WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind can
conceive, the things God has prepared for those who love Him.”
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever given much thought about Heaven? Have you tried to
visualize what it might be like in Heaven. Man has attempted to give
us an idea about it through movies, and pastors have tried to explain
their ideas of what it will be like.

But no matter how much we try to picture Heaven, the scriptures tell
us we have no idea of what God has prepared for us. We might ask,
    “Why doesn’t He provide more details about Heaven?”
Of course, God is the only one who can answer that question, but it
might be that this is the foundation of our faith – we believe there is
a Heaven and God will be there.

If ten people were to describe what they think would be Heaven for them,
chances are we would get ten different ideas. Why? Because each person
has a different opinion of what would be Heaven for them based on their
life experiences, personality and desires.

When we think about Heaven, each of us knows the things we would
like to see eliminated from our current life, and the things we would
like to see added to our life. In our mind, the combination of these
two things would bring happiness (Heaven) into our life.

If we could design our own Heaven, each of us might ask ourselves,
    “What if I forgot something?”
Even if we didn’t forget anything, how could the Heaven we designed
be pleasing to everyone else?

Will we have jobs in Heaven? What will each day look like? Will we enjoy
the things in Heaven that we enjoy here on earth (hobbies, sports, etc.)?
Isn’t it awesome to know that God is the designer? We may not have any
concept of what He is doing, but we know it’s going to be great!

In Revelation we are given these words,
    Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven
    and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any
    sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
    heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
    husband.
    And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s
    dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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 21:1-4)

Think about what we have been told:
    An invisible God will now be visible! He will be living with us!
    The old order of things will be gone! The paradise that was lost
    will now be regained! No more pain, no more death, no more
    tears! We know it will not be boring because God says,
        “I am making everything new”
        (Revelation 21:45)

Does it really matter that we have a good understanding of the details
of Heaven? It doesn’t, does it? What matters the most is that we have
made Heaven our ultimate goal for eternity, and that we are trying to
live a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

ACTION:
Is Heaven your ultimate goal? If not, then what do you expect to happen
when your life on earth is over? Since God is preparing something so great
that we can’t even fathom what it’s like, doesn’t it just make sense that all
people would want to be with Him for eternity?

It can be difficult to give up some things that we enjoy, but are not
pleasing to God. With that thought in mind what should be our plan
of action?

If we need legal advice, we consult with a lawyer. If we need health advice,
we consult with a doctor. If we need help with performing better in sports,
we consult with a coach. If we need help with singing, we consult with a
voice coach.

Anytime we need help with something, we consult with someone with
knowledge in that area. If we are struggling with pleasing God over
pleasing self, then it makes sense to consult with God, right? How do
we do that? We read His Word (the bible), and we pray.

Instead of trying to change everything ourselves, we need to tell God
about our desire to change and ask for His help in making it happen.
We might be surprised at the methods He uses to help us. They could
be frustrating or emotionally painful, but we know we can trust Him
and His ways are for our good.

Life on earth might seem like a long time, but it is no more than the
blink of an eye when compared to eternity. Heaven is prepared by
God and it is a place where we know we can enjoy life without all
the pain, worry, disappointment, and frustrations that we have now.

However, if we miss out on Heaven, we will experience a new type
of pain and suffering that we could never imagine. Adding to the
magnitude of our suffering is the constant reminder that we could
have avoided our eternal misery (and separation from God), if we
had made different choices and had lived a life focused on pleasing
God, as opposed to pleasing our lustful desires.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I love You and want to be with You in eternity.
I still struggle with the temptations the world throws at me every
day. I am tired of fighting everything myself and I ask You to help
me overcome these life challenges to yield to lustful desires. Also,
I ask You to guide me in serving You by using the spiritual gifts
You gave me I received Your salvation. Create in me a heart that
loves You more every day, so I will ultimately enjoy the Heaven
You’ve prepared for those who love You. Thank You for Your love,
grace, mercy and forgiveness, and for sending Your Son to take the
punishment I deserve.”

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