For the Lord Himself will descend with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.     1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV

Many people like to travel and make great preparations to do so. We coordinate with family members and friends that will be joining us. And we go about all the tasks necessary to make it a pleasant experience.

The most important journey we will ever take is the one that leads us to an eternity with the Lord. The preparation for this journey will take your lifetime. Are you ready? If you were to be called to Him right now, would you be ready to go?

Many people begin a journey by going to their travel agent. They like to speak to someone who is knowledgeable about the area and what it has to offer. They like to consult someone on the best places to stay and the best mode of transportation. For Christians, our travel agent is usually our local church. We need to find a good Bible teaching church, attend regularly and get involved. It helps us to understand the journey. It helps us to gain a better understanding of how we get there. It’s a good starting point to arrange our travel.

If we are going somewhere we have never been before, we may want to study to learn what we can about the area. We may even want to take a language course to make communication easier. For Christians, Bible study teaches us about the differences between heaven and hell. It teaches us all about heaven and most importantly it clearly outlines what God expects of us.

Most of us don’t have the opportunity to speak to someone from where we plan to go, but as Christians we can talk to Jesus continually. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We should be in constant communication with Jesus.

The one thing we have no control over on this journey is when we go. This is planned for us by our Creator. We are told in Mark 13:32, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” In Matthew 24:42, Jesus said, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

It would be odd to pack and prepare for a trip not knowing if you would be going tomorrow or 30 years from now, but that’s how it is with our journey home to heaven. Oh, and by the way, heaven is meant to be our eternal home. Our former pastor used to say, “If anyone goes to hell, they go as a trespasser because God created us to be in fellowship with Him and to spend eternity in heaven.”

As we prepare for our journey, we need to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). We need to draw near to God. We need to clean our hands and purify our hearts (James 4:8). And most importantly we need to humble ourselves before Him (James 4:10).

When we do these things, we put God first in all we do. We focus on Him and His righteousness. We trust in Him to provide all we need (Matthew 6:33).

There are parts of my life I love here on earth, but there are things I see here, like all the evil, that leaves me yearning to just go home. I don’t know when God will decide it’s time for me to go home, but I’m packed up and ready to roll.

Imagine the peace and joy we will feel being in God’s presence continually for eternity. Are you preparing now? Are you ready to roll? I hope so.

Have a great day!