What a pleasant surprise! I recently received a call from a pastor in Florida whom I had discipled while a pastor in Yuba City, CA in 1980. We hadn’t connected in 41 years! Needless to say, we had a lot to catch up on. He and his wife have been married for 52 years, just like Elsie and me. He went to seminary and eventually earned his doctorate. He has been pastoring the same church in Florida for the past 25 years. The frosting on the cake is that his son, whom Elsie and I knew as a baby, is now also a pastor in Florida. What a wonderful reconnection! To God be the glory for I had no idea when he and I met for discipleship that he would hear God’s call to become a pastor. God knew and God gave me the delight of learning about the fruit of my discipleship.
Ever reconnected with someone from your past after a considerable period of time? If you’re a Christian someday you and I will reconnect with loved ones, won’t we? Heaven is a place for reconnecting. In heaven we will see those believers we have loved here on earth. What a grand reunion that will be! How do you know that, Irv? How do you know we’ll reconnect with loved ones in heaven? Here are a couple of passages that lead me to believe that we will see our loved ones again. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” We are surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses.” The image is an amphitheater filled with spectators and we are runners on the track. The spectators are cheering wildly for us to finish the race well. Those spectators include our loved ones who have gone before us.
A second passage that assures me we will reconnect with loved ones in heaven is 2 Samuel 12:23. The context of this passage is the baby of David and Bathsheba has died. While the child was sick, David was praying and fasting but now that the baby has died David eats. When his servants query him about how he can eat after such a loss, David replies, “But now he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him but he will not return to me.” Clearly David expects to see his child again in heaven when he dies.
May I ask you a personal question? Do you need to reconnect with God? I don’t know your spiritual temperature but if you’re cold toward God, you need to reconnect with Him. How do you know if you’re cold toward God? Absence of joy! It is the fruit of the Spirit that permeates the life of those connected to God. How do you reconnect with Him and recover the joy missing in your life. Prayer! God loves you so and is waiting for you to move toward Him. He hasn’t moved. Humble yourself and repent of your sin through prayer to Him. He will forgive you and restore to you the joy of your salvation!
Walking in His steps,
Irv