Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall their be mourning, or crying, nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away.”  And He who was seated on the throne said,  “Behold, I am making all things new.”  Also He said,  “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Revelation 21:1-5  ESV

We all find ourselves in situations where we just wanna go home.  We want to get into our comfy clothes and do whatever it is we do to relax.  We have all been on that vacation that stringed out a little too long or that get together that isn’t as much fun as we had hoped it would be. Whatever the reason, we have all been in a situation at one time or another where we yearned to go home.

I really enjoy traveling, but when we travel by car I am always happy to see that sign that reads Bienvenue en Louisiane or Welcome to Louisiana.  But Louisiana, isn’t my home, its just my waiting room.  It’s where I wait patiently until I am called to my heavenly, permanent, home.

The Bible tells us that Jesus said in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”  So we know from the Bible that there is this wonderful place that is being prepared for us where we will spend eternity in heaven with God, our Father.  Last night, I suffered the pains of a migraine headache.  I have these from time to time, and let me tell you I am so looking forward to a time when these things are gone forever.

Our life here on earth is a journey.  We are told that there is a narrow pathway and a broad pathway.  We are encouraged to take the narrow pathway.  We are told to enter through the narrow gate in Matthew 7:13, “for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”

Have you ever tried to find a really popular event in a strange town?  If you have seen a large number of vehicles traveling in a certain direction, have you followed them in hopes that they would lead you to your destination?  Well, I have done that only to find that they were headed to another event, not the one I was looking for.  The Bible warns us that many will take the broad road that leads to destruction.  It is important that we do not follow them.

Let’s say I travel north to Tennessee from my home in Louisiana.  If I get up on the last day of my trip and head north to get home, I’m not gonna make it, right?  I will need to travel south to get back into Louisiana.  With today’s technology we can just talk to Siri and get turn by turn directions given straight from our smart phones.  It doesn’t get any easier than that.  We no longer have to unfold the map or pull out the old Road Atlas.

If only we could get to our heavenly home as easily.  Well, my friend, that journey is as hard as you make it.  You can choose to pull out your Bible or open your Bible app and follow the instructions or you can take off on your own and probably head in the wrong direction.  The choice is yours.

Now, I don’t know about you but when I experience the pain of a body that is growing older and the pains of migraine headaches I just wanna go home.  When I experience the heartache and tears that come from the loss of a loved one or even the betrayal of someone I trusted, I just wanna go home.  When I listen to the news reports of young children being molested and exploited through pornography and human trafficking, or how police officers are being ambushed and videotaped and criticized when they try to defend themselves, I just wanna go home.

I look forward to a place where there is no more physical or emotional pain.  I look forward to being in my permanent home with loved ones that have gone before me and with my heavenly Father.

So where are you headed today?  Are you heading in the direction that will take you to a home that is filled with peace and comfort?  Or, are you heading to a place that is filled with wailing, moaning, and the gnashing of teeth? (Matthew 13:42). There are only two choices for eternity.  Think about where you are headed today and where you want to go to spend eternity.  It is the single most important choice you will ever make, because it is forever.  I pray that you choose wisely.

Have a great day!