Still thinking about Rebecca

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.” “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:1-6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Still thinking about Rebecca”

In Biblical terms, hope is more than just wishful thinking. Instead, it is the eager anticipation and the certain expectation of good things to come. Biblically, hope is based in faith, and faith, as Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, “… is the reality of what is hoped for; the proof of what is not seen.” Biblical hope is based in reality because God has given us all the proof we need in order to fully trust His promises. That is the faith and hope (the eager anticipation and certain expectation of good things to come), that Rebecca Foster had. It is the faith and hope that carried her through life and it is what sustained her through the most difficult of times.

I love the picture Jesus painted for us in John 14:1-3. Forty days after His resurrection He left the earth, returned to heaven, and began preparing special places in heaven for all those who belong to Him. It reminds me of how an expectant mother anticipates the birth of her baby. She prepares a nursery, purchases baby clothes and supplies, prepares in numerous other ways, and then she waits patiently and in eager anticipation for the day her child arrives in this world.

That’s what’s going on in heaven as Jesus awaits, anticipates, and prepares for the arrival of each of His children. That’s why Psalm 116:15 tells us that “precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Here on earth the death of our loved one seems like the end of life and it is therefore a time of sadness and grieving, but in heaven it is cause for joyful celebration because a much-loved child of God has finally arrived. That explains the hope with which Rebecca lived and it is why she was able to tell her husband Allen, just a couple of weeks ago, that she had no fear of dying.

But please don’t miss the essential truth contained in verse 6. Jesus said there that He is the only way to eternity in heaven. When He said those words, He eliminated every other possibility. If those words of Jesus are true (and they are), then eternity in heaven is not attained through faith in any of the other gods of the world; or by being a good enough person; or by performing enough religious rituals; or by any other means. Eternity in heaven comes through faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and by no other means.

Many decades ago, Rebecca embraced that truth. She chose to put her faith in Jesus Christ and then she lived the rest of her life with the certain assurance that when her time to leave this life came, she would immediately pass into the arms of Jesus.

The reason Rebecca Foster lived her life with such joy, enthusiasm, and gusto, and the reason she was able to approach death with such dignity, grace, and confidence, is precisely because she knew for certain what was waiting for her right on the other side of death. You too can have that hope – that confidence and certainty. Jesus is there for you too just like He was for Rebecca. Trust Him. Have faith in Him.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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