April 16, 2013

  • Why does God Keep His children here on earth?

    When two people get married, they usually leave the wedding festivities and head off on a honeymoon. When a person takes a new job, a change of office or work location is usually in order. When students progress from high school to college, they leave one campus and begin their studies on another. However, when people become God's children, they do not leave earth and move on immediately to heaven. Why not? Why does God keep His kids here on earth?

    All people play a part in God's plan for this world. Every person has had a job to do from the time of the first man, Adam. Genesis says God "placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it" (Genesis 2:15, GNT). Although God wanted Adam to enjoy a personal relationship with Him, Adam's existence has a purpose beyond companionship. Adam was to be God's gardener in Eden. And Adam continued working the land outside the Garden of Eden until he died.

    Jesus' life reflects this concept, too. In the Gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples that He found nourishment in doing God's will and in finishing God's work. When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He declared He had brought God glory by finishing the work God had given Him to do. And when Jesus groaned His final words, "It is finished," only then did He depart this life because He had completed the work of redemption. His death was a vital part of the work God had given Him to do.

    The same essential principle applies today. It does not matter whether you are healthy, wealthy, in a good social position, or not. God's children remain on earth to fulfill the job God has given each one to do. What is that job? To be Christ's ambassadors -- a position each child will hold until God calls each one to heaven.

    Worth thinking about

    *What kind of a world would it be if God took His children immediately to heaven? Without anyone to exhibit God's righteousness, the world would be bound by hopelessness and fear.

    *According to Ephesians, God leaves His children on earth to bring glory and honor to Him by the way they live.

    *The apostle Peter reminded readers that God's children are here on earth to "show others the goodness of God" (1 Peter 29:9, NLT).

    "God has a purpose for the rest of our time on Planet Earth -- and it isn't to make money. God leaves us here because He wants others to come to know His love and mercy through our witness." Eddie Rasnake

    Excerpts from: 100 answers to 100 questions about God/Lila Empson/S.M. Hupp