HOW DO YOU FEEL? (part-06)

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT MEETING THE LORD FACE TO FACE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be
away from the body and at home with the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 5:8)

MEDITATION:
What do you look forward to when you go on a trip away from home?
If you go to the beach, you probably look forward to seeing, hearing
and playing in the ocean. If you go to the mountains, you probably
look forward to viewing the scenery.

But if you are going to visit family or friends, what do you anticipate?
You look forward to reuniting with certain individuals, right? How
about when you are returning home from a trip? You look forward
to the greetings from your family, right?

A little boy was riding alone on a train on a hot day. The travelers
were extremely uncomfortable, and the scenery was not too interesting
as they passed through the desert of Arizona. A lady sitting beside the
boy asked him,
    “Are you tired of the long ride?”
The little boy smiled and said,
    “I’m a little tired, but I don’t mind it much. You see, my
      father is going to meet me when I get to Los Angeles.”

What a great analogy for believers! Sometimes we get a little tired of
the burdens of life, but it is exhilarating to know that our Heavenly
Father will meet us at the end of life’s journey. The joy of being with
Him forever is beyond our ability to describe.

We should look forward to the Lord greeting us as we step into eternity.
Anticipating that meeting with Him can help us cope with the problems
of this life much easier. Of course the world tries to distract us from our
looking forward to ‘going home’.

We have many problems and burdens thrown at us, but if we lose our
focus of ultimately being with the Lord, then we can be vulnerable to
worries, anxieties, and health issues. However if our focus remains
intact, we discover that the Lord gives us added strength and wisdom
for coping with the issues we encounter.

ACTION:
Where is your focus? Are you dreading the day when you see Jesus face
to face? If so, then what changes do you need to make to allay those fears?
When we are in a healthy relationship with the Lord, we can find ourselves
anticipating with joy the day when we go home to meet Him.

We can only imagine how great it will be to leave a world of turmoil and
trouble, and start living in a new world full of joy and happiness! But, we
know that we can enjoy our relationship and fellowship with the Lord as
we continue living out our life here on earth.

We might ask ourselves,
    “How does the Lord feel about our relationship with Him?”

To answer this question we need to know how He felt about us
when He created us.
    For you created my inmost being; you
    knit me together in my mother’s womb.
    (Psalm 139:13)

    For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
    the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
    you, plans to give you hope and a future.
    (Jeremiah 29:11)

God not only created us in our mother’s womb, but He also had
plans for us. We have witnessed how our world has decided it is
okay to destroy what God has created. In an effort to justify their
actions, they shift ownership from God to the mother, and make it
her choice to decide if God’s creation should live or die.

Different names are used to refer to God’s creations as something
other than what they are (humans) in the early stages of life. What
is the purpose for doing that? It gives mankind the ability to legislate
an act of murder, which violates one of God’s Ten Commandments.

We can’t even imagine how God feels as He watches mankind destroy
what He has created; the ‘human beings’ He has plans for. It is a show
of disrespect for the life that God has breathed into His creations. How
does this affect the world we live in? If we disrespect life at any stage, it
results in a disrespect for life at all stages, which is probably the reason
there is a growing increase of senseless murders.

It is difficult to wrap our minds around the magnitude of the mercy
God shows to His creations when we make bad choices. He promises
to forgive us when we confess our sins, express our belief in His Son,
Jesus, ask Him to forgive us, and make a commitment to strive to live
a more righteous life in obedience to His commands going forward.
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
    just and will forgive us our sins and purify
    us from all unrighteousness.
    (1 John 1:9)

We should be thankful that God does not show favoritism.
Why? Because God chooses to forgive everyone for their
sins and we are told that we are all sinners, but some have
chosen to receive God’s gift of grace – salvation.

We might ‘rank’ our sins, but God doesn’t. He lists both murder
and dishonoring parents in His commandments that should not
be violated. In our minds, we may think that one is more severe
than the other, but we are not God.

We may not be able to read God’s mind, but we can read what He
has commanded and we should strive to make them our guidelines
for living a righteous life. We might not have committed murder,
but we have committed other sins and He has promised to forgive
us, so we should never have a condescending attitude toward those
who have committed a sin that we have not. God is judge, not us.

We might ask the question,
    “What kind of relationship does God want with us?”

We can see how much He loves us, and how He wants to help us
enjoy our life on earth. We might choose to forsake God, but He
has promised He will not forsake those who belong to Him.
    The Lord himself goes before you and will be with
    you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do
    not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
    (Deuteronomy 31:8)

    Though my father and mother forsake
    me, the Lord will receive me.
    (Psalm 27:10)

    For the Lord loves the just and
    will not forsake his faithful ones.
    (Psalm 37:28a)

    Keep your lives free from the love of money and be
    content with what you have, because God has said,
    “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
    (Hebrews 13:5)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise that all of those
who truly love You, and have sincerely given control of their lives
to You, will join You in heaven when they leave this world. Help
me personally to change my priorities so that I can joyfully look
forward to meeting You face to face at the end of my life on earth.
When I think about You waiting for me at the end of my earthly
journey, I am filled with an unspeakable joy.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.com