Heavenly HomeSpeaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: When you surrender your life totally to the Lord, transform yourself into His children after being cleansed by His blood, your names are inscribed in the 'Book of Life'. He will redeem you from the utter darkness of death. He will prepare a place for you. The resurrected Lord Jesus will deliver us from every evil and preserve us for His heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18). Even after our death, when we go to the heavenly kingdom, He will be with us as the resurrected Jesus.
When the fear of death grasps our mind, a mysterious horror prevails it, raising immutable questions like - 'How am I going to meet death?' 'What is going to happen to me, next?' Nevertheless, our Lord Jesus has passed through the valley of death and has overcome death by conquering Satan, the ruler of death. Jesus assures us, "I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore." As He is alive, we have hope not only in this world but also in the next. He is powerful enough to save us 'To the uttermost'. He assures us, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2,3). The very day you surrender your heart to our gracious Lord, He starts to build a house for you in Heaven. What a joy will it be to enter that house some day.
Dear friend, the Holy Scripture clearly tells us that there is a 'Book of Life' in Heaven (Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3). When we surrender our life totally to the Lord and transform ourselves into His children, after being cleansed by His blood, our names are inscribed in the 'Book of Life'. From that day, He would prepare for us the reward for our deeds in this world. When we die, He will escort the soul separated from our body to Heaven. No one can determine or identify the place to which man's soul divorced from the physical body departs. Only the living Christ knows where its destination lies. As He is alive, even after our death, to make it possible for our soul to be united with Him, He has prepared a place in Heaven. He will take us there.
"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)
A woman arrested on a charge of murder was sentenced to death. When she was tremulous with the fear of death, a group of people who love God met her, He gave her the good news to her, who had committed murder and was trembling in her guilt anticipating death-punishment, Lord Jesus was relevant. He was eager to forgive her and accept her as His beloved child. They told her, "Surrender yourself at the hands of Lord Jesus who passed through the valley of death and overcame it for your sake. He will forgive you and will change you into His child." Then the woman with perturbed mind asked, "Do I have hope even in this horrible situation? Will He give me a new life? If so, let me surrender my life at the hands of the loving Lord Jesus who died and came back to life for my sake." She surrendered herself to the Lord with tears. A profound joy and abundant peace filled her. She said, "The Lord has forgiven me and has accepted me as His child. I do not have any care." Before she went up to meet her death, newspaper reporters asked her, "You are going to be hanged. Are you not scared? What is your mental state?" She countered them retorting, "I asked the Lord to forgive me of my heinous crime. He forgave me. He cleansed my sins with His holy blood and purified me. Now if my soul is taken away from me, I would go to Lord Jesus. He has prepared a place for me. When I meet Him, He will embrace and kiss me, that is why I am going to meet my death quite joyously.
Dear friend, in whatever situation you are now, even if your family or society accuse you, the resurrected Jesus wants to own you as His child. He wants to save you completely, liberating you from your fear of death or loneliness. You have an unassailable hope in Jesus who passed through the valley of death and has become a conqueror of death. Will you place your life at His hands? He will reside with you permanently in this world too. He will redeem you from the utter darkness of death. He will shield and save you to the uttermost. In the world to come also, He will clasp you and kiss you and grant you eternal happiness.
Prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father,
I surrender myself completely to You. Lord, accept me as I am. Cleanse me with Your precious blood. Grant me the faith that You have prepared a place for me to reside with You forever. Redeem me from the utter darkness of death and fear. Grant me steadfast faith and love in You always. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray.
Amen. |