Tuesday, April 2, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

 

Too Beautiful to Imagine

 

1 Corinthians 2:9 "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him".

 

 

 

My five-year old granddaughter saw a portion of our church's Easter Drama last night. Afterwards, she began asking questions about why Jesus was not in the tomb. Since I was busy doing things, I was a little distracted and answered her with a quick -- "He went to heaven." She then asked, "How did He get to heaven?"

 

At that point, I realized that she needed my undivided attention. She needed to hear about the miracle of His death AND resurrection. BUT....how could I convey this to a five-year-old in a simplistic manner?

 

Instead of focusing on His death, I decided to share a little about Heaven. This led to many questions on her part, but I believe I was able to put her mind at ease. Rather than thinking of Jesus not being in the tomb, she was now picturing Him in a beautiful place--Heaven.

 

Do you ever wonder about Jesus' home--your future place of residence if you have accepted Jesus into your life? Today's scripture states that we cannot even imagine the beauty of what God has prepared for us. Think about this--our exquisite sunrises, breathtaking landscapes, gorgeous waterfalls CANNOT even compare to what is waiting for us in Heaven!

 

According to Revelation 21, the city walls are decorated with precious stones, the gates are made of pearls, the streets are made of gold, and the city is illuminated by God's glory.

 

Besides the physical beauty, Revelation 21:4 describes the peace that we will experience "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

 

We also learn that we will be reunited with loved ones, dwell in a mansion prepared by Jesus, live in unity with everyone, and co-exist with our Heavenly Father for eternity.

 

My challenge to you today as you try to imagine what life will be like in Heaven is to thank Jesus for what He did for us over 2000 years ago. His life in exchange for the gift of eternal life for us with God is truly worthy of our utmost gratitude.

 

Dear Lord, Your love for me is so evident in Your willingness to suffer a painful death in order to provide me with the opportunity to spend eternity with You. I thank You Jesus for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.