Having experienced so much sickness and death of close family and friends over the past few years has led me to a more intense mode of seeking God. He is my / our Heavenly Father who created all things and made us in His own image and likeness. So, as I continue my journey through life, I am reminded that this world is not my / our home. We experience problems and difficulties, joys and happiness as a part of this earthly journey. But we must realize and face the fact that we are not “home.” Even though it feels like this earth life is the life and final destiny, it isn’t – it’s only a part of the journey.
I have become more cognizant of the need to fulfill God’s reason for my life on earth, keeping my eyes on Him as I travel toward and eventually transition to my “real home” in heaven with Him; where He intended for us to be in the beginning. As I was reading a book written by one of my cousins, Practical Principles for Powerful Prayer (p 17) by Rev. Tracy A. Leggins (now Brown), she makes a profound statement that is so inspiring and worth repeating. She says,
“Heaven is the place where we should all want to spend eternity. And because heaven is the place where God dwells (although God dwells in all places), it reminds us that God is already where we are hoping to go. He is already where we are striving to be. In other words, He is already in our future. He is the One who knows what tomorrow, next week, next year will bring. As Author and Finisher of our faith, He has already arrived at the scene on time, and is just waiting for us to get there.”
She goes on to explain how engaging in conversation with God, which is called prayer, we enter His home, heaven, while still here on earth. That we enter His Presence and “get glimpses of what God already sees…bringing heaven to earth.” As an aside, this reminds me of the song by Israel Houghton and Micah Massey, entitled, Your Presence is Heaven to Me (listen to it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAvRdSkE10). So for me, in my more intense mode of seeking God, (worship, praying, reading and studying His Word), I have come to a deeper understanding and revelation. Whether I am on earth or when my body ceases to function and I go to heaven, I am always with God and He is always with me!
The trials of life have forced me to become more aware of the reality (Colossians 2:17-NIV) that in Christ is all of God and through living the Christ life on earth, no trials or anything else, as Romans 8:35-39 tells us, can separate me /us from God the Father and His Awesome Love! You see the enemy of God, the devil, whom unfortunately has convinced many people that he doesn’t really exist or that he doesn’t really have power of influence, or that he can only do what God allows, aims to make us believe that pain and suffering means that something is wrong. That either I did something wrong, or you did something wrong. Perhaps, our ancestors did something wrong. But his most persuasive argument is that God Himself did something wrong causing many to question God’s genuine love never able to receive it or His healing that comes when we turn to Him when in pain or suffering.
The truth is “yes” we have all done something wrong! This is why we have been granted the ability to repent (asking God or others for forgiveness) and to forgive others. This forgiveness is what often leads the way to healing. But more accurately, we have been told to expect pain and suffering (1 Peter 4:1, 2 Peter 4:12-16, 1 Peter 5:12, 2Corinthians 4:17, Romans 8:18, Philippians 1:29 and other verses; do a Goggle search on what the Bible says about suffering). This world, this earth place is not the perfected home where we belong. If you will read or listen to Genesis 1-3, you will find that man doing something wrong, as prompted by the devil, is what led us to an earthly life.
God allows us joys and happiness here on earth. His goal for us is an eternal life of joy and happiness. But earth cannot provide that; only heaven can. And the only way to heaven is relationship with God through receiving His answer to our ability to make it on earth and eventually making it to heaven. That answer is in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the penalty for our wrongs which are inevitable on earth and in this earthly body. Jesus made the way for us to make it to our “real home” which is heaven. Through prayer which my cousin Tracy expresses in her book, “we can have heaven on earth in the midst of our trying situations of life!” And even more powerful, we can be sure to get to the place where we belong, heaven, when we choose to make our lifestyle that of living the Christ life and having a continuing Father/child relationship of talking with God!
2015 © Rosalind M. Stanley
BECAUSE OF GRACE 