Pressing on towards the goal

I can't think of a better feeling than to hear my mom or dad say, "I'm proud of you" or "Good job". It's the greatest feeling 'cause I feel like I'm doing something right. From all the times I mess up, it's nice to know that I'm not a total failure. lol. My dad doesn't give out compliments flippantly, but every now and then he'll tell me, "Ya know, you're a good kid." That means a lot.

There's nothing more that I want than to get to heaven and hear "well done, my good and faithful servant." It's one thing to please my earthly father (and mother) but wow, my Heavenly Father. It's hard to think that someone like me could please God who is so holy. I certainly don't live in light of that every day. I let my flesh get in the way so many times. I don't love like I should. I'm not always patient. I'm very much not always selfless. The list could go on. My desire is to please my Father and King. And the constant daily struggle to live a holy life, to die to my flesh, to be pure...all these things we are called to do that in our flesh we don't want to do; it's so worth putting those things down and fighting them to hear at the end of my life, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." It's worth the fight, it's worth the struggle to keep persevering. And we don't have to do it alone! God gives us the grace to endure. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us, “But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." So whenever my little brother or sister is just annoying the heck out of me and I really want to say something ugly and I resist, it's His grace that enables me to die to myself. (I know that's a weak example, but it's all I could come up with at the moment). And I give God glory for that, because I know I couldn't do it on my own. It's emptying me of myself. Jeremy Camp has a song that I love (I love all his songs), but this particular one is called Empty Me. I love the chorus, and it goes like this,

"Holy Fire burn away,
my desire for anything
that is not of you and is of me,
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah,
Fill, won't you fill me,
with you, with you, yeah."


So...I totally went off track here. Sorry. But to get back on track, I was talking about heaven, thinking of how great it will be when we get there. I think of the moment when Jesus comes back, the relief. It's like when you study for days or even weeks and months over a really huge test, and it's exhausting and you don't like it, it's hard. But you press on and keep doing it because you know you have a goal to reach, and that goal is a big fat 'A'. So after all those long days you spend disciplining yourself and learning you finally take the test. You get the results back and there is the big fat 'A'. The relief that comes over you is beyond words. All your hard work payed off and now it's over, no more tests, no more long days of pouring over information. Just like this life is a test for us, and every day we try to do better, we work and discipline ourselves towards our goal. Our goal is heaven. Then after our time is up, the test is over. Knowing that all the hardships, all the trials, all the tears and pain will be no more. It's over. Finished. Now we get to sit at our Savior's feet and worship Him with the angels. To sit in His glory. I can't wait. I'm reminded more and more that this is not our home, we are only passing through. We have a job to do, that is to tell others about our wonderful Heavenly Father, to glorify Him in all that we do, and spread the love of Christ. Don't lose sight of the Mission, we're not finished yet!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-hOMunpWo