Encouragement

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There is an old gospel song with the words, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through....." I have been thinking a lot about that lately. Philippians 3:20 says, "our citizenship is in heaven..." for those who have invited Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives as personal Lord and Savior. Much comfort is here for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus, the Son of God. For the many Christians who are being persecuted or are suffering, who have continual illnesses, or are weighed down with the cares and hurts of life and just barely getting by with the basics of living, the words of II Corinthians 4:17-18 can help, by not only bringing comfort, but by serving as a reminder of one's temporary earthly state: "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comprehension, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

    Now let's go back and read the rest of Philippians 3:20-21. It says "...we wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory..." Wow, what a thought! Taken alongside the II Corinthians passage it brings tremendous hope. Add to this the thought of II Corinithians 5:1-4, "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan. longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." In exchange for our physical life, or spiritual "tent," John 14:1-2 says "Let not your heart be troubled...I go to prepare a place for you...that where I am, there you may be also."

     Indeed, this world is not our home. We are only passing through. All the troubles of the world are only temporary. As Christians we believe this, but has it sunk in that we really do not belong on this planet? This is our temporary place of residence. For Christians, physical death is the door entering into a spiritual and eternal existence where tears will be wiped away "and there shall no longer be any death, ; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). I was with an uncle of mine years ago several months before he passed away. He was not in good health and knew that he had a short time left on this earth and would shortly be entering his eternal home. I have never forgotten what he said to me. "I have people waiting for me." He said it with so much confident assurance that it made a lasting impression on my faith. 

     The way things are going in end times Bible prophecy, we as Christians may experience our new home in heaven before we die a physical death. There is coming a time that I Thessalonians 4:16-18 speaks of. 'For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout...and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words."

    At some point in time, whether it is by natural, physical death, or by supernaturally "bypassing" death, our earthly bodies will take on the form of a new eternal, conscious existence in the presence of God. All physical things of the present world will be a thing of the past.

     In the meantime, however, God wants to see what each individual person will do with his or her life. Everyone has a free will as to how they repond to God and to  spiritual and eternal matters. Will they realize there is a God who created and loves them, and enter into a personal relationship with Him through His love and grace, or will they reject all of this and miss out on the abundant life of peace, hope, and purpose for which they were created, and forfeit heaven in exchange for an eternal hell, which is also a very real place. 

     If you are reading this and are not a Christian, meaning you have not asked God to forgive your sins and responded to his love and grace through his death on the cross and his resurrection, you have no hope beyond this physical life. But you can change that. It is only one decision away. 

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