Pauls Footsteps #434

“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” 2 Tim 4:6-9 NLT 

Footsteps #434. What a beautiful verse! Even at the end of his life, Paul knew that his righteousness was still in heaven. Notice how he also knew that his “crown” would be given to him at the second coming of Jesus (V8). Paul was looking up not around. Wandering this evil world as an exile, he long to be with Christ. He knew that he had already obtained heaven as a gift and not by his own efforts. He knew that all the righteous would be gathered, not from one land only, but from all lands, not from one age only, but from all ages. He longed for the great harvest – the time of the longed-for procession where the angels shout the harvest home (Psalm 24) and the orchestra of heaven sound out in a joyous concert. This is the song before unheard, unknown in the universe – the song of the redeemed. This song will add its thrilling notes of rapture and melody to the universal jubilee resounding throughout the cosmos. 

Like Job, Paul cried out for the presence of God. Like David, he wasn’t satisfied till he awakened in His likeness. In this mortal condition we all groan. We all wait for the redemption that the resurrection brings. Our eyes are open for its vision, our ears are waiting to catch the sounds of the heavenly music, our hearts are beating in anticipation of its infinite joy. 

Have you ever asked yourself, “What is heaven anyway?” For us, even the reality of heaven has been surrounded by a certain unreality, as men have sought its description. I remember commenting to my wife many years ago when we watched Avatar the movie, that if a human mind could conceive such beauty in animation, imagine what heaven will actually be like. Amid all the descriptions and foreshadowing of heaven, even in scripture, Paul has the one answer that surpasses them all, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1Cor 2:9 NLT 

Most people long for heaven, or what it means – eternal life – but most are not willing to pay the price. Man by instinct knows God (Eccl.3:11) and longs for the good things that man once had before the fall in Eden. The longing for God and eternity, that man once had, is innate to his being because it is something that we did once have. It is like a man’s love for a women and love by definition, seeks to enjoy its object.  

Humanity was made to live in a perfect environment and breathe the good air of nature, but what we now breathe is an obscure compound of acids and coal tars. We have been created for a living environment, but instead, we live in a lunar world of stone, concrete, asphalt, glass, cast iron and steel. Our trees wilt and blanch among sterile stone facades. 

Humanity is ill at ease in this environment and the tension demanded of us weighs heavily on our time and nerves, our lives and our being. We try to escape but are drawn towards a world of dreams and fantasy, a world of enterprise and entertainment. We are the slaves of life and we drag our shackles with us from day to day, while life, like water, runs through our fingers.

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