When Death Becomes a Part of Life: A Word About Heaven

 


When Death Becomes A part of Life: 

When death becomes a part of life, it is accompanied by grief and a troubled heart. In John 14: 1-6, this is precisely what is going on as Jesus teaches His disciples, and us, 21 centuries later. In this sacred Word of God, that will sustain you and me during one of the hardest times in life, Jesus speaks clearly, dearly, with love, compassion and tenderness about Heaven. His disciples are troubled. They are afraid. They are confused. The Cross looms awesomely on their horizon, and their world feels like it's unraveling. It's kind of like we feel during times when our loved ones are going to leave us here or have already gone on to be with the Lord; nevertheless, into our storm of uncertainty, Jesus speaks peace and encourages us to achieve a Heavenly view.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid.
You believe in God. Believe also in me. 

The Place. The Relationship. The Heartbeat

Heaven, in this moment, is not just far-off paradise. It's a prepared place for prepared people who prepare by making Jesus the Lord of our lives. It's prepared by hands of the Son of God, and the Son of Man, and He knows you and me intimately. He knew those disciples up close and personally. He is not trying to help them by discussing Heaven as a place of golden streets or pearly gates, even though these are very real. He describes Heaven as "My Father's house." He declares, "In my Father's house are many custom-made dwellings." One of those dwellings is specifically prepared especially for each one of God's children. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, He says, "I go to prepare a place for you. If this were not true, would have I told you about this?" Indeed, your reservation is confirmed.

What makes Heaven so special, here, is our relationship with the Lord: It's the presence of Jesus, and the activity of Jesus, on our behalf, that really prepares the way to help us. And there is more: "I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Jesus will actually be the one who will escort us to this best place in all of God's Creation. This is the heartbeat of Heaven: Being with Jesus!

When Grief Comes

When our hearts are troubled -- by grief, by uncertainty, by the ache of longing -- Jesus reminds us that He is both "The Way" and the Welcome. He doesn't just point us toward Heaven; He walks us there Himself. As He lovingly shares, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; "therefore, let your heart rest in Jesus. Heaven is far more than a distant hope.  It is a God promise anchored in the Son of God who is waiting for you, child of God.  I hope you know Him. As death becomes a part of your life, all this is very good news for God's children.

SoJourner


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