My mother is 94 and when we talk she is spending more time talking about heaven. In fact a while back she came out in the living room and announced that she was really disappointed. Why, I asked. She said “I dreamed I was in heaven and when I woke up I was in Yuma”. That made both Dave and I laugh. Yes, I can imagine that would be disappointing.
Thinking about the things I have to be thankful for and things I’m looking forward too. Like Mom, I know heaven will be better than Yuma. Heaven is being in the presence of God; one scripture says that in His presence is fullness of joy! It is also the absence of sin, sickness, poverty, fear, hatred, stress, anxiety and heart ache. None of these will be in heaven and Jesus came to bring the power of heaven to earth.
Remember Jesus teaching His disciples to pray – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. I pray that for you today – Lord, let Your kingdom come in the lives of my friends today. Let them realize they can live in your presence, your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!
I know this is possible because when Jesus was in the synagogue and was given the Scriptures to read, He found the place from Isaiah that said
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Luke 4:18-21 Holman
And then Jesus went out and did exactly what He had just read from the Scripture. His ministry was healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind and setting free those whose lives had been in bondage to sin. His message and His power are the same today – now that power flows through us as His ambassadors.
“What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:19-21 CEV
If you are doubting your ability to fulfill the task, just remember that God has promised to equip us for “every good work”.
“All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 ERV
Enjoy God’s presence today and then take a little bit of heaven to those around you. They could certainly use it too!
“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV