| Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8
“Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: ‘Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, rebuking him: ‘Don’t you fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘I assure you; today you will be with Me in paradise.'” Luke 23:39-43
So, what happens when I die? According to this scripture if you have connected with Jesus then you will be with Him. In II Corinthians 5:8 it reads that when we are absent from the body, we are home with the Lord. Chapter 5 pretty much leads into this point. It speaks of losing this “earthly house” (our physical body) and gaining a “house” from God (our glorified heavenly body). It talks about mortality being swallowed up by immortality and how Jesus became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God and be reconciled to Him. It’s the plan of salvation and the benefit for accepting it.
And again, in Philippians 1:21-24, the Apostle Paul says that he is in a strait. He would rather die so he can go home to be with the Lord, but he felt staying here was more beneficial for those he was teaching about Jesus. With all of the heartache, pain and pressures of life, any honest person that has walked this earth any amount of time has probably felt the same way. I know I have. I yearn to be in God’s presence. What I experience when I attend church with other believers and when I worship Him alone is so minute compared to what it is going to be like when we are able to totally behold Him. I am convinced that no peace and joy exist on this level in this current world. The flesh will no longer have any kind of a hold – so that battle will be over. No more tests, trials or temptations. I’m telling you it will be true freedom.
But…for the meantime, I am content to know God to the fullest degree possible and to serve my fellow man the best I can. Hopefully I will be able to share the light of the gospel with multitudes and see them discipled before I leave. I want to cast my crowns at His feet and say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb of God, worthy is His name.” You feel the power of that!
PRAYER:
Lord, I love You and surrender to Your will. Give me wisdom to win souls. I pray for a calm, patient spirit that can hear from You. I trust You with everything and cannot wait for the day we can all be together in Your kingdom where there will be no more death and every tear will be wiped from our eyes. Until then, I love You Jesus. Amen. |
