Come Quickly!

Pondering the first moment I see Christ

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

I'm still musing over death and dying, and eternity as a whole. Basically, I can't wait until I see Jesus face to face! It's not about how cool heaven will be (Revelation 21:21, 22:1-5, etc). It's not even about all the awful things that won't be in heaven—fear, suffering, pain, sadness (Revelation 21:4). I can't wait to finally "praise the One who paid my debt and raised my life up from the dead" with every fiber of my being, for the rest of eternity. I can't wait to finally savor Jesus Christ, and to embark on a never ending journey in knowing how infinitely worthy He is of all praise, honor, and glory. I can't wait to finally see the lion-like Lamb, the lamb-like Lion; Jesus truly is an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies! (Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ)

What will happen the first time I see Christ? My heart yearns for that moment, but my mind can barely begin to comprehend it; how can I even dare to imagine it?! I wish I could see Jesus face to face now, then come back and live the rest of my short life here on earth (Job 7:7, 7:16). That way, perhaps after seeing Christ in all His glory, I would have the boldness I need to make every moment count for Him… I would understand how beautiful Christ is and how despicable and worthless sin is (Jeremiah 2)! An eloquent preacher (whose writing style you may recall) said it this way, "Resolved: to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell's torments." (Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards)

Here's a song that talks about how wonderful it will be to finally see Christ, for the first time ever. It's called "Arrived" (by Enfield).

Watching and waiting our whole life through
For the moment when we arrive in glory
We'll be standing before His emerald throne
Oh, what a day it will be

All tears are gone and suffering ceased
Perfect new life, no earthly strife
When we finish the race, run to His embrace
Oh, what a day it will be

When we've arrived, stunned and surprised
All things resolved in the blink of an eye
No more distractions, no sin left to fight
First glimpse of Jesus, and faith becomes sight

Feel the ground shake, hear thunder roll
See lightning strike and seraphim fly
All amazed we will fall, yet the Father will call,
"Stand, I've made you my own."

A choir with angels, martyrs and saints
Singing His praise with no end to the days
Shouting, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" to Almighty God
Oh, what a song that will be

When we've arrived, stunned and surprised
All things resolved in the blink of an eye
No more distractions, no sin left to fight
First glimpse of Jesus…

When we've arrived, stunned and surprised
All things resolved in the blink of an eye
No more distractions, no sin left to fight
First glimpse of Jesus,
First glimpse of Jesus,
First glimpse of Jesus,
And faith becomes sight

Just Some Thoughts on Death

"She came when we were freezing, but she left us burning up!"

Sometimes I think about the songs I want played at my funeral. I know that SOUNDS morbid, but I love thinking about how fleeting this life is and how permanent eternity is; it's like a wake-up call for my soul! Jonathan Edwards said in one of his seventy resolutions, "Resolved: to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death" (Resolution #9). And Jonathan Edwards is certainly someone I want to emulate!

One of the songs that I'd like to have played at my funeral is "Amy's Song" (by Switchfoot, off the New Way to be Human album), with the hopes that at my death my friends and family would think of it as "Amber's Song"… that the way Amy lived would be the way I lived my life too. Here are the lyrics:

Amy's gone

And time rolls on

How far? how fast? how long?

 

The last time we saw Amy

She was headed for the shore

Fighting off the volatile gray skies

 

She said now begins forever

And that no one knows their time

We bid farewell not knowing

That might be our last good-bye

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

 

Salvation is a fire

In the midnight of the soul

It lights up like a can of gasoline

 

Yeah, she's a freedom fighter

She's a stand up kind of girl

She's out to start a fire

In a bar code plastic world

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

 

When everything stops moving

And I stop to catch my breath

And ride my train of thought

All the way around

 

My thoughts return to Amy

And the fire she's begun

She came when we were freezing

And left us burning up

 

Amy was a fighter

She cut like Casius Clay

She burned like a fire

Despite these rains

 

Where time was a question

She only knew one song

She's singing, "how far, how fast, how long?"

How long, how long, how long?

 

The last time we saw Amy

The last time we saw Amy

Yeah, the last time we saw Amy

The last time we saw Amy

Yeah, the last time we saw Amy

 

I want to start that kind of fire! The kind that leaves others burning with passion for Christ long after I'm gone, so that each person God uses me to influence would be used of God to influence myriads more souls. I know I've got a long way to go, but I'm not giving up!

So I guess thinking about death ultimately leads me to think of two things:

1. How I live my life will determine how I die, and the kind of impact and legacy my life and death will leave.
   
2. How GLORIOUS it will be to finally gaze upon the face of my Lord, Savior, and TREASURE, Jesus Christ!!!