DADDY, I'M COMING HOME

Greetings in the most wonderful name of Jesus! Would you come with me now as we begin our journey together, humbling ourselves before the throne of grace? Heavenly Father, we joyfully come before you in sweet adoration of Your glory and love. We will sing forever in Your presence about the mercy You have had on us all. Oh Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world...we shout thank You !! Our cry day and night is that You, oh Holy One of Israel, would visit with us. And in Your visit, would You please bring unto us the grace of restoration. The fullness of restoration with You and with each other. Daddy, we love you. In Jesus name....AMEN. So, how have you been my fellow brethren and soldiers of the Light? I know that it seems as if the whole world has gone crazy. But God has everything in control and the wicked one will not touch you. King David often times cried out for justice and the demise of his enemies. But as followers of Jesus you must fulfill the commands of the new covenant and pray for your enemies. I know it is hard sometimes, but you can do it. Put yourself in agreement with God that none should perish, but all would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The most obvious script for the picture and title above would be concerning Jesus and His heart's cry. We will start there and afterwards explore another group of people who have the same longing. The longing to be with the Father. In John 14:28 (the Message Bible) we see Jesus saying the following to His disciples: "You've heard me tell you, 'I am going away, and I'm coming back.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life." And if we look at the prayer Jesus prays for His disciples in John 17 we can sense the longing in His voice. The longing to be with His Father once again as it was from the beginning. Seated at His right hand, robed with the glory which was His for all eternity. Look at the beginning of verse 11 and the beginning of verse 13. Jesus says: "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." I do not think that it would be a stretch to believe that Jesus longed for His mission here on earth to be fulfilled, so He could return to Daddy.

Who else should have the mindset which cries, "Daddy, I'm coming home?" Well it should be us my dearly beloved. May I have the privilege to regress for a minute? Thanks. Let us first discuss what our stance should NOT be. I have thought from time to time that I am ready to be clothed with glory and eternity so I could escape the hardships here on this blue marble we call earth. WRONG ! And have you ever heard someone say, " Oh, I don't care if the Lord prospers me, and I don't need a mansion, I will take a little shack in the corner of heaven and I will be happy." WRONG ! Some may even think that it is wrong to have a desire to go to heaven. They may think, " heavens no, I can't think about going to heaven because there is just too much work here on earth to be done." WRONG !

So, what should our attitude be about such things? First let me tell you something really cool. God says we are going to rule and reign with Him. Now that doesn't mean we are going to spend all of eternity around the Throne singing the hallelujah chorus. OK brothers and sisters...are you ready to think big? There are solar systems and galaxies out there that are more numerous then we can count. In fact, they have continued to create themselves ever since God gave the command. I believe God will say, "KennyG, go over to this solar system for awhile and rule over it for me." And after I finish bathing in my golden bathtub, I will just think where I need to go and I will be there...at the speed of light. Now please don't shut me out just yet. I am not crazy. Just trying to encourage you to think big...Big...BIGGER ! And by the way, Jesus showed us a few things our glorified body can do when He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. He passed through a wall and ate fish with them. Remember? That was the time that Thomas said he would only believe that He was the Risen One if he could touch his hands and side.

Turn over to ll Timothy 4:8 and read with me will you? It says: "There is now in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all those who have longed for His appearing." The proper posture is to be anxiously and joyfully longing for Him to come and take us home. Nor should we falsely humble ourselves with the idea of being happy with a little shack. Remember, think BIG ! Let's look at what Jesus said in John 14:1,2. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." I am sure that any room God builds will be a mansion beyond belief...not a little squatters shack in the corner somewhere.

In Revelation, John gives us a small description of what we can expect heaven to be like. Now mind you, John was describing something he saw with the limited vocabulary of a human. Let's read Revelation 21. " And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. (That's about 1400 miles in a cube) And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits (that's about 200 feet), according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof. And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there): and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it: and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life."

So, while we still remain, awaiting the call to come home, let us continue to be love and light to others. Let us continue to have great faith while we serve. And let us have the same mindset. And what mindset is that? Come on, say it with me "DADDY, I'M COMING HOME."