The Home That Outshines Every Sunrise

Well, friend, let me give you a good ol’ holler for just a lil’ moment to say, “Come on up here on this here front porch and pick out a real good and comfy seat to sit on,” because what we’re about to ramble into is so much richer than any ol’ fresh cream skimmed off the morning milk. Yep, I was standin’ out by the back fence earlier watchin’ a wide-eyed ol’ armadillo tryin’ to decide if he should be crossin’ the backyard or file a complaint with the universe. He froze, blinked, shuffled, and blinked again like he was weighin’ the deep meaning of life itself. And then suddenly the Spirit stirred inside me like a warm spring bubbling up from deep underground, slow at first but rising with a sureness that you can’t push back down saying, “Friend, life down here is full of moments just like that. You pause, you wonder, and you remember this world is just not your forever home.” That there truth drifted all over me with the quiet certainty of an ol’ barn owl glidin’ through the twilight, soft, but impossible to ignore. So, come on in real close because Scripture is about to be liftin’ your eyes up toward a glorious home more real than anything your feet have ever walked on.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9, “We live by believing and not by seeing, and that as long as we are in these earthly bodies, we are not yet home with the Lord.” But one day, friend, we will be present in our heavenly home. And when that big day comes, there is no waitin’ room, no heavenly traffic jam, and no spiritual shipping delay. The very moment your time on earth ends, your time in God’s presence begins. Not a second lost. Not a heartbeat wasted.

Paul said in Philippians 1:21-24 that he longed to be with Christ because it was far better, yet he stayed because God still had work for him to do. Stephen saw Heaven open before he left this world, and Acts 7:55-56 says, “Stephen saw Jesus standin’ at the right hand of God.” No wonder Acts 6:15 says, “Stephen’s face shone like an angel.” When Heaven cracks the holy windows open even a tiny sliver, it plum changes everything about how you see this life.

And then there was the great evangelist, D. L. Moody. As he lay on his deathbed, his dimming eyes suddenly brightened with a light that did not belong to this world. His breath grew shallow, but his spirit grew strong, and he looked upward as if he were seeing something no earthly words could hold. “Is this dying? Why, this is bliss,” he whispered, his voice steady with awe. “There is no valley. I have been within the gates. Earth is receding. Heaven is opening. God is calling. I must go.” Friend, that there was not a man fading away. That was a soul catching sight of his heavenly home, the kind of sight that makes every sunrise on earth look like a pale imitation.

So, enjoy this life while you can, but don’t be losin’ sight of what glorious beauties lie beyond it. Heaven is certainly not a downgrade. It is the absolute upgrade of all upgrades.

Father, thank You that our true home is with You. Help me live with Heaven in my heart and purpose in my steps. Give me courage, hope, and confidence as I walk this earthly road, knowing You are waitin’ on the other side. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now, goodness gracious, let me paint one more picture on the canvas of your heart, friend, the kind that lingers long after the brush is laid down. Before you go roamin’ on off this porch today, let this truth be settling into your heart the way the morning light easily slips right on through the tall trees and wakes up the whole forest. Heaven just ain’t some fuzzy, misty idea that’s floatin’ around high up in the clouds. It’s plum as real as the dirt under your boots and far more permanent. When your final breath here gives way to your first breath there, you won’t be steppin’ out into the darkness. You’ll be walkin’ into a happy welcome so warm it’ll make every earthly joy seem like a faint echo. So, walk on ahead today with a real steady heart because the God who promised you a glorious home is already preparin’ that heavenly place, gatherin’ the supplies for the coming welcome home party, and waitin’ with an unimaginable joy that will outshine every magnificent sunrise you have ever seen. As the old hymn written in 1955 by Jim Hill says, “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, and I look upon His face, the One Who saved me by His grace! What a day, glorious day that will be!” Now, keep on lookin’ up!

With joy,

Gwen