But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Corinthians 2:9
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12: 24-26
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24
An easy comfortable life here on earth often makes heaven a passing thought. For those who have taken the path of The Way in pursuit of Christ know that the enemy wants their death and destruction, and life here can be precarious, dangerous, and difficult. Yet heaven seems to have become a ‘back seat’ conversation from the pulpits. Paul was VERY aware of his goal. He did not allow himself to remain in a comfortable position, but pressed hard into the calling the Lord had given him.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Heaven!!! What a glorious goal and promise!! To be with Him in His kingdom! To be with .. family eternally. This topic should be one of great excitement within those who have it as their goal. To think of the awesome plans that God has made for us! I honestly can think of some wild things in my imagination about what He could have in store for us.. and yet according to Paul we haven’t even begun to … know. Several prophets have made attempts to explain but trying to bring things into this realm when there are things that can’t even be described — translation becomes very difficult. We only have this frame of existence to draw words from… and there obviously is SO much more.
My heart more and more is drawn to pondering His heavenly Kingdom. We as humans tend to simplify things that are so much more complex and detailed beyond our cursory experiences and senses. Yet I’ve come to realize that Heaven is WAY more than earth in every way. Bigger, more beautiful, bigger mountains, more beautiful forests, flowers everywhere, and the best soft grass covered hills prefect for children to play on. The most majestic waterfalls, rivers, and lakes that take one’s breath away. Then of course there is the city of God… described by John in Revelation. It currently is larger than the earth could handle … because of gravity. So there will definitely have to be changes to the current earth for it to become the place of His city. The city streets being pure gold will make them translucent making it seem like you’re walking on golden glass able to see way down into the foundations. The light streaming off the city will be multi-colored like the rainbow of Noah. Everything there is ALIVE and has a sound, that can be experienced with new ears that can hear even greater frequencies. Imagine being able to hear flowers because of their sounds.
If you’ve never pondered heaven — I suggest getting the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn. It’s a great source to get your imagination fired up. Have you had glimpses of your destination eternal home? Let me know in the comments.