Imagining Heaven: Share in His sufferings to share in His glory

Many of the ideas and Scriptures used in this article are from the book “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn.

As I have aged my close range vision has suffered. I often wear cheaters in order to be able to read small print without great sunlight. In Heaven we will have eyes in order to see God. We will be forever cured of sin. Until we get our new bodies we will continue to put our hope in God and not in stuff or our circumstances.

1 Timothy 6:17 instructs us that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” It is not wrong to enjoy the blessings of God. We need to be thankful as well as careful not to love God’s gifts more than we love Him. Some of us enjoy giving gifts. We enjoy the pleasure others get when they obtain a blessing from God through us. God is a lavish giver. He is preparing a place for us. He has given us His best gift in His Son.

Until we get to Heaven let’s live our lives in anticipation of seeing Jesus. John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” Let’s continue to be about our Master’s business. Luke 12:37 proclaims, “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”

As we set our hearts and minds on things above and walk and commune with Him in this world we will experience a glimpse of Heaven’s delights and wonders. Our worship of God involves more than singing. We can be joyful, pray, and give thanks while doing other things. The devil wants to make church boring so that we think Heaven will be boring. You and I need to remember that we are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb and that we will be His bride. When we think more about Heaven we will think more about God.

God will set up His Kingdom on the New Earth. Like Daniel we will rise to receive our inheritance. We will have a bodily resurrection and receive a physical inheritance. God delights to trust Earth’s rule to us as He has created us to handle these responsibilities and to enjoy doing so. All kings will bow down to Him and every nation will serve Him. The book of Daniel teaches us that God will have an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and His kingdom will never be destroyed.

We will reign in eternity over cities, lands, and nations. We will judge angels. Timothy tells us that if we endure we will also reign with Jesus. We are to be faithful even at the cost of our lives. When we overcome and perform God’s will to the end we position ourselves to be blessed. When we overcome we are given the right to sit with Jesus on His throne. As God’s kids we are heirs and co-heirs with Jesus if we share in His sufferings so that we may share in His glory.

In heaven we will have assignments and positions. What we have done on our brief time on this earth will be reviewed. If we exalt ourselves we will be humbled but if we humble ourselves we will be exalted. If we can be trusted with little then we can be trusted with much.

Currently leadership positions are not always joyful. If God calls us to do something in Heaven we will be prepared to do it. We are training for reigning. Our service will bring God glory.

Ruling may involve the overseeing and management of all of God’s creation, not just people. Perhaps some of us will care for animals while others may oversee agricultural enterprises. It is quite possible that some people who are meek will rule. Until that time let’s practice Biblical principles in preparation for our future assignments. If we are faithful in little then more will be given.

May God bless you big.

——

This is the seventh in a series of articles examining the Christian view of heaven by Kevin Barsotti, pastor of Ark Church in Havre.