Heaven

Dearest Ones,
 
Would you like to live your life completely free from pain, problems, suffering and death?  Well, guess what.  Those of us who have a faith in Jesus Christ will get to live that way - it's called heaven.  Ask yourself a question:  if you were living in a problem-free, suffering-free world, how anxious would you be for heaven?  One of the purposes of suffering and death is to make us long for heaven.  If you were always young, slim, great looking, healthy and wealthy, how much would you actually look forward to God taking you home?
 
Yet for the Christian, the more spiritually mature we become, the more beautiful heaven is to us.  Those who know God the best are those who long to be with Him the most.  St. Paul puts it this way:
 
"For we know that if this tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, forever in heaven.  We long to live in our heavenly home."  -2 Corinthians 5:1-2.
 
If the Lord wants me in heaven with Him, I'm ready to go.  The more I find out about this incredible place, the more I want to be there.  I know many who long to be there.  What makes them want to be there?  Suffering.  Suffering takes many forms - emotional, spiritual or physical.  Whatever your idea of suffering may be, it is often that very suffering that may bring you to the place in your life where you can say, "Take me, Lord, I long to be with You at last."
 
The Lord has promised all kinds of rewards in heaven.  It won't be that others will be waiting on us all day long, because there is no selfishness or greed in heaven.  Heaven will be our home.  We won't live there as guests, but with all the privileges of family members because we are children of the Master of the house.  "Eye has not seen nor ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love Him."   -1 Cor.2:9.   You are His beloved child!
 
After death, we become immortal, which means we can't die.  We must go somewhere.  Heaven and hell do exist.  God told us that in the Bible.  Someone didn't just make it up.  It would be nice if we didn't believe it, especially those who don't believe in God, that it was not true - but it is true.  
 
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  -John 3:16.  This is just one of the many passages in the Bible regarding eternal life.  There are only two possible responses to Jesus Christ - we can either embrace Him or reject Him - we can't be neutral. We can't be half-way Christians.  God told us in Revelation how He feels about that:  "Would that you were for me or against me, but because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth."   (Ouch!!  That's pretty bad!)  If we aren't for Him, we are against Him.  
 
Death is like changing our address from earth to heaven.  Death would hold nothing but emptiness and horror if it were not for heaven.  It would be nice if all we had to do was to believe in heaven and we would go there.  But Jesus says in Matthew 7:13 that is not true:  "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter the wide gate are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to heaven, and few there are that find it."
  
I sure don't want to scare you at all.  That is not my purpose in writing this.  How can you be sure you are on the right road?  We have the words of Jesus:  "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  -John 14-6.  He didn't make it hard - it is very simple. There's no room for doubt.  He is the gate.  There is no other way.   I want so very much to see you all in heaven!!  How wonderful if you and I could bring just one soul to heaven for all eternity, by telling them about Jesus!
 
My love and prayers,
Sister Francelle