Heaven

"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6b

Eternity.  Heaven.  Forever.  These are words that we have a hard time getting our minds around.  We are much more comfortable with the here and now.  Eternity is a fact for every soul.  Where one will spend that eternity is the question.  I choose heaven.  I choose now.  Eternity with Christ began the minute that you accepted Jesus as your Savior.  You can know a very small amount of heaven now as you walk in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  In His presence is joy and peace and love.  The relationship that you have today with God will continue and grow and explode when you get to heaven!

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though the outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day be day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things whcih are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I am approaching 50.  I take good care of my body with nutrition and supplements and exercise.  But!  I see the reality of my body decaying.  Athletes in the Olympics are at their peak in their teens and twenties.  Rarely do we see a world athlete beyond thirty.  This world and these bodies will pass away, but our souls will last forever.  In comparison, this time is nothing!  The pain, the hurt, the grief, the worry, will soon be forgotten in the presence of God.  And we can begin to experience His presence even now because our inner man is being renewed day by day through the word of God, prayer, and fellowship with God. 

God's house.  His abode.  His dwelling place.  Right now we are hidden under His wings (Psalm 19 and 36).  We are abiding with Jesus through His word and prayer even now!  But our experiences often make us seek for other refuges, or we scamper out from under His protection.  But in Heaven we will bask safely forever under His wings, in His abode, face to face!  Are you getting excited yet?!  I am!  I can't wait.  In His presence forever there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more evil. 

Praise God today for His reality of heaven forever.  We read a children's book once by Janette Oke about a prairie dog pup.  He knew safety and provision in his den.  His mother was usually right there with him and his siblings.  He had plenty to eat and had room to play.  His mother prepared him for the day that he would come up out of his den for the first time.  While he sat in the dark feeling protected and loved, he could not imagine light and blue skies, and green grass, and fragrant flowers.  But the day finally came.  He poked his head out of the dark and entered into a world of wonder.  I think that is how we will feel when we get to heaven.  We think we have it all here.  We think that this is real, but it is just a shadow of what is to come.  One song says that God made the world in 7 days, but He has been working on Heaven for 2000 years!

Go to your Shepherd.  Let Him meet your needs.  Let Him restore your soul through salvation and a  walk with Him.  Find His protection.  Rejoice in His presence.  Wait upon Him.  The wait will be worth it!!! For you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Hint of the day:  Blind fold your kids for 15 minutes.  It will seem like forever to them.  While they are blindfolded secretly set the table with something good (a treat).  When they remove the blindfold experience their thankfulness.  Tell them that we are now blinded to the things of eternity, but God will remove our blinders and we will see Him face to face for real and that will be the best treat ever!