There are many affirmations of a genuine conversion. Here is one you may not have thought of. A deep longing to be with Christ.

Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.(Hebrews 9:28)

There is a deep ache in the soul to be home… with Christ… in heaven. This longing is stronger and more regular than many other longings. It grows exponentially over time. You find yourself thinking about it often. You look up at the sky every week wondering if that day will be THE day Jesus returns. You look forward to seeing God more than you look forward to a vacation. You can’t wait to hear God say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Streets of gold don’t matter nor does seeing loved ones again as much as seeing Jesus, the one who died for you. Crowns don’t mean a whole lot nor does moving into the mansion where you’ll live forever when compared to being at Jesus’ feet. For the one who eagerly waits for Jesus the number one thought is being in God’s presence and finally seeing Him face to face.

Personally, I’m not afraid to die but I do have some anxiety about the process of dying. Yet that is in God’s hands and I am then reminded…

We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord… (2 Cor 5:8)

To live is Christ, to die is gain… (Phil 1:21)

This slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:17-18)

This perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:53-55)