Another birthday is on the horizon, and it occurs to me that every year that passes means I am one year closer to heaven. It’s not that I’m looking forward to death; I’m looking beyond it. Because as certainly as Jesus demonstrated there is life beyond the grave by His own resurrection, there is a resurrection awaiting all of us.
My dream greeting from the Lord when we meet – with all due respect to the Scriptures – is not, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Honestly, that feels a little too sterile to me. Instead, I would prefer something like, “Dan!!! My brother! My friend! Come here, man!” But whatever the Lord chooses to say, I am filled with joy as I anticipate that day.
I do recall a time in my life when the prospect of meeting Jesus was not a joyful one, but one of uncertainty at best and sheer terror at worst. All of that has changed as my understanding of why Jesus came to earth in the first place has grown. He came to love me, not to judge me. He came to offer me a personal relationship with Himself as I navigate this life, and when it is over, a guarantee I will stand in His presence blameless with great joy (Jude 24). To receive all of this, all I had to do was say “Yes” to Him. That is all anyone has to do.
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