Archive for New Earth
Cultivating a Holy Longing
Posted by: | CommentsIn his book, The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges writes,
Generally speaking, believers who have the least benefits of this life have the most vigorous hopes of heaven.
He’s right, right? I believe so. After all, if you have nothing here and God promises you a New Heaves and New Earth in which perfect righteousness dwells, you should have easier time focusing on the future. If all is going well for you here, your relative blessing oftentimes will obscure the perfect blessing that is soon to come.
So what do we do if life is going along quite well? If we are enjoying the benefits of this life in greater measure than many others, must we forgo them in order to long more for heaven?
Lest we think it doesn’t matter whether we long for the life to come, check out Hebrews 9:27-28,
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Did you catch that last part? ‘To save those who are eagerly waiting for him.’ That’s no joke huh? Though salvation is solely through faith in Christ, those who faith will eagerly wait.
And yet, we are so apt to feel quite at home here. Life gets going and we think little of the perfect life to come, where those who believe in Christ will live with Him and enjoy life as it ought to be and a thousand times better.
So back to our question: what do we do if our life here is pretty nice? Here’s two suggestions I have probably mentioned before.
1) Read the Bible and good books until you figure out what Heaven is really like and going to be like. Most of us aren’t as clear about the life to come as we may think we are. Do you think Heaven is singing hymns in the clouds with angels? Well then, you are way off and need to read up. Heaven by Randy Alcorn is a great place to start.
2) Cultivate a holy longing for the life to come by diligently seeking the Lord and asking Him for it. Word and prayer. It’s tough to get too much of these.
There is more that we can do, no doubt, but that is a good place to start. For no matter where we are or what is going on in our lives, we will do well to cultivate a holy longing for Christ and the life to come. Believe it or not, it will enable us to live much better here.
What’s Heaven Really Like?
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In my estimation, there are a few books out there today that should be required reading for every Christian, and maybe, for every human being on the globe. Sure, the last part might be a bit of a stretch, but at least it shows that what I have to recommend to you today is something I feel quite strongly about.
The book that came to mind this morning is one by a man named Randy Alcorn, entitled, rather simply, Heaven. You can see the cover off the left. What you can’t tell from the picture, however, is that it is a rather thick and thorough book. Yet at the same time, it is not a very difficult read. And also, as you can imagine, very good.
I remember the first time I read it. Erin and I were in Poland at the time and I would read at least a chapter each day (they’re usually rather short). After almost every chapter, I would say to Erin, “I love you very much, but I can’t wait to die.” I said it with a smile on my face, but I must say that there was a certain degree of seriousness to it. Rightfully so.
Yes, this life is a gift. There is no doubt about that. And we ought to be very diligent to make the most of it. But it is also very short, so we are wise to figure out what comes next and how we can make sure we end up where we really want to be.
Alcorn’s book helps you there, because it gives as good a vision of Heaven or the New Earth as there is out there. Most folks have a picture of Heaven as some sort of disembodied church service, a place where a bunch of people in heavenly-robes sing old-school hymns amidst chubby, childlike angels with harps. But that isn’t what we have to look forward to. And really, who would look forward to it if that really was it?
If we are thinking rightly, we will live with a longing for what is to come, provided we trust in Christ. There is simply no doubt about it. So it seems wise for us to invest a good amount of time into learning about all that Heaven truly is and will be. Alcorn’s book is a great place to start. Check it and let me know how it goes.
A Glimpse of the New Earth
Posted by: | CommentsLast Friday, I crossed the Walt Whitman Bridge from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. At the toll booth I encountered a man who was clearly a Christian. I knew it from the first moment of our encounter. He was exuding joy as he greeted me humbly and happily. I asked him how he was doing. He replied, “Better than I deserve.” (A great response in light of the gospel). I gave him an ‘Amen.’
After receiving my toll, he counted out my change with a smile on my face and said, “May the Lord bless you today.” To which I replied, “May He do the same to you today, brother.”
This might not seem like much, but it was rather early for me to be on the road and I wasn’t exactly exuding joy myself before than encounter. But afterwards, yes afterwards, I could not help but give thanks to God for such a providential encounter (after all, I could have picked any number of toll booths that day).
Not only that, but that brief encounter made me long all the more for the New Earth, where every encounter with every person will be so much more encouraging and joyful than the one I enjoyed that morning. Can you imagine such a world? A world where every person enjoyed their particular job and blessed others in the doing of it? Where we greet each other with thanksgiving and leave each other with blessing? All the time?
It’s coming. And I can’t wait. But for now, it seems wise to keep my eyes and ears open for such glimpses and to allow them to change my days. And, no doubt, to do all I can to be that kind of glimpse to others.
