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Focus on Faith
The Joy of the Journey
by Brad Asbury
As a child there was a profound joy in spending my days at Granny’s. Those days were often filled with
games, imagination, and “hard” work. The “hard” work was involved in the baking of homemade sugar
cookies. The “hard” part was not eating all the cookie dough, and then afterwards not eating so many
cookies that I would be sick. The cookie dough was a delicacy, yet it did not compare to the taste of those
cookies after they came out of the oven. The cookie dough only provided a small glimpse into the sweetness
of the baked cookies.
Believe it or not, this is very much the way the Christian life should be lived. We understand that Heaven will
be the greatest wonder that we shall ever behold. Just to know that Christ has fashioned with His own hands
the place of our eternal dwelling (John 14:1-4) should be enough to cause us to overflow with joy. The
experience will only be greater as we know that our everlasting existence will be with the Father. We will be in
the presence of Almighty God, and we shall bow down before the feet of Christ and see the nails that paid
our ransom. We shall experience love as we never have before!
Yet, as Christians we must recognize that Heaven is where we are pressing towards now.. We are to enjoy
the sweetness of our relationship with Christ now. Our life with Christ now should be, as the old song says, “a
foretaste of glory divine.” We must use the present moments that we have to enjoy the greatness of knowing
Christ. Too often our lives our soured in disgust as we press through this life as if we had nothing to live for
here in earth. “To lives is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The greatness of living for Christ
should be a foretaste of that which is to come.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Our pressing on should be met with great joy even
amidst the trials and tribulations. We must know that the trials that we shall face in the race are preparations
for our future joy in Heaven. The joy of the journey is knowing that Christ is our Lord, and the journey should
grow sweeter each day. You see, this journey here is much like the cookie dough that I love to eat. It is only
a glimpse of the glory that is waiting. Paul stated in Philippians 3:20-21 that, “Our citizenship is in heaven.
And we eagerly a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like his glorious body.” You
see, the glimpse of glory is nothing compared to the final product.
This for our lives means that we are to live our Christian life with great passion for the things and ways of
God. It should be our goal to live as strangers on this earth, who are citizens of Heaven (1 Peter 1:17). We
are able to experience the “inexpressible and glorious joy” we are receiving the “goal of our faith, the
salvation of our souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). We must desire to know Christ more on a daily basis! Our life that we
live now is to be to the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. Lukewarm Christianity will never accomplish that.
Being a “Sunday Christian” will never accomplish that!
Let us live now in the fullness and joy of our relationship with Christ. Remember it should be a foretaste of
the glory that is to come. The final product will be so much better, but the joy that comes before is so sweet
that we should enjoy every moment that we are granted.
Brad Asbury is pastor at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church in Lewisport, Kentucky.
by Brad Asbury
As a child there was a profound joy in spending my days at Granny’s. Those days were often filled with
games, imagination, and “hard” work. The “hard” work was involved in the baking of homemade sugar
cookies. The “hard” part was not eating all the cookie dough, and then afterwards not eating so many
cookies that I would be sick. The cookie dough was a delicacy, yet it did not compare to the taste of those
cookies after they came out of the oven. The cookie dough only provided a small glimpse into the sweetness
of the baked cookies.
Believe it or not, this is very much the way the Christian life should be lived. We understand that Heaven will
be the greatest wonder that we shall ever behold. Just to know that Christ has fashioned with His own hands
the place of our eternal dwelling (John 14:1-4) should be enough to cause us to overflow with joy. The
experience will only be greater as we know that our everlasting existence will be with the Father. We will be in
the presence of Almighty God, and we shall bow down before the feet of Christ and see the nails that paid
our ransom. We shall experience love as we never have before!
Yet, as Christians we must recognize that Heaven is where we are pressing towards now.. We are to enjoy
the sweetness of our relationship with Christ now. Our life with Christ now should be, as the old song says, “a
foretaste of glory divine.” We must use the present moments that we have to enjoy the greatness of knowing
Christ. Too often our lives our soured in disgust as we press through this life as if we had nothing to live for
here in earth. “To lives is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). The greatness of living for Christ
should be a foretaste of that which is to come.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians said, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Our pressing on should be met with great joy even
amidst the trials and tribulations. We must know that the trials that we shall face in the race are preparations
for our future joy in Heaven. The joy of the journey is knowing that Christ is our Lord, and the journey should
grow sweeter each day. You see, this journey here is much like the cookie dough that I love to eat. It is only
a glimpse of the glory that is waiting. Paul stated in Philippians 3:20-21 that, “Our citizenship is in heaven.
And we eagerly a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies, so that they will be like his glorious body.” You
see, the glimpse of glory is nothing compared to the final product.
This for our lives means that we are to live our Christian life with great passion for the things and ways of
God. It should be our goal to live as strangers on this earth, who are citizens of Heaven (1 Peter 1:17). We
are able to experience the “inexpressible and glorious joy” we are receiving the “goal of our faith, the
salvation of our souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). We must desire to know Christ more on a daily basis! Our life that we
live now is to be to the glory and praise of Jesus Christ. Lukewarm Christianity will never accomplish that.
Being a “Sunday Christian” will never accomplish that!
Let us live now in the fullness and joy of our relationship with Christ. Remember it should be a foretaste of
the glory that is to come. The final product will be so much better, but the joy that comes before is so sweet
that we should enjoy every moment that we are granted.
Brad Asbury is pastor at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church in Lewisport, Kentucky.
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