Last week I received a devotional that didn't stop haunting me. The
writer referred to the fact that although he knew he was heading for
heaven, he was terrified of death. I wondered how this could be . . .
Let me illustrate this with a parable.
Imagine a country that
is renowned for its beauty. The sun always shines, and the temperature
hovers around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The President is
caring and loves each one of his inhabitants. He would give his right
arm to help anyone. This country is quite different from the others in
this world. No one in this country suffers from any illness. Death is an
unknown entity. No one in this country understands the meaning of pain.
Everyone is happy and cares for one another. No pain, no tears, no
illnesses, no death!
Would we be willing to leave everything
behind to go live in this country? Who needs money when everyone cares
for one another? Who needs possessions when everything is provided to us
for free? Would we be scared to move there? Would we miss our friends,
our neighbors or even our boss?
Who among us would decide that
the move would not be worthwhile? Yes, life would be different, but
imagine no more bills, no more doctor's appointment, no more funerals,
with all of your illnesses evaporating into nothingness. You are healthy
again and loneliness is a word from the past. Who in their right mind
would not hunger to move to this country? Forget anything we have here,
this country is better by far!
This is how the first century
Christians viewed heaven. They were persecuted, but they were not
hopeless. Some were stoned to death, others eaten by the lions in the
Coliseum in Rome, others were crucified, and all of them had but one
thought in mind: It was an honor to die for Christ! "Even if I am
executed here and now, I'll rejoice in being an element in the offering
of your faith that you make on Christ's altar, a part of your
rejoicing." (Philippians 2:17, MSG)
As a result, the apostle Paul
went to his beheading with a smile on his lips. After all, didn't he
declare: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go
on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what
shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more
necessary for you that I remain in the body." (Philippians 1:21-24, NIV)
We have nothing to fear. We are going to a better place by far,
where pain, death and suffering is a thing of the past. Who among us
wouldn't want to experience this?
Rob Chaffart
A Better Country by Far
Today's Bible Verse:
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
A Better Country by Far
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