Sean, my son, is able to fly at reduced rates because his father-in-law is a pilot with a major air carrier. It's one of those nice perks, except for one thing; it's stand-by. That means he cannot make a confirmed reservation and can only get on a flight if there is a seat available at the last moment. Much of the time, that's not a problem. In peak travel seasons and on busy routes, it can be. Today, he had hoped to fly home, albeit on a circuitous route, but when he checked the flight status this morning, every flight was status 'red' meaning they were already oversold with the likelihood of getting on board near zero. Young as he is, stand-by flying is somewhat of an adventure. But it is not for me! When I go to the airport, I want to be assured of a seat on that plane.
I know a lot of people who think they're going to enjoy eternal life on a stand-by basis. They make no advance reservations, pay little attention to their spiritual life, they think they will appear at the gates of Glory and hope they will get in on a space available basis! What an awful way to think about eternity. The stakes are too high for 'hope so, could be' thinking. No wonder so many fear death with such intense dread. Death for me holds no terrors. Sure, I'm not exactly gleeful over the process of dying, but once the transit from earth to glory is made, I have no fear. Why? Because, I have a confirmed reservation, purchased by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made available to me by His amazing grace. Like Paul, I can say, "I know in Whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I've entrusted to Him..."
The Word makes this promise to those who live in faith - "So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever." (Hebrews 9:11-12, NLT)
That is a wonderful phrase - "He secured our salvation forever!" You and I can enter into eternal life, right here, right now. We don't have to wait to die to see if there is room in the Father's house for us. We need not be anxious about our inevitable trip beyond the skies. He, at His own expense, purchased our salvation and gives us life, eternal and full! The ticket is issued, paid in full.
As I've just mentioned, salvation is not just about 'getting into Heaven.' Some mistakenly think that praying a prayer to receive Christ, a prayer affirming their hope in Him, is the whole thing wrapped up and done in one little package. Wrong! Being 'saved' is as much about how we live now as it is about going to Heaven. When Christ saves us from sin and the penalty of death and Hell, He gives us a high and holy calling to become Kingdom people, responsible for extending the reign of God here on earth. We are commissioned to 'go into all the world' and preach - both with words and actions - the goodness of God. Like Abraham of old, we realize that we are looking forward to a city not built with human hands, and we begin to live differently, focused on the values of Heaven, even as we live here on earth.
I want to be one of those Believers who brings a little bit of Heaven down to earth, don't you? I want people to sense the Presence of God in me, to catch a bit of the fragrance of Heaven when I pass by. And, as I walk in the Spirit, with a heart that is already at home in God's house, with a mind that is filled with the wisdom of Heaven, that will happen.
Here's a word from the Word for you today. Believe it and live!
"... because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God." (Ephesians 1:11-14, NLT)
Got your ticket? If not, confirm your reservation for Heaven today, right now.
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