Each one of us is on a journey to our final, and eternal, destination.  As Christians, we live with the confident assurance that our eternal home is with God.  But, we’re not home yet and there is a life to be lived as we journey toward heaven.  It is my prayer that this series of devotions will help you discover not only a glimpse of heaven, but that it would prepare you to more fully live like you are home even as you continue the journey.

This is day twenty-four from the devotional journal, “Almost Heaven: Devotions For the Journey Home”.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God in the process of discovering how He would have us to live as we prepare for an eternal home.

Almost Heaven:
A Home Of Reward

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.“
Acts 3:19-21 (NIV)

Does it ever feel like your work and efforts in life go unappreciated?  Are there times when your attempts to live in obedience to God are met with skepticism and ridicule?  How easy is it to live a life devoted to Christ in your home?  At your school?  At your place of work?  Are you joyful when people notice your walk with Christ, and hate you for it?  Does the promise of a future reward help you endure difficult circumstances?  How does a home of reward give you hope to persevere today?

Waiting under the best of circumstances is difficult for most people but when you add conflict and hardship, it is easy to lose sight of what we’re waiting for and give up.  It is by keeping our eye on the reward at the end that we are able to endure much.  I know people who have stood outside all night in freezing temperatures just to receive the reward of a Black Friday sale.  How much greater should our endurance be when we consider the reward waiting for us in heaven.  As you pray, ask God to help you endure hardship as you look forward to your eternal reward.  Pray that you would learn to rejoice in the midst of the testing that prepares you for home.

In prayer,

Tom