Of course his statement on God's time is correct. Regardless of what I do here in this life, my life won't end until He's ready. So what's wrong with being eager? What's wrong with having an overwhelming desire to be there now? If we're honest with ourselves; not having that desire should cause us some alarm. A desire for His promise of no more death, or sickness, or pain. It's not hard to look around at the decline of this world and wish and yearn for something better. Something Heavenly.
So why do so many want to go to heaven but just not now? One word: FEAR! Fear of leaving people behind. A fear of leaving a life of comfort behind. A fear of possibly the unknown. If we have true faith, should there really be any fear in death? Or should death be the goal. In fact Jesus and His disciples spoke on dying quite a lot. Philippians 1:21-23 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Here Paul states that for him to live in Christ will be fruitful labor, yet his desire is to die and be with Christ for that would be far greater.
Charles Spurgeon said, Depend upon it, your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known! Your last moment will be your richest moment, better than the day of your birth will be the day of your death. It shall be the beginning of heaven, the rising of a sun that shall go no more down forever! Solomon the son of David wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume and the day of death better than the day of birth. Now how could people desire death so much? Simply because they had no fear. Or in other words, through the grace of Christ there is no need to fear death!
We found out today that my uncle passed away. When I asked about arrangements I was told there will be none. He simply requested nothing. At first I could not understand why there would not be some form of memorial. I was told that he only had a handful of people that even really knew him. I'm happy to say I was one of those. I don't think my parents were even aware that we had talked on many occasions. My uncle had many questions on Christ and The Scriptures over the last couple of years. I have no fear or doubt that we will talk again one day.
But the fact of having so few to mourn, or lift up praises over him still bothered me. This has been my fear for sometime. The fear that when I'm called home, there will only be a handful that remember me. Then as our gracious Father often does, He spoke to me. He reminded me that when He was dying on the cross, there were only a handful of people there to mourn him. His devout followers had all scattered in fear. It was a humble death. To the world so few brings sadness and emotions of feeling sorry for him. To me the few and his request shows me a lack of fear for what this world wants, and his desire to just go home.
Transitions are always difficult. It is hard to hear the Spirit tell us to leave a familiar place where we have once seen Him work, and to go to another place of which we know little. In this hour it is also greatly difficult for many to leave the sheltering arms of Babylon when they have known nothing else. Many are torn about leaving, especially when they see so many of those they have known saying that things are still fine in Babylon and that they have no intention of packing up and heeding the call to come out. The enemy seeks to defeat those who would set their face toward Zion. If he cannot frighten them from taking this road, he will seek to waylay them and in some means keep them from their destination. He would also seek to get these pilgrims to become wearied of the way and confused about their actual destination, to blur their vision of where they are going, that he might turn them back to what is familiar.
Fear of change and fear of where God wants us to go can be a powerful tool in the enemies arsenal.
We fear what we can't see or understand. It's easier to stay in our bubble of comfort than to venture out into the unknown. Christians have no reason to fear death. God has promised wonderful things after death for those who believe in Him. One of my favorite verses come to mind, it's in Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing in this world or the world we can't see; not even death can keep us from the love of Christ.
Mathew Henry once said, “He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave.”
Don't let fear run your life. Embrace death; because in dying, you gain eternal life in Christ.
May You Be Blessed With Peace And Understanding
