To Live In Glory

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you were willing to give up most anything in the world to obtain it? Sure you have. We have all been there. As children, we NEEDED that special toy, as adolesence' we MUST HAVE that boyfriend or girlfriend (no matter the cost), as young teenagers, if we don't get that "iPad" "iPod" "I',m Peeved" or whatever the latest electronic sensation was, we were MOSTLY DEAD!

Life is like that..."we want what we want when we want it" and that's just the total sum of our patience as human beings. Let me tell you why I bring this up (I was going to anyway).

Over the last 4 or 5 weeks, Barb and I, in the middle of our "Valley of Baca or Way of Sorrow" (Ps. 84:6) had the pleasure of visitors all from out of state and one even out of the country. First our precious friend came from Cabo St. Lucas to visit us, he came as our friend and ministered to our hearts. He came without invitation (not that that matters, of course) but he wanted to see for himself how Dave and Barb were doing and he is so prayerful for us knowing what we are involved in health wise. In fact he is the one I wrote about a couple of devotions ago. Then guess what? My Mother calls and plans to come to physically check on her son. It was a short but sweet visit and I loved it I'm not finished.

Not very long after my Mother's visit we get a call from, would you believe it, we got a call from a couple that we grew very close to and have known for decades and they drove their Harley Davidson motorcycle out, to spend a few days with us. Naturally they are precious friends and we absolutely had a "blast".

And just last night we said goodbye to a man and woman that we graduated from Seminary with back in the middle 80's. Yes, they called and had already booked a hotel room just a few miles from our home and they were taking these days away from home JUST to visit with us from Northern California. And tonight as I sit here thinking of all the goings on (of course, we're tired), I would have given up anything materialistic to experience this 4 to 5 week spread of great joy for Barb and I. And the last to come, Thom and Sandi, two of the most admirable people I know, showed us a VERY GOOD TIME and we laughed and cried, talked and ate (mostly ate) and had such a wonderful time in fellowship with them. AND I WANTED IT! I relished each visit willing to give up most anything I owned just to be in all of their company.

One day, a couple thousand years ago, a young man, in His prime, hung on a cross and said "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit" (Lu 24:46). Where can I go with this? The only place is to the Father in Heaven. You see, our Father wanted us so badly, as He created us so preciously to be His lifelong friend in fellowship and then made provisions for our eternity.

You see, even God, our Father in Heaven, wanted something so bad, that He was willing to give up ANYTHING, and He gave His Son who would cover our sins and create a path to heaven. I was watching my ALL TIME FAVORITE music video (which is on my blog) called "I can only Imagine" and as the tears rolled down my cheeks, God began to write and above is what He said.

I want money! I want a home! I want clothes! I want food! I want shelter! I REALLY want a motor home (a little selfish since I already have a 5th wheel, huh?)! I want peace! I want joy! I want LOVE! But most of all I want to be with Jesus. And I'd be glad to give up all those other things and more to stand in His presence. I'm including the link to "I Can Only Imagine" so you can get a taste of what I am saying and feeling.

http://andiesisle.com/icanonlyimagine.html

God Loves you just the right amount!

Dave