With Him..in Heaven

"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." I Thessalonians 5: 9-10

Good morning, dear friends,

Photo: alexvan

It was an unusual Sunday for me yesterday on Facebook.  Usually Sunday is a quiet day on Facebook, as people are at church or with family or catching up on the hundreds of odds and ends that get shoved there until the last possible moment on the weekend.

Yesterday, however, there were a lot of people talking...and it was very sad.

Announcement after announcement of people who left this life, to begin another.  There were many family members solliciting prayers, well wishes, and kind thoughts of comfort as family and friends of those left behind grieve and remember their all-too-brief time together here on earth.

My heart is burdened for you, and trust me when I assure you of my prayers and love.

My husband just yesterday preached on the subject of heaven, and the time when each person, whether by death or by the rapture (that moment when God removes His church from this earth) will enter their eternal home.  Here are some of the thoughts that remained with me from yesterday's message, that I hope will be a comfort to you as well:

My relationship with God is a permanent one.  Right now, as a Christian here on earth, I claim a relationship with God through His salvation offered to me on the cross.  There was a day when I realized that I was not good enough to please God in the life I was living, and I asked God to save me from my sins.  From that moment, I entered into a relationship with my God and Creator:  He became my Father and I became His child.  This relationship, however imperfect here on earth, will be perfected the day that I enter into His presence in heaven, where I will see Him and finally understand the wonderfullness of His perfection and love.  Only then will I truly understand the miracle that a perfect loving God would want to have anything to do with a fallen creation like myself.  How great is His love, and how compassionate was His sacrifice for me!

The greatest glory of heaven will be enjoying God's presence, forever!  One passage that my husband referred to yesterday was I Thessalonians 5:9-10:  "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him."  Heaven will be a wonderful place, and I cannot wait to explore its beauty, revel in the fellowship of others who have gone on before me, and enjoy the blessings of eternal rest.  These however will not hold a candle to being with God forever!  I will see Him face to face, and finally be able to enjoy a relationship with Him not marred with failure and temptation.  I will revel in His goodness, praise His wonderful works, and that for all eternity!

I must confess, that I cringe a little here on earth when I hear well-meaning people say that they can live however they want to here on earth, because in the end, God will accept them into heaven anyway.  If I do not enjoy being with God here on earth, talking with Him here, praying to Him here, praising Him here, reading His Word here, why would it be any different for me once I am dead?  To be in heaven is to be "with Him," forever!  The relationship that I will one day enjoy with Him in heaven, I will enjoy with Him because I became His here on earth.

One day, I will be perfect!  I get so tired of my failures and mistakes in this life, don't you?  One day, it will all be finished.  I will arrive in heaven, and finally get it.  I will understand the riches and fulness of God's glory.  I will not struggle with my flesh.  On this earth, God calls me to "walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." (I Thessalonians 4:1)  One day, however, that job description will be finished.  I will not have to strive to be more like Christ.  I will be like Him in His perfection, the moment I enter His presence!  What a wonderful day that will be!

For those of us grieving over a loved one, may God comfort and encourage us today: His love is real and eternal, and God desires us to be with Him, forever.  If you are not sure how to enter into this wonderful relationship with Him, I encourage you to read the page at the top of this blog, "Home Away from Home," which details my journey to know God and to be with Him.

Praying for so many today....