by Jim Hughes
Ps. 84:1-2 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing, to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
To be where God is ought to be the longing of every believer’s heart. God gives us glimpses of what heaven will be like and we can only imagine just how grand, majestic and glorious it will be. God reveals heaven to us in human language and I am convinced that it is far more than anything we can imagine. What we know of heaven captivates our thoughts. We want to go there. In fact, it is the longing of all who believe there is God. All but those who refuse to acknowledge that God is, want to go there. For most people there longing for heaven is merely wishful thinking, but for the redeemed it is certain reality.
Yet, the longing of the soul should be where God is today. He is with us. We do not have to wait to get to heaven in order to enter into God’s presence. Being with God today should equally captivate our hearts. We should have a longing in our hearts to approach God. Drawing near to God should stir our souls like nothing else can. The glory and holiness of God are beyond human imagining. To be in the presence of eternal and pure love is beyond our ability to fully appreciate. Oh, the beauty of the Lamb! Oh, to be near to the heart of God! Oh, the glory of our God and King!
Sing His praises today! With your whole being, body and soul, praise His holy name! Shout joyfully unto the Lord, for He has saved your soul. Shout joyfully unto the Lord for He is with you and will never leave or forsake you. Shout joyfully unto the Lord and let Him know how much you love Him. Shout it; don’t whisper it. The Lord Almighty is MY God. The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!
Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, praise His holy name.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.