With a smile, I remarked to a friend - "When you solve one set of problems, a whole new set appears requiring attention." She laughed, a knowing chuckle, for she knew exactly what I was talking about. Is that your experience, too? Remember the angst of the teen years, the struggle with a sense of identity, the work at finding your place in this world. Then came college and calling. Along with getting established in the working world, most of were working at building a good marriage. Oh, yes, let's not forget the job changes, the financial decisions made along the way. For a few years, when in my mid-40's, I was certain that once our kids were on their own and I was approaching 50, life would settle down. I was wrong! The challenges are still there, just different. But, there is coming a day when all will change, really!
I found myself humming an old spiritual this morning. It says,
I got a crown up in'a that Kingdom, Ain'ta that'a good news?
I got a crown up in'a that Kingdom, Ain'ta that'a good news?
I'm gonna lay down this world- Gonna shoulder up my Cross -
Gonna take it home to my Jesus, Ain'ta that'a good news?
As he came to the end of his life, waiting execution at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Paul sent these words to his protégé, Timothy. They are not the words of a man broken by his life, despite the challenges he dealt with day after day for decades! They are the sounds of man who is about to realize his dream. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return." (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NLT) Ain'ta that good news? We really will find rest beyond the river!
Heaven is not a 'pie the sky, by and by' doctrine. It is our hope, that which keeps us faithful as those multiple challenges come our way. After teaching about the certainty of the Resurrection of Christ and therefore the certainty of our own eternal life, Paul concludes - "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV) We need to think about Heaven often, not in an escapist way, but in a hopeful way. We need to let the promise of a crown in that Kingdom cause us to press on when we are so tired that we just want to lay down and sleep for days.
The truth is, it won't be so long until we are home! Does that frighten you? It should not, IF you're living with Christ as Savior and Lord today. I realized just how quickly life moves along when I received an email from a person that was part of a church I pastored back in 1991. She had found my email address and wrote to express her appreciation for the teaching and counsel I provided for her during a time of difficult transitions. As I read her words, the years fell away and I was there, in that little church in New England again, just for a few moments. Her affirmation of God's work being done through me was a pleasant reminder that being faithful to wrestle with the challenges creates a reward. Then, in my reverie, I faced the other direction, and wondered what kind of email I might be reading in 2021! If the next 15 years pass as quickly as the previous ones did, it will happen in a flash. May I be faithful, drawn on by the promise of a 'crown up in'a that Kingdom!'
Here's wisdom to take with you today -
"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom...
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:12, 17, NKJV)
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