And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:3-5
This past week, I attended a funeral to celebrate the life of a dear saint of our church. Marge was (is) a woman of deep faith, full of grace, kindness, and spunk. For all the years I pastored and now attend my church, she is one of my favs.
During the visitation time, I talked with another saint of the church. We spoke of many things including the heavenly homecoming of Marge which is something she herself will experience sooner than later. As we spoke, the tears moistened her eyes as they gazed 'beyond the veil" and a confident smile came across her face. She was given a glimpse of the eternal gift that Jesus sacrificed for her. It was a holy moment to share with her.
There's an old saying to not be "so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good." I get the point of not longing for heaven so much that you ignore the purpose of your days here on earth. To be more about the Lord's work than sitting on the sidelines of life while you await your call home. Yet, I would contend that we must be heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.
We must live our lives with Heaven in our view. The beauty of Heaven in the presence of God and shared with all the believers gone before us will inspire, encourage, and properly motivate our daily living here on earth. Certainly not to gain our place there, because Jesus has sacrificially taken care of that on our behalf. Rather, to give focus, clarity, and purpose to our Kingdom life now. Eternity is now! Living for the Glory of God, loving Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and our neighbor (Mark 12:30-31) is now!
As you worship God this Sunday with your brothers and sisters in Christ, gaze forward to the glories of Heaven and draw strength and inspiration from all that awaits that you may be a compelling witness and Kingdom worker in the here and now!