Every now and again it happens. It finds you, ambushes your soul and wraps you up, fully owning you for a moment in time and then it disappears, leaving a smile on your face and an increased measure of desire in your heart. What am I talking about? That difficult to describe experience of spiritual fulness when you can nearly taste the glories of eternity. In these moments you are deeply assured of God’s fathomless love for you, the gracious security of His all encompassing salvation and the absolute certainty that you will be with Him in paradise very soon. You feel it coming in powerful waves of promise and you know you’ve likely just experienced a work of the Holy Spirit as He whispers, “Soon, child. Very soon.”
“Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” – 1 Peter 1:8
There are many reasons why we long for heaven. At times it is simply because the negatives on earth have wearied us so much that we find ourselves groaning for the final relief. At other times we cannot smother our longing to be in the place of our eternal home with those whom we have loved on earth who preceded us there. Most of the time it is because we know that nothing will fully satisfy our spirit until we see the Son of God, glorified in body, seated upon the throne, reassuring us that it was undoubtedly worth it all. Hear me clearly: I’m a young man in the prime of my life, content and at peace…but I’m eager to leave here and to go there. There where I belong.
May God grant us to keep things in perspective today. I’m unsure how long I will keep my wits about me without getting distracted by this or that as I go about my normal duties on this Thursday. Sadly, it can be something as simple as a long traffic light or a loud voice at a restaurant that interrupts my calm. Yet, if I will rest in His presence and promise, I believe it is entirely possible to spend the next 24 hours with an eternal perspective that allows me to spend a day without sweating a thing down here. Are you a Christian? If so then you have the rare privilege of squaring off against all that is opposing you and declaring that you will overcome. Sickness will not plague you forever. The pain of relationships that have burst cannot dog you much longer. Your own sin and failures which you loathe have an expiration date which they cannot exceed. Your Savior has already reached the end destination and He has promised you that, where He is, you will be also. It is impossible for anything to ever stop that future reality from becoming yours. It is only a matter of time and you will be free, yes free indeed. Imagine that today: you cannot fail to receive the fullness of His provision for you. It is coming and, once it finds you, you will know that what you endured here below was never worthy to be compared with what awaits you above.
mind-blowing,
heart stopping,
breath stealing
soul inverting
goodness
is on its way to you
How delightful for me to remind you that you, through the riches of grace in Jesus Christ, are the winner.
I read another devotional this morning that has a similar message. With your permission, I’ll post that here as an addendum to your insightful words:
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom. (Psalms 145:11 NRSV)
In west Texas, there is a famous oil field known as the Yates Pool. During the depression, Mr. Yates was not able to make enough money on his ranching operation to pay his mortgage. With little money for clothes or food, his family, like many others, had to live on a government subsidy.
Then one day a crew from an oil company came into the area and told Mr. Yates that there might be oil on this land. A wildcat well was drilled and at a little more than a thousand feet, they struck a huge oil reserve.
And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he had purchased the land, he received the oil and mineral rights. And yet, he had been living on relief–a multimillionaire living in poverty. What had been the problem? He did not know the oil was there. He owned it, but he did not possess it.
Jesus says to us that the Kingdom of God is something like that. You and I already have it within our grasp. It is there waiting to be discovered. But many of us are living impoverished lives–not knowing that the Kingdom is ours if we want it.
Dear Jesus, help me today to fully claim your kingdom. Amen.