The Genuine Hearts they Possess- Day 117 (April 27th, 2021)

You are standing at the gates of paradise. Everything is golden, royal, a kingdom unlike anything you've ever seen. As you step forward, you see people you never met but now recognize. And what surprises you most is most of the people you see were not "righteous" by our standards, but sinners and broken people with dirt covering clean hearts.

You expect to see this preacher and that preacher--and sure, many preachers are there. Some notable, some not, but what you notice most is some of the most notable aren't there. 

"Why aren't (so and so) here? They were popular and always preaching."

"Their hearts were rotten. They had perfected the presentation of godliness but it was never something they truly desired. It gave them popularity and a platform... And for some, it gave them great wealth. Wealth that was fleeting and blinded them to what really matters. The heart is what qualifies you." It's a loved one telling you this. A tour guide to introduce you to your eternal home. "Jesus' death and resurrection was the down payment for salvation. But the requirement for acceptance is a genuine heart for the Savior.

The requirement has never been presentation. What you will find is some of the most "royal" people were also the dirtiest. They hid their sins and condemned others. They believed they were worthy of Christ's sacrifice, an elite class, if you will. But the truth is this and the pure in heart know this: we are worthy only because of Him and His sacrifice. He qualifies us. Only He."

As you pan around, you see that heaven, though beyond description of beauty and grandiosity, is rooted in humility. And the most humble in life are those who know they aren't enough on their own. The homeless man, broken and alone, who froze to death on a cold winter night. The pastor's son who killed himself because he was gay and couldn't live with the shame he felt. The drug addict who fatally shot up just one last time. The transwoman who wrestled and toiled and finally gave into her flawed but fuller identity.

You see their life on earth like ghost projections above them. This isn't the class of people you were taught belonged to God. And it's at this point that you see His beauty is even greater than you imagined, because He is the Father that doesn't toss away but gathers up, and the Father who pursues instead of turns a blind eye. And it occurs to you that He has always seen them for the genuine heart they possess...

Your eyes open and you find it was nothing but a dream. But what it has done is make you forever view God in a brighter light. If they love Him, He won't leave them no matter what. And if this is true, it is truly the most beautiful truth in existence.


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