Heaven on Earth

As I get older, Heaven becomes more real. Not because I'm that old (said with a smile), but because the number of my loved ones there continues to grow. As painful as the process of loss is here on earth, it reminds us there is something beyond this life. There are so many scriptures about the gift of eternal life. In the book of John, Jesus told Martha "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die." John 11:25-26 Also, Jesus anticipates the coming of those who trust in Him, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." John 14:1-3 "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." Philippians 3:20-21 The thought of experiencing the wonder of Heaven is soothing to my heart. Heaven is being in God's presence. So first we might ask, how can I get in God's presence today? The answer to this question is incredible! God wants you to be in His presence so bad, He sent His son to die for you. God wants to have a relationship with you and for you to be with Him. Who else would ever sacrifice their son so you could spend time with them? Why would God have to sacrifice His son to be with us? The only way we can come before a holy God is through the sacrifice of someone holy and without sin, that someone is Jesus. As a result of this sacrifice, we can experience a life with our Heavenly Father not only when we die but today. Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” In addition to being a place where we spend eternity, heaven will also bring complete peace to our hearts. This life isn't heaven and I'm reminded of that more each day; however we can enjoy a glimpse of heaven as we spend time with our Father. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16.33 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14.27 “The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” Psalm 29:11 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 All these truths are just a small taste of the peace God has intended for his children. If you are hungry for the peace found in the streets of heaven, feast on His truths today and He will provide.

I'm reminded of chapter 3 in Ecclesiastes. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." As we go through our own seasons of life, we can remember heaven is at our fingertips. We can be closer to our Father because He made a way. To me, being closer to Him means being closer to those I have lost. <3 In conclusion I'm sharing a quote from C.S. Lewis on hoping for something more- “Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. “At present we are on the outside… the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get “in”… We will put on glory… that greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch. We do not want to merely “see” beauty–though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words–to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it