Glimpses of Heaven

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

"Live by the Spirit..." Galatians 5:16

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." Galatians 5:22

"Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

The pastors at my church right now are preaching on the book of Galatians. It's quite interesting really, as Paul talks to the church of Galatia and "scolds" them for basically missing the point of the Gospel.  He reminds them that living a life of freedom is living a life in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  He reminds them, that because of Christ, they are no longer bound by the laws that are found today in the Old Testament.

It's interesting really.  So many times, there are traditions that are passed down... in this case circumcision... that are considered to be the "thing" that justifies us towards salvation, when in reality, our belief in Him justifies us.  And, how is our faith in Christ evident? Through how we love one another.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control are present if we are seeking the Spirit and not the flesh.

And, thanks be to God that while our flesh does not look like that at all, God allows us to be filled with the Spirit and see glimpses of those heavenly attributes in people around us and every once in a while in ourselves.  It's not our nature to express love and joy and patience and self control.  It's more our fleshly nature to be hateful and seek conflict and be in a hurry and fear and be harsh, and yet, God through His Spirit, gives us fruit if we only seek Him.

This past week has been a hard one for me.  I have been overwhelmed, fearful of the unknown, and sad for my family, and yet I have recognized God's presence and His love as He reminds me of the need for daily faith in His plan.

And, in this difficult few days, I've seen glimpses of heaven in how God brought family together to comfort one another in a hard time.  I imagine that Heaven is just like the funeral was: full of hope and all of the people that love you .. full of faces that you recognize... and full of great soul food and gospel music....

and I imagine that heaven is like my time with friends: full of people who I have loved during different stages of my life...  surrounded by really good hugs and beautiful smiles... and full of people who know just the right gestures and words to serve and love you well...

and I imagine that heaven is void of the things that tend to be a big part of our lives: drama, selfishness, pride, discord, drunkenness and jealousy.

For that, I am thankful.

If you haven't read Galatians recently, you should read it.  It's the perfect picture of what life looks like when we forget the Gospel and let our flesh take control and it's a beautiful explanation of what life could look life if we embraced freedom, allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit.

Today, I am thankful for the glimpses of heaven that God shows us here in this broken world.  I'm thankful for freedom in knowing that through faith we are made right.  I am thankful that I don't have to do the right things in order to be justified.  I praise God for His Word.

May He continue to show me glimpses...