I've often heard people describe heaven as a place where we will serve and praise God for all eternity. I know this sounds awful, but in my fallen human flesh, that doesn't sound like much fun. I heard Pastor Greg Laurie, one of my favorite radio pastors, once say, some people make heaven sound like one long church service. He agreed that didn't sound very enticing.
I think it is difficult for people to understand that heaven will be as real as the room I am sitting in right now, if not more so. We will have life to live and work to do. My husband once asked, "How can it be heaven if we have to work?" I imagine the work will not seem like work, because it will be perfectly designed and assigned by our Heavenly Father, who knows us better than we know ourselves. He will be sure we are in a line of work that glorifies him and fulfills us.
Just imagine...no lazy colleague loafing through the day, making everyone else's job harder. No go-getter clawing to the top of the chain, stepping on everyone in the way. No tattletale trying to make herself look better than everyone else. No stressed out boss, taking out his frustrations on innocent bystanders. No government mandates that are unrealistic and unfair. No ridiculous quotas, waiting at the end of every month. No lay-offs...no moves overseas...I could go on and on.
Getting back to the original thought, though, how can serving be fun? And praising for all eternity? But then I got to thinking...
One thing I love to do more than anything in the whole word is serving my family a meal. I love the process of planning the menu, shopping for the groceries, setting the table, welcoming my loved ones, and especially watching them enjoy what I've made. It is one way I let my family know how much I love them. I am a good cook. I enjoy doing it. And I LOVE sharing it with the people who mean the most to me. This is what I think our job in heaven will be like. I am serving, and loving every minute of it!
And when it comes to praising...for me, what is more fun than telling Ridley, my baby, how much I love him? I never get tired of kissing his chubby cheeks, cuddling and telling him how much he means to me and how special he is. It never gets boring or redundant. In fact, the more time we spend together, the more he does that amazes me. I know this is what it will be like to live with God. It will be authentic worship we will never tire of. And God will continually give us more and more reason to be in awe of him and thank him for including us in his incredible world.
These are things we should look forward to. No matter what happens here on earth, we are destined to live eternally with God, in a perfect place. There is one catch though...we must accept Jesus as our savior and allow him to pay our penalty for the sins we commit every day.
I once heard someone say, "The closest to heaven people who don't know Jesus will get is here on earth; and the closet to hell people who know Jesus will get is here on earth." I see a lot here that is sad and depressing. It is a comfort and joy to know this is not my home...I'm just passing though! And God has picked out a perfect role for me to play in his kingdom for eternity. What an honor and privilege!
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