How you can experience pieces of heaven today
Remember that sunny vacation to your favorite beach? That one restaurant with the best food you’ve ever tasted? Or the unforgettable trip you spent in your favorite city?
Whenever we experience something great, we want to let other people know. It’s too good to keep to ourselves. Great things are worth sharing. We want our friends to see the pictures and hear what we did. We try to bring part of that place into our day-to-day.
What Jesus Shares With Us
God does that with us, too. Jesus lived as a human on earth, hanging out with His friends and helping people. And one day, He told His friends about something He wanted them to experience. Jesus taught them to pray this to God: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
Heaven is a place where there are no tears, pain or death (Revelation 21:4). Everything that’s wrong with this world is set right because everyone is connected to Jesus and obeys Him. The things of heaven are good for us now, not just later on in eternity.
Following Jesus isn’t about escaping earth to live in heaven; it’s about starting eternity with Jesus here and now.
Heaven is such a great place that God wants it to start here and now, on earth. And He wants us to be part of it (Hebrews 12:28).
We help bring heaven to earth by listening to Jesus and doing what He says (Matthew 7:21, Matthew 10:7-8). Heaven is an eternal reality after we die, and it’s a present reality on earth as more people meet Jesus and follow Him. As more obey Jesus by treating people right, forgiving each other, and acting in humility, the world changes to become a little more like heaven.
Heaven Is Not An Escape
Following Jesus isn’t about escaping earth to live in heaven. It’s about starting eternity with Jesus here and now.
Bringing heaven to earth is not about making everyone comfortable, pretending we’re all angels, or pretending everything is already good and the world is problem-free. We start by admitting things are broken and in need of help, which is exactly why God cares about bringing heaven to earth.
The great things we’ve experienced while following Jesus can be part of our friends, family, and coworkers’ lives, too. Bringing heaven to earth is about helping people meet Jesus and walk with Him step by step.
Jesus embodied God’s priorities during His time on earth. He showed unconditional love, freely forgave people, and had a relationship with God (Mark 12:30-31). And He invites us to do the same.
Know someone who needs a taste of heaven? Ask how you can help or pray for that person and share how Jesus has changed your life.