Philippians 3:20-21 ESV, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
As Christians, we should keep our focus on things above. In the New Testament, James explains that life is like a vapor (James 4:14). Despite our lives being a vapor, there’s so much to do while waiting for Jesus’s return. The way you choose to fill your days and spend your time will reflect how much you value Jesus, his sacrifice, and his command to make disciples.
Although we may acknowledge God’s intent is for us to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father, our struggles on earth often overtake our attention. Scripture assures Christians; they are already part of his family and have a place at his table. We should then make sure we live in such a way that demonstrates we are part of God’s family, which should drive our behaviors and responses to earthly experiences.
The body we now inhabit will be glorified one by the Lord Jesus. Our bodies are now prone to diseases and the other effects of sinfulness, including death. In heaven with glorified bodies disease and the effects of the Fall will be no more because we will be with the Lord and completely like Him. Jesus was the firstborn of the resurrection. It is in his death and resurrection in which we place our hope through faith that he will return to earth and take us with him to heaven.
Jesus is able to do this because he is the ultimate authority over life and death. He has fought the enemy and won the battle over death, therefore we have no fear because “to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8 KJV) means we will die, and faith will be turned to sight by entering immediately upon death into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
At death, we close our eyes to the things of the earth, and our eyes are opened to view God’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven clearly. Do you live in a way that demonstrates that this truth is the most incredible and real ending to your earthly life?
Laura Hancock lives in Newport News, VA and serves at Coastal Community Church in Yorktown, VA. She teaches U.S. History to 7th graders at Tabb Middle School. She holds a master’s degree in Church Ministry and Discipleship from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a master’s in Secondary Education. She shares her life with her husband, Travis, and their dog, Buddy.
