Great peace in the promise of Salavation

2 Corinthians 5:5-7 (NLT)

6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.

The apostle tells that while we live in our earthly bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For those who believe Christ and trust His message of Salvation are at home upon the death of their earthly body. The apostle reminds us that our faith comes from believing and not requiring the proof to see. In John 20:27-29 Jesus said the following, “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” So it is faith in The Lord that establishes our home in heaven.

I share this verse from time to time in my devotions. It is one that has brought me great comfort the past few weeks. For when my mother passed away on March 24th after being diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer on March 14th I knew The Lord had taken her home to be with him.

My mother wasn’t a perfect person and had many failures in her life, but she believed the promises of The Lord. She didn’t need to see Jesus as Thomas did, but instead had faith without ever seeing Jesus. Because she believed I knew where her final home would be and because of my faith in The Lord I know she in heaven; resting peacefully and comfortably without pain or suffering. Knowing this has brought me great peace.

There have been some other friends I have known a long time that have passed away within recent weeks. I knew these people to also have faith in the promises of The Lord and His gift of Salvation. These were friends I grew up with and went to school with. So again I go back to the verse above knowing now that they are not present in their earthly bodies they are present with The Lord and my mother and my grandmother and many more family members and friends.  For that I say, Praise God who so loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.