“We live unto the Lord.” (Romans 14:8)

If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. It is not absolutely necessary for our preparation for immortality that we should tarry here. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven, and to be found to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, though he has but just believed in Jesus.

It is true that our sanctification is a long and continued process, and we shall not be perfected till we lay aside our bodies and enter within the veil; nevertheless, had the Lord so willed it, He might have changed us from imperfection to perfection, and have taken us to heaven at once.

Why then are we here? Would God keep His children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? Why is the army of the living God still on the battlefield when one charge might give them the victory? Why are His children still wandering here and there through a maze, when a single word from His lips would bring them into the center of their hopes in heaven?

The answer is this: they are here that they may “live unto the Lord” and may bring others to know His love.

Because Christ has risen from the dead, believers do not merely wait for heaven. They live now in the power and hope of the risen Savior. The resurrection shapes how Christians endure suffering, pursue holiness, serve faithfully, and proclaim the gospel while awaiting the life to come.

We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed, as plowmen to break up the fallow ground, and as heralds publishing salvation. We are here as the “salt of the earth” to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him and as “workers together with Him.”

Let us see that our life answers its end. Let us live earnest, useful, holy lives, to “the praise of the glory of His grace.”

The resurrection of Christ reminds believers that our labor for the Lord is never meaningless. Because Jesus lives, Christians can serve faithfully, endure hardship, pursue holiness, and proclaim the gospel with confidence. We are not waiting aimlessly for heaven. We are living now under the lordship of the risen Christ while anticipating the day we will see Him face to face.

Meanwhile, we long to be with Him, and daily sing:

“My heart is with Him on His throne,
And ill can brook delay;
Each moment listening for the voice,
‘Rise up, and come away.’”

For more from our latest series please visit here or at our YouTube.