Life can be so rewarding. We enjoy the sweet relationships of family and friends. Perhaps we have the privilege of engaging in meaningful and fulfilling work. We can even delight in the beauty and pleasures of this life. Paul spoke of the great joy of serving Christ and the delight of getting to know Him more intimately. But he longed for a time when he would leave this world and be in the presence of the One who saved him. All of us who know Him, long to be in that far better place with that far better person. For the child of God, truly, the best is yet to come.
In Phillipians 3:20-21 we read: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself”. We are told that our citizenship is in heaven, this is our registration. Our names are written down in the book of life. We really belong to a different country, a different kingdom. We shouldn’t get too discouraged about this world because we serve a different King. We have a settled registration, but we also have an earnest expectation. Paul and all of God’s children have something to look forward to, and that is the coming of Jesus Christ. He told us that He would return and one day He will come to gather His beloved bride. One more blessed truth Paul mentioned is our glorious transformation. When Christ returns, we not only get to see Him, but He will also change our bodies and fashion them like His glorious body. This transformation is also called glorification.
Are you currently experiencing unbearable pain in your body? Are the days becoming long and dark? Has your pathway become difficult and arduous? Child of God don’t forget we have a settled registration in heaven, an earnest expectation of Christ’s return, and a glorious transformation of our bodies. Truly, the best is yet to come.