Desire to Be With the Lord

Desire to Be With the Lord

Most of us want to put off death

And even Jesus our Lover prayed

“Father, do not take them out of the world but protect them”

Yet, God loves those who long for His appearing

The longing to see His appearing and be with Him forever

This is a reality check for all of us

Would you want to marry someone who, with all due respect, wants to stay at home with family and friends more than leave and be with you forever?

Paul says it this way

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body

Desire to Be With the Lord

Social media has changed the way we fall in love.

On line dating has opened the door for people to fall

in love with someone they never met face to face.

I have a friend, who before the internet,

wrote letters to a woman in another country.

They had never meet, but their letters over

the course of years drew their hearts closer.

The written words on paper put a longing in their hearts

to more than meet each other, but to marry.

This is the picture of the believer.

  

God so loved the world He sent His Word.

In the beginning was God’s Words of love

at the very creation of the first man and woman.

For 4000 years these Words of God came.

Than 2000 years ago the Words became flesh.

Men and women could see in bodily

form the love letters sent to them.

The flesh of Jesus Christ has not been seen

since He displayed loves ultimate sacrifice.

Paul says it this way…

We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body

and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him,

I am torn between the two:

I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far

As wonderful as Sandy’s family was

 and as wonderful as my family was,

 we both were so in love with each other

we were willing to leave family to spend

the rest of our lives with each other.

I can remember the longing

 I had for the wedding day.

For the believer, we love someone we have never seen.

We know Him by the words He has written to us.

Paul talks about his love for Christ being so great

he wanted to leave family and friends to be with Christ.

Just as a bride and a groom have to

die to a life of pleasing themselves…

The believer has to die physically to be with Christ.

In Jesus’ prayer for His disciple, He prayed…

 Father, do not take them out of the world, but protect them.

God has good reason for us to be in the world.

But the longing of Christ and the longing

of the believer should be to be together…

Face to Face

Heaven is wonderful where Jesus lives, much

better than the world we live in now.

Yet, the person who understands the words of love

He has written to us, will desire to be with

Christ far more than the glorious location.

No wonder the Words of God

describe the lovers of Christ as His Bride.

 Do we have the longing Paul talks about?

The longing to see His appearing

and be with Him forever.

This is a reality check for all of us.

Would you want to marry someone who, with all due respect,

 wants to stay at home with family and friends

more than leave and be with you forever?

Scripture Reading

                                                              2 Corinthians 5:6-10 NIV

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

                                                                       

Philippians 1:21-26 NIV

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.