Midweek Message from the Archive
Let’s Talk About Heaven
When you were a child you probably looked up and asked someone about heaven, most kids do. It’s a topic that warms the soul and gives you hope. The afterlife is one of the foundational teachings of the Bible and yet isn’t discussed much, except at a funeral. For the next few Midweek Messages from the Archive I will discuss this topic and see what scripture has to say on the subject.
We do know some things about heaven: we know that God, through Jesus Christ, created and sustains it, has authority over it, and He dwells there (Col. 1:15-17). We know it’s a destination for the believer after death and that it’s an actual place (Luke 16:19-31; 1 Peter 1:4). I want you to think for a moment if heaven is just what we see when we look up, amidst the clouds and the blue sky, or is it more, much more than that? My Pastor likes to use the phrase “heaven and earth overlapping” at times and I really like that. It causes me to stretch my thinking that heaven is more than what I can see with my eyes; on one level it’s what I experience every day and on a higher level it’s my future. Jesus tells us in Matt. 5 that heaven can be envisioned as a kingdom when heavenly principles overlap with our earth and we see that interconnectedness. Let’s delve into that divine connection with more clarity.
When God reaches down with His hand of grace and mercy in our lives we know that heaven has connected with earth or God has connected with man. When the final days of this earth have arrived and a new epoch or distinctive period of time begins, we will see a new heaven and a new earth. Now that’s something to think about! Yes, heaven is the place that a believer’s spirit goes at the moment he dies. Yes, heaven is a wonderful place; a place where you are in the presence of God. But heaven isn’t just that, it’s much, much more. It’s an awareness that God is active in our everyday lives and there is evidence that we can see of His activity. Jesus prayed, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10 NLT). That should be our prayer also.
This week, may you have a new awareness of the overlapping of heaven and earth in your life. Watch for those times and places when God shows up to let you know that He loves you and wants to be an active part of your life.
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