Fear Not: The Kingdom Is At Hand

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3 KJV)

Yesterday, I attended the memorial service for a very lovely and faithful woman. She was quite elderly. Her hope lay in the promise to be received into the heavenly Kingdom as she passed through the gateway called death. 

She is indeed dead to this world. But, in Christ, death has no power over us. All who believe that our Lord Jesus died so that we might be reconciled to God our Father for all of eternity have this hope.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8:38-39) 

As we look for that day when we see God face to face with our own eyes, let us also remember that God is with us now as well. There is no sense in waiting to be reconciled to Him, to be in a relationship with him. The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is at hand today! 

As I listened to the sermon yesterday, my mind wandered to the life of Brother Lawrence and his endeavors to practice the presence of God in his daily life. We lie and cheat ourselves when we look to those mansions Jesus spoke about as a gift after death for good works we think that we may have done here on earth. We cheat ourselves out of the Kingdom both now and for all eternity.

We walk in Christ Jesus only by faith in the one who died for us; today, tomorrow, and for all eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J.