Homesick for Heaven

​Have you ever gotten homesick? I mean literately home sick.
 
I remember the week when I first felt the truth of those two words.
My sisters and I left with my father on a business trip. We had such a wonderful time, and the memories we made are still etched in my heart and mind.
But it was the first time I’d left the rest of my family behind. And it seemed that part of my heart had stayed with them.
I was literately sick after the first few days, and my stomach was in knots. I can’t describe the feeling that went through me when I was finally home again!
 
Do you ever feel that way when you’re thinking about Heaven? Do you ever want to go home so badly it hurts? Do you ever get so tired of striving, trying to stay upbeat against the wickedness and not letting it consume you, that you just say, “Lord, I want to go home!”
 
I’ve felt that way before. Many times, actually.
I think it’s only natural that we long for Heaven, that we long to see His face and be in His presence. He is our Father after all!
 
But I’m not quite sure that we need to long for Heaven with such intensity that it causes us to grumble about our present home. Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case! Now, don’t get me wrong, we should earnestly desire and long for Heaven, to be with Him in eternity. We should hunger for that “day of rejoicing,” when we’ll “sing and shout the victory!”
But I think that we can turn our longing into a telescope lens that points straight to Heaven, keeping in sight that goal, our prize, our home. Keeping it in sight at all times so that we’re constantly asking ourselves, “Will this matter in Heaven?” or, “Is this a good use of my time here on earth?”
 
Why are we here?
I believe there’s a few answers you can give to that question. The first and foremost being that we’re here for His glory. (Isaiah 43:7, 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Psalm 86:12)
 
Now, you’ve probably heard that before, but have you ever put a lot of thought into what it means?
Let’s define the word glory. One definition of glory is “to take great pride or pleasure in.”
So, I think it’s safe to say that God put us here on earth so that He could take pleasure in us. After all, don’t you think that most artists take pleasure in their masterpieces? Now, that might seem like a prideful way of thinking, saying that we’re His masterpieces, but it’s true. (Ephesians 2:10)
 
So, back to our purpose here on earth.
Our purpose is to give Him glory, or in other words, we’re here so that He can take pleasure in us giving Him glory. Read 2 Corinthians 5:9. It says in that verse that our ambition should be to please Him.
 
So, what does that mean for us? How do we take this title and apply it to our lives?
 
Well, if we’re hateful to those around us and are constantly seeking out things that appeal to our flesh, then do you think God is taking pleasure in that? 
I think it’s safe to say the answer to that question is, “no.”
 
So, I’m pretty sure the answer to the question above, “how do we apply this title to our lives,” is to do things that bring Him glory. Or in other words, do things that will please Him. 

Here are a few ways we can do that:
 
          1. Have a desire to learn more about Him (Philippians 3:10, Isaiah 26:9, Psalm 73:25)
This includes studying our Bibles and trying to learn all we can about our Heavenly Father. And not just reading, but learning, yearning, and taking great delight in it!
 
          2. Strive to keep a “will this please Him?” attitude (Romans 12:1, Ephesians 5:8-10)
Let’s start asking ourselves with everything we do, “is this pleasing to Him?” Not only that, but once we’re born again, we’ll have an earnest desire to please Him in all that we do!
I think this will cut down on a lot of useless things we spend our time doing!
 
 
          3. Take delight in His creation (Colossians 1:16)
He made the sun for His glory. He made the earth and the butterflies and the pretty blue sky and bright red roses all for His glory. But He also gave them to us, so that we can take pleasure in His workmanship and give Him praise and glory.
So, this week, take a deep breath of the fresh air, and take a minute to watch the birds flying in the sky. Take a moment to study the pretty purple sunset and yes, take a moment to, “stop and smell the roses.” He made them for us, so let’s enjoy them.
 
          4. Get along with others (Hebrews 12:14-15, Colossians 3:13-17)
He made your siblings, He made your spouse, He made your mother and father and friends. They’re all a part of His masterpiece, just like you. You’ll be living in Heaven with these people! So, the least we can do is get along with them here on earth. Let’s take special time this week to get along nicely with others. Even if they’re hard to be around. Just remember, a lot of people have it worse than this. 

So this week, let’s do something together. Let’s constantly ask ourselves, “is this pleasing to Him?”
And if it’s not, let’s throw it out. Throw it out and replace it with something that will bring Him glory.
When we all get to Heaven, it’ll be a day of rejoicing. I long for that day. I long for that peace and joy. I long to worship in His presence for eternity.
But we’re here for a reason. We’re not dead yet, because the Lord has a plan for our lives. He has a plan for your life.
So let’s spend our time here on earth with wisdom, making sure to bring glory to Him in all that we do.

We’re His children. He’s our Master.
Let’s be good and faithful servants.