Treasured Anticipation- Are You Ready To Spend Eternity In Heaven?
Are you ready to spend eternity in heaven? Steph talks about how there is so much more to anticipate with an eternity spent with Him.
Treasures In Heaven
We have been focusing on Matthew 6:19-21 during this series of devotionals. In the English Standard Version of the Bible, these verses read this way: Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What will those heavenly treasures be like? What will heaven be like?
When my husband was a young many, before we met and were married, he spent two summers and a Christmas working in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. It was the first time he’d been away from home for any significant amount of time and this time in his life was very important to him. He gained a sense of independence. And more importantly, he grew closer to the Lord.
As of August 7, we will have been married for 35 years—and we have never been to Jasper together. That’s about to change. In less than two weeks, Lord willing, he and I will be enjoying the scenery of the spectacular Rocky Mountains.
When Dave mentioned that our holiday was only six weeks away, I was not impressed. I had far more to do than I could fathom accomplishing in a month and a half. And yet, the time has flown by, as it has a tendency to do, and my To Do list is far shorter—although I still have quite a bit to accomplish.
I am eager to set aside my day-to-day responsibilities and enjoy this time with my husband. Dave himself is a gift from God—as is this vacation. And of course, Dave is not only looking forward to visiting Jasper once again but also sharing it with me.
What Will Heaven Be Like?
Still, our anticipation and excitement are virtually nothing compared to the future hope of spending eternity with the Lord, surrounded by beauty and majesty we can only catch a glimpse of in this world.
Granted, the scenery out west will be breathtaking—and the Creator intended it to be so. But it will only be the tiniest foretaste of what it will be like in His presence.
Just a quick aside … Dave and I enjoy science fiction and fantasy. It’s amazing to me that God Himself is surrounded by beings more incredible than those developed by even the most accomplished sci-fi and fantasy writers. I suppose this shouldn’t surprise me when I consider some of the incredible creatures He placed on the Earth.
I know many people have studied extensively what the Bible says about heaven. I’m not, however, one of those people. I guess I’ve been too busy living life in the here and now. Still, as we grow older, it isn’t uncommon for us to more frequently consider our mortality. We begin to think more about Reality with a capital R—for that’s what heaven is.
Are You Ready To Spend Eternity In Heaven?
One of the dear senior saints in our congregation is now in palliative care. They don’t anticipate he has much longer to live. And yet, when our pastor went to visit him, there was a smile on his face.
“If It’s my time to go, I’m ready,” he said.
I’m 100 percent certain that his peace comes from the knowledge that he has treasure awaiting him in heaven that far surpasses anything he has enjoyed here on Earth.
What about you and I? Though we may have decades left to live, none of us know for sure how much longer God will grant us the gift of life here on Earth. It is never too early to take the idea of eternity seriously.
Maybe it’s time to look into God’s Word and see what it says about heaven. No matter how much we’re anticipating things here on Earth—graduation, marriage, the birth of a baby, a vacation, or retirement—there is infinitely more to anticipate, knowing all believers in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him.
Let’s hold onto the Lord’s promise in John 14:2-3 with great anticipation: In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (ESV)
If we have asked the Lord to forgive our sins and accepted the gift of salvation Jesus purchased when He died on the cross, we can eagerly anticipate spending eternity with Him.
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Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
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