2 Corinthians 5:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Philippians 1:20-24 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
2 Peter 3:11-12 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
I can’t seem to put aside the burning desire to understand “to be in the presence of the Lord”. I keep on thinking about all of the reasons that seem so self-centered that is not just “to be able to see Him in all of His glory and be able to honor, praise and worship Him”. My life, your life, was redeemed and paid for (purchased) by His death. Are we then in debt or owned by Christ for our Salvation? Certainly, we are. What are His demands for this payment/redemption and the promise of eternal life and to be in His presence forevermore – belief/faith/trust/obedience/reliance. It is after we have exhausted all attempts to earn or deserve this free gift of eternal life that we can begin to understand the depth of His love and the price that was paid. We when realize this and come to the end, nothing short of full surrender of anything self-worthy, we find the beginning of where we can fully begin to praise, honor, thank, worship, and glorify Jesus Christ. This beginning then sets a desire to want to know Him more and to understand Him more so that we can live to honor, glorify, worship, obey, rely on, and praise Him more. I wish my prayers and life were more reflective of honoring and glorifying Him rather than seeking relief for something temporal in this life. I wish I could say everything I say, think, and do, starts with doing that which honors and glorifies Him, but it does not. Too often I find distractions in whatever form they take on that seems to take my focus on what truly is honoring and glorifying to Him.
