Heaven

God asked me the other day, "When you imagine Heaven, what do you think of?" This took me by surprise, because it was totally random and unrelated to anything I was doing or thinking at the time. God likes to speak to me suddenly like that pretty often. It always makes for a good reality check. :)

I am going to put forth an image of Heaven for you. Please imagine this with me:

You arrive and are greeted by family and friends that have arrived before you. In the background, you hear music seemingly in surround sound that does not even begin to compare to your favorite earthly songs because it is so beyond them in beauty and emotion.
Together with your loved ones, you explore the city totally created with the brilliance of flawless, pure gold and breathtaking, costly stones... precious gems and diamonds, all shining forth rays of colors that are too magnificent to describe. No concrete sidewalks or black asphalt streets here. You meet a lot of people and hear really awesome stories about their past.
After exploring, you and your loved ones sit down at a table that is full of the most delicious foods you have ever laid eyes on. The smells of the dishes make your mouth water. You enjoy this great feast with your family and friends, laughing and talking about sweet memories, all the while relieved and elated to know that all the food you are consuming in is not going to add a single inch to your new body's waistline.
After this feast, your loved ones show you their mansions. They then take you to the front doorstep of yours, tell you to enjoy exploring your new eternal home, and they'll see you later for ____________(fill in your favorite hobby/pastime here... sports, movies, etc.). You are in shock at the beauty and intricate design of the home they are telling you is yours. You open the door to find the home of your dreams, except it is far beyond anything you could have ever even imagined existed while you were living on earth. The floor plan, the furniture, the wall colors and flooring, the decor... every single thing is so perfect that you cannot believe it is yours. You sit down in your home, and ponder about what you've experienced. You realize that you haven't seen a single person sick, sorrowful, in pain, or with a bad attitude all day.

If (and this is a HUGE "if", because I by no means claim to know that many of these details are actually accurate) I just accurately described what Heaven would be like for eternity, is this a place you want to go? Did I forget to mention anything else that you personally would need in Heaven to live happily ever after for the eternity?

Did I?

Now forget the image I just gave you. I want to put forth a completely different image of Heaven for you:

You and Jesus... Nothing and nobody else.
No family that you once had when you lived on this earth. No food. No mansions.

Is this a Heaven you could be satisfied to live in for eternity?

Is it?

The good news is that the Bible makes it clear we will not be alone with God in Heaven (there are debates as to whether we will know and recognize loved ones and I stand on the side of the debate that says we will know them), that there will be an amazing feast, and that Jesus is preparing a place for us (read John 14). I cannot even begin to describe how incredible this place is He is preparing, even if I saw it with my own eyes. It is so beyond our comprehension abilities as humans. Our knowledge of God, even when we have been in relationship with Him for many years, is still only a speck in the vast, unending realm of all there is to know about Him. So when Jesus says He is preparing a place for us, this place is going to be so wildly amazing that there truly are no words to describe any of it.

But... If we really, truly, wholeheartedly love God with all that's within us... shouldn't a Heaven with just Him in it be more than enough for us? Shouldn't we agree with the writer of Psalm 16:11 when he proclaims, "In Your presence there is fullness of joy"? Fullness of joy in Him alone. Not Him plus all the good things. Not all the good things plus Him.

The problem is, it seems like on this earthly side of eternity our sinful nature tries to focus our lives on the good things God gives us more than God Himself. And this is such a dangerous place to be, because when we focus more on the good things than we do on God, who is the very Giver of all good things, we are worshipping idols.

When God asked me what I thought of when I imagined Heaven, my heart, soul, and mind in one accord shouted, "JESUS!". Though God has not asked me what I thought when I imagined Heaven before, there was a time not long ago where I would have saw nothing wrong with the first scenario. Those things would have probably first came to mind as I thought of Heaven, and then as a footnote I may have added, "Oh, and it would also be nice to come face to face with You, Jesus." Like an extra bonus or a passing, almost forgettable, detail.

But through the years... through trials and pain and tears and triumphs and seeing Him glorified over and over and over again through it all... I somehow along the way fell so head over heels in love with Him that I am crazily, passionately, madly, insanely in love with God. My holy God who exists in 3 Persons: God the Father, who is Creator... God the Son, who is Jesus- Perfect, Sacrificial Love Personified... And God the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Helper that Jesus sent us when He went to be with God in Heaven. I will be talking a lot about the Holy Spirit over the next blog post or two (or three or four, who knows) because He is doing mighty great things that I want to shout from the rooftops. And I look forward to sharing these things with you as He leads me to.

My prayer tonight is that when we look inward at the desires of our heart, we can proclaim with full confidence:
"My soul longs for You, my soul longs for You! Nothing else will do, nothing else will do." --(from the song "My Soul Longs for You" by Jesus Culture)

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. -Galatians 6:8

*******Author's Note: This blog entry is not intended to be considered theologically sound information about Heaven nor to create views of Heaven that are not found in the Bible or provided by the Holy Spirit. I recommend checking out http://www.gotquestions.org/is-Heaven-real.html for some good, Biblical information about the reality of Heaven.*******

Needs

I was thinking tonight about in the Bible where Jesus tells us to pray for whatever we need, and He will answer. Looking back, so many of my unanswered prayers are not about "needs", but rather they are "wants"... and in the culture we live in, it is very easy to think that our "wants" are really "needs". I have learned as I mature in my relationship with Him that God is not a genie for me to spout out my wishes and then rub the lantern, hoping he will grant them for me. Nor is He like a father and me his spoiled child, giving me everything I want and letting me be the center of his world. (Thank God! What kind of God would that be if He let mere humans control Him? Would that be a God worthy of all our praise? If He answered our every request, whether selfish or not, wouldn't we be essentially praising ourselves and He our puppet?)
I think about times where I would go days without acknowledging Him, and then as soon as I had a need arise, I would come running to Him shamelessly asking for help. When I think about treating Him like that now, I have to fight back tears. (And it's not because it's bad to run to God when you have needs, don't misunderstand what I'm saying.)
But it is because my eyes have been opened so widely to the fact that God does not exist to please me...
I exist to please Him. And I am NOTHING without Him.
He is the Potter, I am the clay.
He is the Master, I am the servant.
And when the servant starts feeling like her Master owes her answers to things she knows very little of and He knows everything about, the servant is out of line and shows no respect for or reverent fear of her Master. And this truth is what comes over me when I approach the throne room of God pouring out everything that's on my heart and mind without first taking a moment to think about WHO it is I am talking to. He's the King of all Kings, the Creator, the Everlasting One, the Prince of Peace, the Holy and Almighty God.
Yet, He never tells me to stop making my requests known and He never turns me away, because...
He is my King, and I am His princess.
He is my Daddy, I am His beloved daughter.
So where I deserve to be chastised as a servant out of line, He extends grace... patience... gentleness... LOVE.
He loves us so much. We truly do not know the depth and width of His love, because it knows no boundaries. And I don't want to treat Him poorly, because He has literally given His life up as a sacrifice not only to save me from death but also so that I can enter into a deep, intimate relationship with Him.
I am so glad that when I have thrown tantrums in the middle of life's hurricanes, He has gripped me tightly and whispered in my ear, "I know what I am doing. Just watch and see. Trust Me." And over and over again, He proves to me that He is worthy to be trusted. Not only that, but He is worthy to be praised. He is worthy to be placed as Ruler of my heart, my soul... my life.
So I wrestled with whether to post my prayer from earlier tonight, and I've decided to do it.

I don't need to ask You for more money... but I do need You to give me wisdom on how to use what You've entrusted to us.


I don't need to ask for a new car... but I need the one I have to be dependable and not become a financial burden.


I don't need the trendiest clothes... but I do need my clothes I have to do what they were created to do: Cover me well - preferably without losing shape or fraying or shrinking or getting stained.


I don't need good health... but I need to know that You will use me- in my seasons of sickness and health- for Your glory.


I don't need answers as to why You let bad things happen on this earth... but I need to know I am doing my part to be a beacon of light and hope amidst the darkness and despair. I need to know I am giving - my time, my service, my resources, my prayers - the way You want me to.


I don't need to see You to believe (though I look forward to looking into your eyes one glorious day)... I need to know You see and believe in me. Because I see evidence of Your mighty hand at work everywhere I look: The sunset, the clouds, plants, creatures, people... they all were created to speak of Your glory.


I don't need the American dream... I need the God reality. While the American dream focuses on love of self, God reality focuses on love of Him and others. In eternity, I will never regret not having a bigger home or higher paying job or a fancy SUV with stick figures on the back windshield of my perfect traditional family unit. But I will regret letting stuff take my attention off of You. I want to be eternity-focused God, not earthly-focused. Let any stuff in my life be used for You or take it away.


I don't need a 4.0 GPA... but I need to be keenly aware that when I am in school I am still to be representing You. (Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. -Colossians 3:23)


I don't need to feel accepted by others... just as long as I am living exactly as You desire me to. You have accepted me despite knowing everything about me- the good, the bad, the ugly. Since You - the Creator of the UNIVERSE and everything in it! - accepts me as I am, who else do I need to gain acceptance from?


I don't need a smooth, as-painless-as-possible future... because I know that You hold my future in Your hands. You are already there. When trials come, You stand as my strong fortress, ready to show me Your plans and purposes amidst the pain. And You are more than enough for me.


I don't need to plan out every possible detail of my future... because I trust You, and look forward to walking out every single day of my life with You.

The next time you are approaching God in prayer, take a moment to stop and think about who He is and what He's already done for you. He already knows you inside and out. He watches over you as you sleep and eat and work and play. He knows what is on your heart and mind before you even speak a word. So be real with Him, but try not to be the spoiled kid that wants to rule the universe. And if He says no, don't get mad... Trust Him, because He is a perfect, holy Father and He knows best.