Words of encouragement from Sister Hope (Alias Becky Lucas) ...
Remember The Wizard of Oz – the ruby slippers, those ugly flying monkeys, and of course, Dorothy’s words: “There’s no place like home!” Oz was a special place, but what Dorothy really longed for was Kansas… home. That phrase was going through my mind one day when I was journaling about Heaven. Before your mind questions the stability of mine, consider this:
The author of Hebrews 11 tells the story of many who could have said that same phrase. These saints confessed that the place they were in was not Home. Their lives revealed that they were seeking their Homeland. They did not have a yellow brick road to follow, but they faithfully aimed for their destination.
Life here can be hard, but it can also be pretty special. Take a walk down a country road with your family at sunset and you will be reminded of the blessings we have on this earth. But as lovely as it can be here, we can’t allow our eyes to be fixated on this life and the “comfyness” we feel here. I love how C.S. Lewis puts it: “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.”
The saints of Hebrews 11 didn’t invest much in their present life because they knew God had prepared for them something far better. They understood what Paul said about the glories of their true Home: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9). They didn’t want to stay in “Oz.”
For us it is much easier to say “There’s no place like home” than to live it. Dorothy actually had it pretty easy, didn’t she? Just say it and click those ruby slippers! How will you respond differently today to your husband? children? co-workers? because you are on the road Home? Do the daily choices you make reflect a longing for your true Home or a heart bound to “Oz”? THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
Do we truly know that we will be granted entrance into heaven? This has been a question that has been on my heart and mind this week during my bible study “homework”. The scripture that spoke to me while studying follows:
ReplyDeleteMake every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Peter 1:5-8
This opened up to me to follow these steps while I continue my time on this earth, so that I may have a life blessed on the new earth that is yet to come. I made myself a card with these verses to use as a daily reminder. Ladies, we are so fortunate to have the opportunity before us in this bible study to learn and grow together in the understanding of what God has in store for us......
Cristy, your question makes me think of what Paul said in 2 Cor. 5: 8---'We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord'. If we're born again, we belong to Jesus and will be with Him in heaven the moment our souls and spirits leave our bodies. He's made a special place just for Cristy Tarbutton!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a question I've had since the beginning of this study, Becky.
ReplyDeleteIf we are supposed to think about Heaven all the time, and given that we won't really have our family unit in Heaven (we'll all be one family, right? And Lonnie won't be my "husband"), where does my family fit in right now? I have to (and want to) do the day-to-day taking care of Corbyn and Lonnie and not just let my mind focus on the eternal constantly. It's a nice thought, but can we really, truly have our minds on Heaven and disregard the rest here on earth?
Another question I have is: What if I don't really want the "glory of God" and treasures and riches and to be a king (queen) and reign and have a mansion. Am I supposed to want those things? What about giving God all the glory and Him having all the authority? What about being humble? I'm sure Mother Teresa didn't look forward to living in a huge mansion when she went to Heaven. I'm sure it was more about being close to God. So, is that what is meant by having a place made for us? To be close to God in His dwelling place?
These 2 studies we are going through are very good and very thought-provoking. I just wish we had time to discuss them face-to-face with our groups.