Hope In Heaven

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down… out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away… And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride... And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven… : and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles... And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass… And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. - Revelation 21

This is a beautiful passage in scripture, describing the new heavens and new earth. O what a glorious day that will be!

If you noticed, however, there is one thing missing: God.

There is a question I want to ask you; consider it as you read. Would you be fine going to heaven if God, Jesus Christ, was not there?

So often we have a hope of heaven; but what Scripture presents to us is a hope in heaven. What I mean is found in Colossians 1:5, which reads, “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven…” I believe every word to be important; note, then, that
Paul writes in heaven. In other words, there is something in heaven that we should be deeply longing for and know that we have that inheritance in Christ.
So, let me ask you again: Where is your treasure? Do you simply have hope of going to a happy place when you die, or are you longing to be in heaven so that you may be with your Lord, the Lamb of God?

Keith Green once said, "If your heart takes more pleasure in reading novels, or watching TV, or going to the movies, or talking to friends, rather than just sitting alone with God and embracing Him, sharing His cares and His burdens, weeping and rejoicing with Him, then how are you going to handle forever and ever in His presence...? You'd be bored to tears in heaven, if you're not ecstatic about God now!"

Revelation 21:22-23, one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture, reads:
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Heaven is all about one thing: Jesus. When we are told to be heavenly minded, we are not just being told to think about some ethereal kingdom place in the sky. Colossians 3:1-4 says, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory”.

I ask you: is Christ your life? Is He your All in All? Or do you need some extra pleasures to get along in life? I am not saying that the things we may enjoy down here are always evil. What I am saying is, Do you need anything outside of Christ? Were everything stripped away, would you survive if only Christ remained?

I pray you find life, and life abundant, in Christ.

Made Pure

Well, it has been some time since I have done anything. I'll work on something more formal later, whether it is a thought or an update into my life. In the mean time, enjoy this poem by Amy Carmichael!

Searcher of spirits,
Try Thou my reins and heart;
Cleanse Thou my inward part –
Turn, overturn, and turn.
Wood, hay, stubble see
Spread out before Thee;
Burn, burn.

Worker in gardens,
Dig round my hidden root,
Let branch, leaf, bud and fruit
Respond in quickened life.
Seek out the canker there –
Cut out and do not spare
Thy knife.

Savior of sinners,
Out of the depths I cry,
“Perfect me or I die –
Perfect me, Patient One”;
In Thy revealing light,
I stand confessed – outright,
Undone.

O to be holy!
Thou wilt not say me nay
Who movest me to pray:
“Enable to endure.”
Spiritual cleansing Fire,
Fulfill my heart’s desire:
Make pure.