Pursuing Heaven

Pursuing Heaven

Heaven in its dictionary sense is a religious place, often thought of as the abode of the gods and angels, and a good place to go to when you die. That is a rather vague definition of what heaven is like.  We know little of what heaven is like, but we do know some basic things.

1. God and Jesus are there. It is the home of our father, and it is the place in which his kingdom is located. From here he created all that is and will ever be known. This is where he abides and where he rules the universe from.

2. We (hopefully) go there when we die.It is the place that we get to go and be with Jesus. It is where we will spend our eternity. Heaven is the place that we can be freed from the sin and the shame of this world. And, if we proclaim that Jesus is Lord and believe he was raised from the dead, we will get to go there.(Romans 10:9)

3. There is no pain, sin, or shame here. Heaven is perfect. God is perfect. Nothing that is imperfect can be in God’s sight. So, there is no hurting in heaven. There is joy, peace, and love. In this place, we can be seen as blameless in the eyes of God, and we can spend eternity in his perfect kingdom.

4. It is not easy to get here. The requirements seem pretty easy, right? All you have to do is believe and proclaim Jesus? But, the road is heaven is narrow and hard. (Matthew 7:13-15) It takes a lot of self-control to stay on the path to righteousness. Of course, if you fall, or stray sometimes, God will be there to bring you back. But, it is important to keep your eyes on him to be able to persevere through this hard race.(Hebrews 12:1-2)

Now, there are other things we know about heaven, but these are the ones that are super important to me. I have always desired to go to heaven, and to spend eternity worshiping my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. So what can we do when the desires to go to our home are overwhelming?

The first thing is to know that a piece of the kingdom of God is already in you. When you let the Holy Spirit into your heart, you have been invited to be a part of the kingdom. So, when you feel that longing, look inside yourself. Listen to what God has to say to you. You were made for God, so often the ways of the world are hard to live with.

Why are we a part of the world if we are going to die anyways? I always struggled with this. But, I have recently realized that we each have a unique purpose on this earth. We were designed to do something that God planned for us, and if you are still alive, then you have not yet fulfilled that plan. Our calling as believers is to make disciples of Christ.

Heaven is an amazing place where our amazing God is located. It is free from all the corrupt ways of the world. It will be our home someday. So, while sometimes it is unbearable to be in a world with so much sin and shame, remember that there is something so much better waiting for you at the end of the race.