December 5
Straight from the Pastor’s Heart by Dr.Hernes Abante
Revelation 4:10-11
The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
What excites you about heaven? Is it the street of gold or the pearly gates? As a musician, I imagine heaven as a place full of singing with angelic voices, participating in worshipping our wonderful God.
I am sure heaven is such a beautiful place. How much more the new heaven, the eternal destiny of those who are saved. We will be enthralled visiting and discovering many precious and amazing things we have not set our eyes on. Places not seen in this world. The whole universe will be our park and our playground. It will also be our divine sanctuary to praise and worship God continually.
We all long to see our final resting place and to enjoy what God has promised all of us. But unlike the Apostle Paul, his focus is not on the beauty of the place. It is not the riches, splendor, and glory of all things he feels excited to see. The most exciting for him is to see our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:23 - “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”
The beauty and the excitement about our eternal home is our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we rest our minds on the Savior, the place is not any more interesting than our Lord Jesus, who is the reason why we have heaven as our final home.
Apostle finds it more of a blessing to God if he remains to finish the work God gives him to do.
Philippians 1:24-26 - “Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. [25] And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; [26] That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”
If we want to thank Jesus, we must live for Him and finish the works that He tasked us to fulfill. Let us labor and serve God so heaven will be our final resting place. It is wonderful that the 24 elders, amidst the beauty of heaven, were more excited to see Jesus so they could place their crowns at His feet.
I remember, as a child, when our parents would take us to a fun place. As soon as we reach the place, our eyes are immediately set on the fun and the rides. We forget to thank our parents for bringing us there. Because of our excitement for the place, we forget that without our parents, we would not be there. Praise God, our parents were just happy that we were pleased. They did not mind being neglected.
That is how God is to His children. He allows us to enjoy even if we neglect His presence. He is our doting heavenly Father.
We can, however, decide to please Him in this life and to be able to thank Him in the life to come. It is time to start to be faithful here before we get so overwhelmed when we reach the splendor of heaven that we forget to praise Him. How?
We can begin by living and serving Him today to secure our rewards, the crowns God has promised us. No, not for us to wear and brag about them in heaven on how faithful we are. We want to receive the crowns to place at the feet of Jesus Christ to thank and praise Him for all His sacrifice and His love and goodness.
So that when we get to heaven, we have in our hands the crowns and proceed to His throne to thank, praise, and worship Him forever.
Our Prayer for today:
Lord, we admit that we oftentimes want to go to your place to rest and not suffer anymore. We lose sight of the opportunity you give us to make eternity an exciting place. Not because of what it offers but because You are there for us.
Help us, Lord, to be faithful in completing the works you gave us to complete. May our minds and hearts focus on you more as a person to see than the place to enjoy.
We want to receive the rewards to thank you. In Jesus Name. Amen!