Prepare for Your Resurrection
Hi, I’m Joni with wisdom from the mouth of a babe.
Last month, my dear friend Francie lost her 96-year-old mother, Ruth. Ruth was one sprightly woman, all the way up to the end of her life on earth. At her age, she was still shopping at Chico’s and never went out of the house without dressing up. But she sure did love Jesus. And I can’t help but smile thinking of Francie’s mother now in heaven. ’Cause every time I was with Ruth, we’d sing hymns. She seemed to know all the ones by Fanny Crosby, especially “Face to Face with Christ, My Savior.” I love that. Ruth had more than a few great-grandchildren to delight in, including five-year-old twins, Luke and Lawson. On the morning of Ruth’s funeral, as the family gathered on the grassy hillside for the graveside service, Francie sat on the front row, gazing at her mother’s coffin. It was cold, and so she lifted her grandson, Luke, up onto her lap. It was a lengthy service, and this tired little boy laid his head against her chest, staring at the coffin. And finally, after a while, he leaned up toward Francie’s ear and whispered, “When is Grammy coming out?”
Well, the moment was so endearing to Francie, but it was also a powerful statement of fact. One day, Grammy’s gonna have a coming-out party. When might that be? Well, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says it might be sooner than you think: “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” Some day Ruth’s grave on that grassy hillside will split open, and Grammy’s body will reunite with her spirit. And not just Grammy, but you, if you know Christ as Savior and Lord. It’s your story, too. And I know it sounds unreal – like, you know, your body splitting open your grave; it’s hard to imagine; it’s hard to conceive. And it’s probably why Jesus said in John chapter 5, “Do not be amazed at this…all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” That is an astounding truth; it is a soul-shaking truth intended to shape the way we live every day. The resurrection – or that is, our resurrection – should prompt us to do good or do evil. Those aren’t my words; that’s Jesus speaking. Every day is a chance to invest in your eternal estate, either enlarging it or diminishing it. God wants you to constantly live in the light of your own resurrection, because it’s what’s meant to warn you, direct you, remind you, and keep you on the righteous path.
Ruth’s in heaven now, and there is nothing more she can do about increasing her eternal estate. But you can do something. You still have the opportunity to lay up your treasure in heaven. So today, start preparing for your own resurrection. Delight yourself in the Lord Jesus, cling to his promises, obey his promptings, say no to temptation, watch your tongue, mind your attitude, love your enemies, encourage the weak, and bless your family members, especially if you have children or grandchildren like little Luke – so young, and so ready to be shaped and molded in the love of Christ. One day, he, too, will face his own resurrection, and he will need to be prepared for it. As will you, my friend. So I hope these few words inspire you because you do really have more hope than you realize in every hardship! Share this program with your Facebook friends, or listen to it again at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
Heaven
For the past twenty-five years, Heaven has inspired us to live well on earth even as we long for eternity. Drawing on Scripture, Joni Eareckson Tada answers the deepest questions of our hearts about what heaven will be like, who we will see there, and who we will be there.
