Our Conversation In Heaven # 2

Our Conversation In Heaven # 2

But perhaps the thought that would help him most of all, is the thought of Jesus coming again. "For our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." We look for Him; we expect Him; we are waiting for Him. He said that He would return, and told us to watch for His coming. We do not know when He will come - but He will come. He has told us to be ready, so that when He comes, we may receive Him with joy. This is the position of the Christian on earth - waiting for his Lord.

We do not know when He will come, and we do not know how He will come. Some will be alive when He comes and will see Him appear in the clouds - some will have died before He comes. We do not know how it will be with us. He may come while yet we are living - or we may die before His coming; no one knows. But whether dead or living, all will see Him when He comes; for then the dead will rise to life again; nay, it is said, "the dead in Christ shall rise first." Besides, when the believer dies, his soul goes to be with Jesus; so that death is to him, in one sense, the coming of the Lord, the coming to take him home to rest; as Jesus Himself said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

Now it is plain that to be thus looking for the coming of the Lord - must have a great effect on a man's character and life. It must keep him from living in sin or in carelessness. It must make him watchful, diligent, and in earnest. It must lead him to draw off his affections from the world - and to fix them upon eternal realities. It must tend greatly to a spiritual mind. And this seems, in fact, to be just what our Lord meant when He said, "Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let Him in the moment He arrives and knocks."

Thinking of Him, looking for Him, wishing for Him, doing His will, engaged in His work - this is what Jesus would have us to do and be. Lord, make us so more and more! Teach us to have our conduct in Heaven! Teach us to look for You, dressed for service and our lamps burning!"

But our body, there is something said at the end about that. It is called "our vile body" - that means a poor, weak, sinful body. And so it is indeed. It is subject to pain and sickness - and it has many weaknesses. How can such a body live forever? How can this "vile body" dwell in that heavenly home? It will not be a vile body then. It is to be changed! The Lord Jesus Christ will change it when He comes. He Himself has a glorious body now, no longer subject to pain and hunger and fatigue, as when He was upon earth. And He will change our bodies, so as to be like His glorious body! Then we too shall have bodies without weakness, sickness, or pain - glorious and immortal bodies, able to live forever in happiness!

When we think of our present bodies, with all their infirmities, we are ready to ask, "How can this be?" Jesus will do it! He who died for us overcame death for us - rescued us from the power of satan. He who is able even to subdue all things unto Himself, He will do this for us too. He, by His mighty working, will change our vile body into a glorious body; and then He will take us to be with Him forever!

All glory be to His name, the First and the Last, the Author and Finisher of our faith - who lives and was dead and is alive for evermore!

He redeemed us by His blood!
He called us by His grace!
He is present with us by His Spirit even now!
He will come again!
He will change us into His own likeness!
He will take us to Himself!

"And so shall we be forever with the Lord!

All glory to His Name!

~Francis Bourdillon~

(The End)