CONSIDERING HEAVEN

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that
does not fade away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Devotion 3 of 12

HEAVEN - NOT A NOVELTY

A study of heaven is not a mere novelty--something that is interesting, but not essential. I do not subscribe to the notion that you can be "so heavenly minded you are no earthly good." There is not the slightest hint in the Word of God of such an absurdity. The thought reproaches the Lord Jesus Christ, who, when He walked among men, said, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (John 3:13). While some translations omit the latter phrase, the sense of the text remains the same. Christ's primary identity was with heaven, not earth. There is no comparison of heaven and earth in Scripture where the earth is primary, and heaven is secondary. Never is Jesus' mission depicted as having primarily to do with this world. Rather, it centered in preparing a people from this world for the unseen world--the "world to come."

The propensity of men to assign too high a priority to the things of this world is a snare for the soul. Our blessed Lord pointed this out with great clarity when He spoke of some who received the Word of God, but found it neutralized by the concerns of this world. "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of THIS WORLD and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Mark 13:22).

Never are heavenly considerations depicted as a handicap to the soul. Those who focus on heaven and things in heaven are never rebuked, never chastised, and never held up to scorn--not in the Word of God. Our affection is to be placed "on things above, and NOT on things on the earth" (Col 3:2). Our quest is plainly to be for "those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting on the right hand of God" (Col 3:1). Heaven, therefore, cannot be treated as though it were a mere novelty, having no priority.

Heaven is our homeland. It is where our Father is, as well as our Savior and Elder Brother. Heaven is where our inheritance is being kept for us. Everyone there is vibrant, active, and interested in those who remain in this world. We have been called into THEIR fellowship--they have NOT been called into ours (Heb 12:22-24). That establishes our priorities! If heaven were out of the picture, nothing in Scripture would have any relevance. When the present heavens and earth shall have passed away, the heaven of which we speak will remain.

These things may seem unrelated to "What heaven will be like," but they are not. The glory of heaven is that it IS the answer to the longings and aspirations of the regenerate. Its importance must be seen for it to be appreciated.

PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ, grant me grace to seek the things that are above, where He presently is sitting, at Your right hand.

-- TOMORROW: THE HEAVENLY SUMMONS --