Heaven is not a reward for “being a good boy” but is the continuation and expansion of a quality of life which begins when a man’s central confidence is transferred from himself to God.
~J. B. Phillips (1906-1982)
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
~ 1 John 1:7
There is a wonderful reality for the believer who has not just only believed – but also received the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord. We begin to take on His mind. We begin to see things like He sees them. We start to actually live and move and have our being in a way that lives and moves like Him.
And it has been truly said by writers like, Jordan C. Khan, that many will one day see heaven because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their only Savior. But it is for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their only Lord that heaven has begun even now.
Oh yeah, many speak and even act like those who have accepted their Savior. But, for those few who have submitted to His Lordship, there are telltale signs which cannot be counterfeited. Others might even use the same words, but the resonance within the phrases is simply not there. So, it is not like a certain exclusive “club” of people is using a few key code words. Rather, there seem to be words that flow as part of the rivers of Living water that flow from within their innermost being.
Culture, time, geography and even language seem irrelevant as one begins to discover the scent of truth on the breath of a true believer. If we listen closely, we will hear a flowing, threading together of words and phrases prompted by the Spirit. The words always point to the goodness and glory of the Father and the Son. Words about G_d getting glory, and the very sure reality of the goodness of G_d in our own lives are strong indicators. But hints even in the phrasing of sentences spoken of Him tend to flow freely. We hear of G_d most surely being in a place; or of something very truly being of Him. Words of unity abound – and the math of the Kingdom of heaven is the faith-based arithmetic used in decisions.
And along with the subtle hints of the Spirit leading a yielded believer, come the booming indicators that the speaker is a different breed than any simple man in the room. Plain and true calls for absolute surrender to G_d, and a world view that works from a position of a victory already won raise the ears and even the eyebrows of even sincere believers in Jesus as Savior alone.
For some, He is so real that belief is no longer necessary. For experience of the Truth has replaced a simple expectation that it is true. And anyone who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good can simply look into the eyes of another and know the other has tasted and seen too.
Can we see it beloved? There are many that have been saved from their sins. However, it seems in this life that there are very few who have been (at least substantially) saved from themselves. And, oh my, the application is staring each of us in the face.
Which one are we?
