And When I See Him

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (I John 3:2).

This past week I received a text message from a Brother-in-Christ, asking me to answer a question that he was posing to several other Christian men. He asked, “What are you most looking forward to about heaven?”

My answer to his question was, “That when I see Him, I will be like Him.” To which he responded, “Can you elaborate in a few sentences?” So I did.

My response was, “Though my sins have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and my name has been indelibly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, I still live in a fallen world and daily have to deal with a carnal nature that is plagued by temptations. In that moment, spoken of in I John 3:2, when I see my Savior face to face, all vestiges of my carnal nature will be burned away and I will be like Him. Free at Last!”

I am so very tired of the push, pull and drag of my carnal nature, which incessantly attempts to pull me from finding my greatest pleasure, satisfaction and joy in my Lord Jesus. Like the Psalmist said, “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11).

The world around us is rife with counterfeit pleasures, promising us, the moon, as it were. Pleasures that titillate and tantalize for a moment. Even the Bible admits that sin is pleasurable and talks about, “…enjoying the passing pleasures of sin…” (Hebrews 11:25). And, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, that first sweet bite of the forbidden fruit, soon turned extremely bitter.

Every temptation that one faces while on this earth comes in one of three ways, “…the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life…” (I John 2:16). The Lust of the Flesh: If it feels good, do it. The Lust of the Eyes: I just got to have one of those. The Boastful Pride of Life: Do you see me?

Now, I must admit that there were temptations that plagued me in my youth that today are no temptation at all. Today, the temptations that cross my path are temptations that had no attraction for me in my youth. It is as if our mortal enemy, the Devil, even becomes more sophisticated in his tempting efforts as we grow more wise in the ways of God and the world around us. But it does not mean that he hangs up his spurs and no longer goads us in the ribs with things meant to take our eyes and affections off of Jesus.

I am tired of all that! With each passing day, the desire of my heart grows stronger, I want to be like Him. And one day, when I see Him face to face, in a nano second, I will be like Him and no longer subject to the temptations of this life. Come Lord Jesus, Come!