and that she would need to bring them up.