These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that
you may know that you have eternal life.
Preparing for heaven
really is a big deal. People of faith
since the beginning of time have been talking about where life comes from and
what happens after death. There are many
different thoughts on these topics, but I believe that what God tells us in the
Bible is truth.
By taking the Bible
at its word and as foundation we have to know that God intends for us to live
with Him here on earth and in heaven. He
has given us truth to prepare us for our eternal home. As the old hymn says, “this world is not my
home; I’m just passing through.” God is
preparing a place for us.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would
have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
The death of my mom
this past weekend has brought much my may.
I have had to spend time thinking about death, about salvation and about
the after life. One friend asked me a very
hard question; do I believe what I have been preaching for the last 25
years? The answer is overwhelming YES.
My mom was moved to
a hospice home a few days before she passed away. This home employs skilled caregivers that
have the skills to help people prepare for death. This is a difficult subject to talk about,
and it is even more difficult to prepare for.
I stood in the
hallway of the hospice house a day or so after arrived and began to think about
the 10 people who are in the house and their families. Each has been given a diagnosis that they
have less than 30 days to live. That is
tough to hear and even tougher to prepare for.
Two days before my
mom took her last breath she talked about getting on a train. She told us she was headed to heaven on this
train. In death people have seen or
experienced many different things, and this experience is similar to what
others have shared. Mom was prepared for
her journey that came through death, and our family is grateful that she
boarded the train for heaven through her faith in Jesus!
My question is: how
do you deal with death without some kind of hope. I believe with all that I am that God gives
us real hope. We can share our stories,
our hope and our God with those we are around.
That sharing is not to be judgmental or to demonize any other
thoughts. In fact one of the best ways
to share our hope is to allow other people to see how we deal with death,
difficult situations and the unknown.
When we can smile at
stress, we know there is something else we are relying on. When we can face death with peace, our hope
is in something far different than human wisdom.
Our hope is in
God. I believe in His promises. What a blessing it is to know that my mom
believed and I believe that heaven is real and prepared. Now, we can prepare.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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