Who will be there with you?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Salvation past, present, and future”

Our Bible verse for today: “While he was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to the one who was speaking to him, ‘Who is my mother and who are my brothers?’ Stretching his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:46-50 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Who will be there with you?”

In the passage we just read from Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus was not being unkind or disrespectful towards His mother, brothers, and sisters. They were his biological family and He loved them. His comments in that passage were designed to teach a larger spiritual truth. Biological relationships are important but spiritual relationships are more important. Your biological ties to parents, siblings, and relatives will end at the death of your mortal bodies. But your spiritual bonds to your brothers and sisters in Christ will last for all eternity.

That being the case, the spiritual bond with your brothers and sisters in Christ is more important than your biological bonds with your flesh-and-blood family because it is your spiritual family that you will spend eternity with. Hopefully your biological family members are also part of your spiritual family and they will therefore be with you in eternity too. If that is not the case, then I encourage you to make their salvation a high priority in your life. Pray for them, witness to them, and serve them in the name of Jesus. You want them to enjoy eternity with you.

At the end of the previous devotional, as we gave some thought to what life on the new earth in our resurrection bodies will be like, I suggested that we also consider who will be there with us. It will be all those who have ever placed their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. I realize this seems like a no-brainer but we don’t give enough serious thought to this important truth. As we consider the amazing eternity Jesus has prepared for those who are His, we need to realize there are many who will never get to experience that.

In this series I haven’t talked much about hell but make no mistake, hell is as real as heaven. And just as the Bible reveals a lot about the new heaven and the new earth, it also tells us about hell. If someone is not with you in eternal paradise, it will be because they are in eternal hell – and eternal hell will be every bit as bad as the eternal heaven will be good.

There is still more for us to learn about eternity in paradise but before we do, please spend some time thinking and praying about those you know who are not currently headed to heaven. Make an extra effort today to reach out to someone with the Good News that God will forgive their sins through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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