"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32 ESV)
Oh, that we would be like old Simeon whose heart longed for just one thing—just one thing! That is, to see the Lord Jesus Christ with our own eyes. Nothing else mattered more to him than to behold the Lord’s Christ. And this has always been the heart of followers of God. The Psalmist says, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.” (Psa 27:4 ESV) “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psa 16:11 ESV).
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. (Psa 17:15 ESV) Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psa 73:25-26 ESV) The ultimate joy of heaven is not escaping suffering—it’s God! The ultimate joy of heaven is not free food—it’s God! The ultimate joy of heaven is not even reunion with our loved ones who have gone before us—it is reunion with the One who saved our very souls through his death and resurrection, our Lord and Savior and God, Jesus Christ! No one else is more precious to us than him!
I remember hearing about an old pastor who loved preaching about Christ. As his mind began to fail due to Alzheimer’s, he no longer recognized his own son when he visited. But only one thing mattered to the old preacher. He grabbed his son’s hand and asked him, “Do you know Jesus? If not, let me introduce him to you.” Alzheimer’s is terrible and may rob our loved ones of some of their most precious memories. But the one thing that Alzheimer’s can never truly rob a person of is Christ. Where everything else fails, Christ remains!
Article by: Samuel Chua
