Skip to main content

Who Do You Want To See?

 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  (Psalm 73:25-26)

But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” (II Samuel 12:23)

          Some people like to post question on social media like, “Who will be the first person you look for in heaven?” And while I have a list of people I’d like to see, and a bigger list of people I’d like to meet, there are verses like Psalm 73:25-26, which came up as the verse of the day on Biblegateway.com. Part of me looks at the part of me with the list and says, “Hey! Heaven is about God!”

          Most people would probably say, “Well, yeah. Of course, God, but He’s a given who doesn’t need to be mentioned.” They might quote II Samuel 12:23 as their justification. David clearly considered meeting his son in heaven. So it’s OK to look forward to God and the people who have gone before us.

          I agree. But I think the point is that our longing for heaven should be a LONGING FOR GOD and a longing for those who have gone before. If we love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, we shouldn’t fail to mention Him because He’s a given. He is our first, second, third, and fourth through ninety-nineth reason for heaven. All those who have gone before that we want to be with are reason 100.

            This may be coming to mind in part because I’m starting to wind things down at Hillcrest and starting to think about Erie. Shifting between the two tends to unsettle me. It’s like I’m coming up to New Year’s Day or my birthday and have to set goals for the coming year – but it’s only 6 months long (and only a month between when I get home and when I need to have my goals set for my near year in terms of age.) One of the issues that tends to rear its ugly head when I am preparing for shifts is how much a failure I am in terms of my relationship with God, in terms of my relationship with other people, etc. And, of course, that means troubles with definitions.

            Do I really love God? Do I actually trust Him? Am I being obedient? A song that is coming to mind often lately is Jesus Take Me As I Am. But as much as it seems to be my song at the moment, it doesn’t mean that I -or we – should kick back and make it a command. It’s a plea.

            And so my prayer is that God will reveal Himself in a way that causes me to fall in love with Him, even if I don’t identify it as falling in love, and in a way that causes me to trust Him even if I don’t see it. I long to look at going to heaven as being all about God, and, oh yeah, those other folks, instead of those other folks and oh, yeah, God. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more