Vacation: “eat, drink, and be merry”

              Last week, I got to go on a 8 day vacation to the beautiful beaches of Florida with my parents, brothers and sisters, and their babies. Every day was filled with awesome home cooked meals, walks to the beach, sunsets and hilarious board games. Basically my idea of heaven.

                A part of me, surrounded by all these blessings thought “why not stay here, in America where everything comfortable and familiar, where I am surrounded by people who love me and my family, where I can stop by my parents house any day or time for a warm meal and encouragement. Where I can watch my nieces and nephews grow up, and see the new ones being born. Why not eat, drink, and be merry and enjoy the blessings here.”

God reminded me of Corinthians 15 Here Paul is speaking to the Corinthians who are doubting the resurrection, and Paul is honest with them in saying…

32 And what value was there…if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s eat, drink,and be merry for tomorrow we die!”

If Christ is not raised, and if we are not regenerated in Him, why not move to Florida, forever!

I remember minutes after Jesse proposed to me, we were walking in the woods admiring the general beauty of nature and we began to talk about how we would love to have a cabin in the woods one day, that that would be our little piece of heaven. Then we paused and looked at each other and Jesse said, “I wonder if God will let us retire” and I said, “yeah, I guess we can save heaven for heaven, God has stuff for us to do”. We knew very little that day where God was leading us, that perspective now is so important. Paul continues…

 “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead!” 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Why not indulge heaven on earth…because He was raised.

The convicting thing is that I often live as though Christ was not raised. I think it might be satan’s ploy in my life. Just don’t think about it. Sometimes I will get half way through my day or even week, I’ll be sitting in church or listening to a worship song and it will hit “AH! Christ really did live and die for me! He REALLY gives me power over sin; The Creator of the universe really wants to know me and all His children!”

So in a nutshell…That is why I can leave my adorable nieces and nephews. Because even my ability to enjoy them, my love for my family, my parents unconditional love for me is all a reflection of HIS LOVE. The God who desires me, and desires the world to know him.