“And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Revelation 21:21-22).
I was just a toddler when I remember first hearing about Heaven. The Sunday-school teacher said, ”Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, and He has gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us.” She described the beauty of Heaven, as set forth in Revelation 21:21-22. Then she said, ”If we live for Him, and do His commandments, He will come one day and take us there.”
That lesson had a profound effect on me. From that day until this, seventy-plus years later, my heart’s desire, and my goal, has been to go there. Through the years, Christ has been my Rock, my Defender, and my Comforter. I have, to the best of my ability, followed His commands. That isn’t to say that I haven’t committed sin. We are all human, we all make mistakes, and we are all sinful. ”If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” (I John 1:10). The good news is that ”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). He has been with us as my husband and I raised a physically and mentally handicapped child, as we gave back to Him three children, as I watched my husband die with of cancer, and as I went through my own very serious illness. Never once has He failed to fill all my needs.
When we obey God’s commands to the best of our ability, and confess our sins, repent of them, and continue faithfully in His way, then we can say, with Paul, at the end of our life here, ”I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love His appearing“ (2 Timothy 4:8-9).
Dear Father,
Please help me to depend on Thee in good times and in bad times. Help me to reach out to others with Thy Word, so that all may hear it, obey Thy commandments, and have that home that Jesus has gone to prepare for us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By Bonnie Reaves
Grandma, that is beautiful! You and Papaw set wonderful examples for our family! I only hope that I can be such an example to my children and grandchildren! I love you!