I had a stunning dream last night. I died. I’m not sure how, but I found myself with a friend before a set of doors that we knew opened to the throne room of Heaven. I don’t remember all the details, but I do remember the thrilling feeling of knowing those doors were about to open and I was about to enter in and see Jesus face to face. The dream ended too soon.
“I die everyday” – 1 Corinthians 15:31
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” – Colossians 3:3
Dwelling in Heaven requires dying on earth. In the same way, if we are going to live “where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1), we must die to the things of this earth. Each morning when my alarm goes off, I have a choice: to fully live my earthly existence (and sleep a few more minutes), or to die to myself, get up, and enter into the throne room.
For awhile, I experienced earthly death without heavenly living. Many people are skilled at self-discipline to “die” to their flesh but do not take the next step. This is like my friend and I, just waiting to enter in to the presence of God. We died on earth, but we weren’t living in heaven. I’ve enjoyed getting up early since January, but not until the past few weeks did I experience the thrill of spending extended time in His presence.
So my challenge to you…
1. Have you died today? Are you choosing to not live by earthly standards?
2. Have you entered into His presence today? Are you living with Heaven’s presence surrounding you?
I recently read a blog entry from The Last Letter. It said,
A Christian worker in Afghanistan was recently asked about the dangers of living in that warn-torn country. She was asked about the potential of death. Her response was, “We’re not afraid of being killed. We died when we came here.”
If we die on earth and live in Heaven daily, physical death will not come as a surprise. We’ll only recognize that it is “gain” – because we finally will see Him, face to face.