At the same time, for this friend, while she may have left
many who loved her behind there is one that she did not leave and one who
never left her, who was by her side most of her life, and that is her Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. It was by Him that all things came into being that came
into being (John 1:3). It was even our God that fashioned her (and us) and who
ordained all of the days of her life (and ours) (Psalm 139:14-16), and it was
Him to whom she stepped into the presence of for all of eternity (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
But what we have not addressed is the here and now—what about
right now? In Matthew 28:18-20, when Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples
He gave them (and us) a charge which was to go out into all of the world and
make disciples and that charge ended with a promise and an assurance which was,
“…lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20,
NASB95) He promised them that they would not be alone and neither are we. First
of all, Jesus is fully God, one with the Father and the Spirit, and as God he
is everywhere present all of the time. Secondly, for those who have trusted in
Him for their salvation (as did my friend) He is with them in a very special
way—abiding in them and them in Him. And third, when He physically left us to
return to the Father sitting at His right hand as our defender and our
intercessor, God sent the third person of His trinity—the Holy Spirit—to permanently
indwell all believers to equip, empower, and enlighten.
So what my friend is enjoying now
in full is just the culmination of a deep friendship with the King of kings
that was started here. And those who are close to her and who have the same
hope will hurt for a while, but then one day…!
“What is
more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want
to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing
in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” (Philippians 3:8–10)
“...But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward
the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b–14)
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (9/5)
I am your best friend, as well is your King. Walk hand in
hand with me through your life. Together we will face whatever each day brings:
pleasures, hardships, adventures, disappointment. Nothing is wasted when it is
shared with Me. I can bring beauty out of the ashes of lost dreams. I can glean
joy out of adversity. Only a Friend who is also the King of kings could
accomplish this divine alchemy. There is no other like Me!
The friendship I offer you is practical and down-to-earth,
yet it is saturated with heavenly Glory. Living in My Presence means living in
two realms simultaneously: the visible world and unseen, eternal reality. I
have equipped you to stay conscious of Me while walking along dusty, earthbound
paths.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his
life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No
longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My
Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13–15, NASB95)
“To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise
instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that He
may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3, NASB95)
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