Anticipation

In about an hour from the time I’m writing this, my daughter and three granddaughters will arrive for a visit. And I can hardly wait to see them!

It’s been six months since I last saw them at their home in another state. I want to hold them in my arms, to see how they’ve grown and to just plain love them.

My wife and I have been planning things to do and places to go with them since we first heard they were coming. We haven’t told them all our plans yet. It’s going to be a surprise!

Of course it’s nothing compared to the anticipation God must have or the things he has planned for his family!

“Now hold on just a minute! God has grandchildren?”

No, according to the Bible, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. But all who come to him through Jesus Christ become his children. And he’s looking forward to our homecoming.

The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” So through faith in Jesus Christ, everyone can become a part of God’s forever family.

And he’s looking forward to the day we’re with him in Heaven! How do I know? Because the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his holy ones [believers].”

Now that may strike you as odd because we look at death as a separation from our loved ones. But from God’s perspective, when one of his children dies, he or she is coming home. And I imagine that he’s just as delighted as we are when our children come home at Thanksgiving!

God also has some surprises planned and exciting things for us to do. People who imagine Heaven as clouds, harps and lounging around must not have read their Bibles!

The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” It’s wonderful beyond words!

Someone once said, “Don’t miss Heaven for the world!” Let’s face it—it’s too easy to let what Jesus called “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” make us so selfish that we’re no good for serving the God of Heaven. Don’t let that happen to you.

I wonder—is God looking forward to your homecoming in Heaven with anticipation and delight? Or is he hoping that you’ll finally see the light and start following him before it’s forever too late?

The Bible says, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It also warns us: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Has God been trying to get your attention? Sometimes he speaks through the words of a concerned friend. Other times it may be through a crisis.

One reason our lives can be such messes is because God is patient with us. He lets the consequences follow our bad decisions. He hopes we’ll learn something and turn back to him.

Here’s advice from the prophet Isaiah: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

If you do that, one day God will have a “Welcome Home” party planned just for you.

Now don’t get me wrong. I want to live my life here as long as God allows. But when my time comes, I’m ready to go. The Bible says, “To depart and be with Christ…is better by far.”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!