Who needs Heaven?

Heaven! That future home has been on my mind more these days.
Isaiah caught a glimpse of Heaven and it changed his life. When the Lord allowed him to see the wonders of the Throne Room of God and the angels that worship God perpetually, he was overcome by the realization of his sinfulness and cried, "I am doomed because I am a filthy man!" (Isaiah 6) And, in response to his confession, God made him clean, fit for holy service.

Paul tells of being lifted up to Heaven, seeing visions that were too holy to describe. Those visions sustained his faith through a life of unbelievable difficulties in his ministry and near the end of his earthly journey allowed him to face his pending execution with this hope: "now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return." (2 Timothy 4:8, NLT)

John, in that book of unveiling, The Revelation, tries to describe other worldly visions with this world's language. He gives us language that shapes Heaven for most Believers, including such ideas as streets of gold, gates of pearl, and streams of pure water. Who can really fully understand all that John means with statements like these? God "took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God. The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. ... The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl. The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass." (Revelation 21:10-11, 21 The Message)

While I anticipate the amazing beauty of the City of God, the best part of Heaven is the promise that says, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4, NIV) Oh, what joy! The Lord I love now only in part, I will then love with no distance. The hand of Jesus will dry my tears and I'll never cry again, ever. No regret, no pain, no disappointment, no longing for what cannot be, no loneliness exists where God, in all His Fullness, holds us close and banishes sin. "After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God." (Revelation 19:1, NIV)

Does all this talk of Heaven strike you as irrelevant, just the musing of someone who is trying to escape the pressures of this present life? That's how I once thought, too. I had little time for Heaven for I said, "there's just too much living right here and right now to 'waste' time thinking about Eternity. I'll enjoy it when I get there!" What a foolish boy I was. Heaven is for now. A Christian who does not have Heaven in view on the horizon of life will wander, become distracted by earth's pleasures, and even lose heart when the questions outrun his answers.

A firm grasp on the promise of Heaven and the disciple's assurance of eternal life is what keeps him on track, holy and wholly committed to a godly life. The Word says, "We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth." (Colossians 1:3-6, NIV) In The Message that passage reads thus: "We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. It’s the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more." Isn't that rich?

Plant your heart in Heaven. Invest yourself in God's work, as Jesus said, "laying up treasure" that is beyond the reach of decay, rust, or thieves! Let the hope of your Eternal Home keep the lines of purpose taut!
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O, heaven is in my heart, O, heaven is in my heart.
The kingdom of our God is here, Heaven is in my heart.
The presence of His majesty, Heaven is in my heart.
And in His presence joy abounds, Heaven is in my heart.
The light of holiness surrounds, Heaven is in my heart.

His precious life on me He spent, Heaven is in my heart.
To give me life without an end, Heaven is in my heart.
In Christ is all my confidence, Heaven is in my heart.
The hope of my inheritance, Heaven is in my heart.

We are a temple for His throne, Heaven is in my heart.
And Christ is the foundation stone, Heaven is in my heart.
He will return to take us home, Heaven is in my heart.
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" Heaven is in my heart.

Heaven is in My Heart
Graham Kendrick
© 1991 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)

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