Living with the Promise of Seeing Jesus’ Face

On Saturday, I attended Margaret Bayne’s memorial service at Camp Homewood. Hers was a 96-year life well lived. The tributes paid to her proved it.

For me, a highlight was the singing of the old hymn “Face to Face“:

Margaret was a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. She spoke about Him with every opportunity that came her way, encouraging others to acknowledge Him as Savior and to be His disciple. No doubt she could hardly wait to meet Jesus face to face, and now that longing has become reality.

The lyrics of the hymn—one of Margaret’s favorites—moved me to tears. The beauty of heaven no doubt surpasses anything our human imaginations can fathom, but meeting Jesus…words can’t adequately describe what that will be like.

Recalling what Jesus has done for us

Sometimes life gets so crazy busy that we fail to reflect Jesus, who He is, and what He’s done for us. We forget that He emptied Himself of everything that was rightfully His to take on human form. We forget that He became a man who experienced thirst, hunger, fatigue, grief, and temptation. He suffered scorn, beatings, and death on our behalf because He loved us even though we didn’t deserve it.

And now Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand in heaven, and He prays for us. He’s also preparing a place for us so we can spend eternity with Him.

Jesus is real. He’s not a fairy tale, nor a figment of someone’s imagination. He’s the risen Son of God—alive and well and deserving our love and obedience. He is our breath, our life. He quenches our spiritual thirst and He satisfies our spiritual hunger.

Have you invited Jesus to be your Savior?

Those who have placed their trust in Jesus alone for salvation will someday spend eternity with Him. Someday He’ll wrap His arms around them, and all the pain experienced while on earth will fade away. Someday they, like Margaret, will see Him face to face. What a moment!

Do you know Jesus? If not, you can do so right now. Acknowledge that you’re a sinner in need of forgiveness. Accept His free gift of salvation, and you will have eternal life. It’s really that simple:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I made the decision to follow Jesus when I was eight years old. That was just the beginning of my faith journey. Life has thrown me a few curveballs, but Jesus has been there for me all the way. I can’t imagine living life without Him. And I don’t want you to live without Him, either.