Moving Up
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8
Recently my first pastor and friend went home to be with the Lord. He taught in our college and career group slowly through the book of John in my early Christian life. How Jesus’ words were real, living and applicable. During that time, I truly fell in love with Jesus. I think of those times often and smile. My pastor certainly exemplified 2 Timothy 4:7 by fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith. He was very influential to my faith, full of joy and laughing a lot.
Although many of us, family and friends, are mourning this loss, we also celebrate that he is face-to-face with Jesus. That’s very exciting and an encouraging thought.
Life is fragile and we never know when God will call us home. As I’m getting older, I know we need to get our affairs in order, especially the storage mess I don’t want to leave for my children. It’s overwhelming where to start.
What other messes do I have with relationships or other circumstances? I read a verse today in Proverbs 20:27 AMP: “The spirit (conscience) of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching and examining all the innermost parts of his being”. This encourages me to allow the Lord to search those hidden parts allowing the Word to penetrate and the Holy Spirit to bring to mind anything out of order that needs to be dealt with. Peace goes before us as the Lord leads, and we rest in His grace as we walk in obedience. I can be assured when He calls me home, there’s no worries—only joy and celebration. I want to be able to say (and others to say too) that “I fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith” and for my Lord to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21).
Life here isn’t always easy, but it can be joyful in whatever we’re doing or going through with the confidence of knowing the Lord is working His good for us and our families. Proverbs 20:7 AMP says: “The righteous man walks in integrity…how blessed (happy and spiritually secure) are his children after him!” When a person (of faith) goes home to be with the Lord, sure we miss them, but we can smile knowing they are whole and very blessed in the Lord’s presence. We hang on to the valuable memories and words of wisdom that they shared that made our lives richer.
Dear Lord, help us to be mindful to walk in integrity, to bless others, laugh often and share Your Love because You will call us home at Your perfect time, and we want to be ready, looking forward to seeing You face-to-face!
Amen!!!
One of my friends, senior saint, and mentor recently suffered a stroke. It is so hard to see this strong woman suddenly weak and not able to do all that she wants. The silver lining is knowing she is closer to being able to see her Savior and friend, Jesus.
“Peace goes before us as the Lord leads, and we rest in His grace as we walk in obedience.” I appreciate the way you express this, and the timely reminder to not leave conflict un-dealt with. Thank you for sharing.