Thursday, February 2, 2012

Heaven: Morning & Evening

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).

Morning: I woke up with life’s challenges weighing on my heart. I intentionally turned my heart to think about heaven. I am reminded that either I am preaching to myself biblical truth or self is speaking to me. When it is the later, the focus is usually on how I can fulfill my own selfish desires.

The verses above from Philippians 3 came to mind. My citizenship is in Heaven, not here. How am I living and thinking today reflects this? For one, I try to view all things through the lense of God’s Word rather than through my own eyes. When I’m thinking biblically, I can fight worry and unbelief.

As my citizenship is in heaven, how am I pursuing Christ today? I am loving the time I can fellowship with Him through His Word, prayer, and worship.

Am I dealing with any known sin through repentance, confession, and forsaking it and pursuing righteous living for the glory of Christ?

Am I ready to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

As I kept thinking about heaven, the chorus from the hymn, When We All Get to Heaven, came to mind:

When we all get to heaven,
 What a day of rejoicing that will be!

When we all see Jesus,
 We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Evening: I am at a Bible study. We have been going through the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Question 37: What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?

The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.

Thinking about this truth, more Scriptures on Heaven hit my heart.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

"For he (Abraham) was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).


What a day, it begins and ends with Heaven!

No comments: