Heaven: Our Eternal Home

Chuckle: "Eating a puffed rice cake is like eating the lid of a Styrofoam minnow bucket!"

Quote: "There are no crown-wearers in heaven that were not cross-bearers here below." --Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; Trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:1-4 NIV).

Do you find yourself thinking about heaven from time to time? Do you really believe there is such a place? Do you know for certain that you are going there when you die? Do you ever wonder what heaven will be like? I do. And I'm reminded of the old hymn, "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" R. G. Lee described heaven this way: "Heaven is the most beautiful place the mind of God could conceive and the hand of God could create." In chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation, we are given a glimpse into heaven and a brief description of what it will be like. We know for certain that it will be so far beyond anything the human mind can conceive that we will be overwhelmed when we see it.

In our passage, Jesus comforts his disciples prior to his crucifixion and tells them He is going to prepare a place just for them, and us, in His Father's house or heaven. He was asking them, and us, to have faith as follows:

First, Faith in the Person named Jesus Christ. He said we should have faith (believe in, trust) in Him. "You believe in God; believe also in me." You see, it is in the person of Jesus Christ that we must trust to have assurance of eternal life. It is one thing to believe in God, but something altogether different to believe in the person of Jesus -- to have a personal relationship with Him. The Bible declares it is faith in Jesus alone which gives us hope, comfort, and assurance of spending eternity in heaven. "Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV). Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall never die" (John 11:24 NIV).

Second, Faith in a Place called Heaven: We are to have faith that a place has been prepared and reserved for us in our Father's house -- our eternal home. Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you." Old hymn: "There's a land that is fairer than day and by faith we can see it afar. For the Father waits over the way to prepare us a dwelling place there. In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore." Your faith in the person of Jesus Christ prepares you to have faith in a place called heaven.

Third, Faith in a Promise From Jesus: We are to have faith in His promise to return: "I will come again and receive you unto myself." What will happen when Jesus returns in power and glory? The Bible tells us that the dead in Christ will be raised first to be inhabited by their spirits from heaven. Then we who are alive at his coming shall be changed into our "glorified" bodies and then be caught up together with them in the air - forever to be with the Lord (I Thessalonians 4:16 NIV).

Jesus went on to say, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV). Have you placed your faith in the person of Jesus Christ? Have you prayed asking forgiveness for your sins and asking Him to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior? If so, then heaven awaits you as Jesus promised. May this thought bring you much peace and joy. . . .!! "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (I Corinthians 2:9 NIV).

Love, Jerry & Dotse