His Face First
"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is." — 1 John 3:2
When you think about heaven, whose face do you look forward to seeing first?
Most of us immediately think of a parent, a grandparent, or a friend who went on ahead. I understand that, and that reunion is coming. But I want you to notice something about the way Scripture describes the Lord's return. The Bible says the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. He won't send a representative, and He won't send an angel to handle the details. Jesus Himself is coming.
And the first face you'll see is His.
Think about who He is to you. He's the One who forgave you when you had nothing to offer. He's the One who cleansed you and changed you. He's the One who gave your life direction when you were going nowhere. He loved you before you ever knew Him. On that day you're going to see Him as He is.
John says something else happens in that moment. When we see Him, we'll be like Him. The other night I saw an old picture of Ginger and me from when we were first married. I had long brown hair and a Fu Manchu mustache, and I just kept saying, "What happened?" Well, life happened. But one glance at Jesus, and everything this world has worn down in you will be made new.
Here's why this matters today. If Jesus is the One you most want to see then, He ought to be the One you most want to know now. Some of us are more excited about heaven's benefits than heaven's King.
So, spend some time with Him today, not just asking for things, but simply enjoying Him. Read about Him in the Gospels. Tell Him you love Him. Get to know the face you'll see first.
When you think about heaven, whose face do you look forward to seeing first?
Most of us immediately think of a parent, a grandparent, or a friend who went on ahead. I understand that, and that reunion is coming. But I want you to notice something about the way Scripture describes the Lord's return. The Bible says the Lord Himself will come down from heaven. He won't send a representative, and He won't send an angel to handle the details. Jesus Himself is coming.
And the first face you'll see is His.
Think about who He is to you. He's the One who forgave you when you had nothing to offer. He's the One who cleansed you and changed you. He's the One who gave your life direction when you were going nowhere. He loved you before you ever knew Him. On that day you're going to see Him as He is.
John says something else happens in that moment. When we see Him, we'll be like Him. The other night I saw an old picture of Ginger and me from when we were first married. I had long brown hair and a Fu Manchu mustache, and I just kept saying, "What happened?" Well, life happened. But one glance at Jesus, and everything this world has worn down in you will be made new.
Here's why this matters today. If Jesus is the One you most want to see then, He ought to be the One you most want to know now. Some of us are more excited about heaven's benefits than heaven's King.
So, spend some time with Him today, not just asking for things, but simply enjoying Him. Read about Him in the Gospels. Tell Him you love Him. Get to know the face you'll see first.
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