Have you ever thought what heaven will be like? How about meeting Jesus face to face for the first time? I can only imagine how magnificent and glorious it will be to finally be home with our Savior and Heavenly Father who has loved us from the beginning of all creation. No more pain, sorrow, sickness, or death will be experienced anymore. How marvelous that will be! What joy and peace our hearts will experience!

Our time here on earth is short. Our Bible describes how each one of us is a vapor (James 4:14), and that we are here today gone tomorrow (Eccl. 3:9). One day, each one of us will be judged according to our actions and deeds we’ve done. Our lives will be like a movie played back right before our eyes. The only saving grace will be what Jesus did on the cross for us, and how we have trusted His gift, to grant us entrance into Heaven for eternity.

We can live out life here on earth doing whatever we please, with no real value to us and others. Or we can put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and live our life as He would have us do to bring glory and honor to Him.

I recently attended a friend’s Celebration of Life service that celebrated our Lord Jesus and a life lived for Him. I was so moved that her family honored my friend’s wishes, making the focus Jesus rather than her. My friend fully grasped the importance of what mattered in this life (i.e., God, family, and friends). She stated to her family that the only thing we can take from this life is our relationship with God. Her service was truly beautiful, enveloping God’s love for us all. My friend had lived out her days giving honor and glory to our Lord and King.

Our life here on earth is not going to be easy. Jesus told his disciples that we will have trouble. “Take heart! I [Jesus] have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV) We will experience hardships, struggles, pain, and death while living on this side of eternity. We need to remember that this world is not our home. Our heavenly home is with our Heavenly Father and Jesus in heaven. As God’s children, we are called to have faith in Jesus and put our trust in Him, no matter what may come our way. God asks us to surrender all we are to Him, so that through His Holy Spirit residing in us, He will assist, empower, guide, and direct us to complete His Will.

Our Heavenly Father continues to remain in control, even when our circumstances spin out of control. My friend, her family, and friends, believed God would heal her. I believe He did heal her before taking her home to heaven. I marvel how she continued to lift up praises and honor to Jesus, even in her worst suffering. No matter how much pain, she would bring honor and glory to Jesus, praising Him for His goodness.

I recall Paul (the apostle) also praising the Lord when he returned to his cell after being flogged and tortured for sharing the Gospel. Can you imagine how Paul, or my friend, could muster praises to worship the Lord while their bodies suffered so much pain. I believe Jesus gave them both the strength to endure all the trials they experienced; through each trial, their faith in Jesus proved to be truly genuine. (1 Peter 1:7) What a marvelous and beautiful relationship both Paul and my friend had with their Savior!

How do you or I handle suffering? I imagine Jesus saying to my friend, “well done, faithful servant”; she finished her race proving her faith was genuine. Her life represented the love of Christ Jesus to so many. She touched many lives by sharing Jesus with others.  Our time on earth is so precious.

Each of us was created for a purpose: to worship our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus, for giving us new life. We can share our faith and hope with others. Will you join me in sharing this amazing gift of grace so that others can know their Savior, Jesus Christ?  We live because Jesus lives in us!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 4:20-21)

Living for Him,