"Heaven"

Way down south in Alabam,

With gulf shores water blue,

The lush, green grass of Baldwin,

And all the oak trees, too.

The wiregrass with its sandy soil,

And everything they grow,

The soy and peanuts, cotton, too,

And, yes, pecans you know.

The rolling pastures of old Lowndes,

The hills as you go north,

The blue ridge pointing higher,

As Sand Mountain calls you forth.

And, yes, it was sweet home to me,

Till Texas made its claim,

But the heart of that old Lone Star state,

Is better than its fame.

And what I learned that since way back,

The Bama boys have come,

Crossed that old Red River,

And though that’s where they’re from,

They found along with Travis,

A place to live and die,

Across the endless rolling plains,

And under that blue sky.

Hoof and horn and hide and hair,

It’s saddle up and ride,

Thankfully the cowboy way,

Humbly without pride.

And in the end the final home,

Is not this earth at all,

But looking to eternity,

And to the Savior’s call.

Heaven is our final hope,

And bought by Jesus’ blood,

We can know we’re going there,

When they lay us in the mud.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12, NIV)

This life is all about the next. Where we are from and the culture that shapes us has value, but nothing compares to our heavenly home. We can be sure about it, based on the promise of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. He gives witness that we belong to God and have become a part of His forever family. Our personal surrender to Jesus insures and assures us that it is true. When we know with certainty we are unafraid to die and can live on purpose.

Lord, help us celebrate heaven until we get there and celebrate forever, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.