We’ve been gone from home for the last 7 days and although we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mom it will be so good to pull into our own driveway and sleep in our own bed.
With that said, it got me to thinking about Jesus this morning. His home was perfect – a beautiful place; a place where He and the Father enjoyed constant companionship, a place of worship, a place of glory. Jesus left that for you and I.
The song lyrics go
“He left the splendor of heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
There to lay down His life for me
If that isn’t Love
The ocean is dry
There’s no stars in the sky
And the sparrow can’t fly
If that isn’t Love
Then heaven’s a myth
There’s no feeling like this
If that isn’t love
Even in death He remembered
The thief hanging by His side
He spoke with love and compassion
Then He took him to paradise
If that isn’t Love
The ocean is dry
There’s no stars in the sky
And the sparrow can’t fly
If that isn’t Love
Then heaven’s a myth
There’s no feeling like this
If that isn’t love”
If That Isn’t Love by Dottie Rambo
Never once did you hear Jesus complain about what He had given up, what He had left behind. Instead He continually looked around finding needs, meeting them; healing the sick, ministering to the poor, giving comfort to those who grieved and strength to those who were weak. He had a purpose, a plan, a provision of salvation to bring and He wasn’t going to stop until it was mission accomplished.
We are instructed by the writer of the book of Hebrews to keep our eyes on Jesus (imagine that, look up) and follow His example.
“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne. 3 Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying.” Hebrews 12:2-3
He looked beyond the struggle and saw the joy that was before Him. He looked toward home. Can you imagine what the celebration must have been like when Jesus got back to heaven?! What rejoicing – what a party!! And now that He’s there, He’s preparing a place for us.
Let me encourage you today to look past the things that are trying to get you down – finances, jobs, health, marriage, relationships, politics, etc and look toward Jesus and home.
You’ll make it and you just won’t go limping into heaven but you’ll go like Jesus, in victory because He has promised that He will ALWAYS cause us to triumph if we look to Him and put our trust in Him and not in our circumstances.
Welcome Home!