David Jeremiah daily devotionals May 19 2022 :
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:8
Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-9
When Lee Strobel was researching his book on heaven, he interviewed Luis Palau, the Argentinian evangelist who preached to more than a billion people. “He knew he was dying,” said Strobel. “He had stage four lung cancer…. I flew out to Portland because I wanted to interview someone who was about to go to heaven…. He told me he’s not afraid of dying. He said, ‘I really believe that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.’”[1]
For the Christian, dying means immediate entrance into the physical presence of the Lord in His great city of New Jerusalem. We leave behind (temporarily, until the resurrection) our bodies of sickness and pain. Yet in the flick of an eye, we’re there with Jesus among all His golden and gleaming cityscapes.
The Lord will give us extra grace for the moment He takes us home. For that reason, we are confident—even well pleased—to be with Him.
I can tell you from personal experience that, at the end of your life, when all is said and done, you’ll never regret being courageous for Christ.
Luis Palau to Lee Strobel.
Author: David Jeremiah
Source : Turning Point Ministries / davidjeremiah.org