Who wouldn’t want to be in Heaven with the Father and Jesus? I certainly would like to be there, and the Father makes this possible for me, and for you too.

What does the Lord’s Word tell us about this in John 12:26?

’If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.’

Service. Which of us does not know this word although I think the common language uses the word ‘work’ more often. A large or at least significant part of our lives is made up of this, and it is not always rewarded according to our expectations. It could be that we are short on material things, maybe working extra unpaid hours, and it is also possible that we are hurt and offend verbally. However it may be, each of us on earth has an unwanted master, who can do good for us, but also make our work difficult. If you are a subordinate then your boss can be like this, if you have a business then your clients are like this, if you are a large company owner then your investors can be like these. Unfortunately, in most cases, we do not get what we would like and what we would expect for our service, for our work.

There is another great service here on earth, which Romans 6:16 tells us about:

’Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?’

I didn’t intentionally write so many negative attributes about our earthly service to create a strong contrast between our service to earthly people and our service to Jesus Christ, but this is simply what I see, hear, experience so I can’t do anything else but write this down. We should not deny our work as even the apostle Paul worked as it is written in Acts 18:3:

’And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.’

The Bible even advises us in this regard on how to fulfill our earthly service to people.

‘Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.’

So where is our service?

’1 Corinthians 7:22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.’

It turns out that until we accepted Jesus Christ we were slaves of sin, fear, and the law, but Jesus rescued us from all these when he bore them and nailed them to the cross.

Romans 6:16 shows us very well that we only serve Jesus and commit ourselves to him and in our lives sin makes us widows after sin alone goes into death without us, if there was any relationship with sin when we accepted Christ into our hearts we died to sin and now live for Christ.

Jesus made such a wonderful statement to us in John 14:3, that one can only think of nothing else in relation to it but to be with him always:

’And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’

Furthermore, another Word, which helps us better understand this process, is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17:

‘Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ‘

Just a reminder, where did we start today’s message?

‘John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.’

This is My confession to the Lord:

I only follow and serve Jesus and will be with Him in eternity with the Father.

And, how difficult will it be for me to do this? You decide!

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.