“I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:6 (NIV)
Of all the benefits of God’s goodness, only one lasts beyond your life on earth. The final verse of Psalm 23 expresses the ultimate example of God’s goodness: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6 NIV).
That means you don’t have to fear death—because death is not the end. God saves the best for last. Even if you have a tough life here on earth, if you have asked Jesus Christ to save you, you will dwell forever in the house of the Lord, where there’s no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more sin, no more sickness, no more sadness, no more problems, no more pain, and no more pressure. Heaven is unbelievable. God’sglory is waiting there for you.
The Bible teaches, “It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-7).
Everything you’ve seen in movies about heaven is probably wrong. First, heaven is not nirvana, a dream, or a metaphorical attitude. Heaven is a physical place, not a state of being. It’s a permanent place that will last forever. And it is reserved only for God’s family.
Heaven is also not boring! We see a glimpse of heaven in Revelation 21, where we learn that we won’t just kick back and do nothing for eternity. A lot of the stuff you do here on earth is what you’ll be able to do in heaven. You’ll be able to eat in heaven, you’ll be able to sleep in heaven, you’ll party in heaven, talk, fellowship, pray, and sing—just to name a few. Heaven was created for you.
There are only two things that you do on earth that you won’t do in heaven. First, in heaven you can’t sin; second, you can’t witness to a nonbeliever about Christ’s love and forgiveness because only God’s children are there. That’s why, once you become a believer, God does not take you instantly to heaven. He wants you to pass on the Good News of salvation and grace. The only reason you’re going to heaven is because somebody told you about the Gospel. Now it’s your turn to tell others.
There is so much to look forward to in heaven. We will worship God forever. We will be reunited with those who love Jesus. We will be rewarded for our faith, hope, and love. We will be assigned work that we enjoy doing.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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