July 14th

Hope and Healing Are on the Horizon

All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE. Ezekiel 48:35

We know the destination, but aside from that, we have a whole lot of messed up thinking. The destination is Heaven, right? And we all want to get there. But let me straighten a few things out.

First, no one gets a free pass into Heaven. There are no back doors, no coattails, no free passes, not even for Jews. Jewish people don't get to Heaven just because they're Jewish. Nope, they need to go through Jesus, just like everyone else. Along with this, good people don't go to Heaven, only forgiven ones. You can't be good enough for Heaven; you have to be forgiven.

Next, there's no Saint Peter standing at the pearly gates waiting to greet us in a white tux with a clipboard in his hand, asking us for our name. No, our names are known in Heaven by the One who counts-God. If we believe in Jesus as our Savior, then our names are inscribed on the palms of His hands.

Also, there will be no video of your life played out on some cosmic Jumbotron. How do I know? Because the Bible tells me that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and that sounds like a very condemning experience, if you ask me.

So if all we thought about Heaven is bogus, why would we want to go there? Do you want to get to Heaven simply because you don't want to go to Hell? Hey, I agree, Heaven's a better choice, but Hell is not what should motivate us toward Heaven. What should motivate us is what God declares about Heaven, that its name will forever become The LORD Is There.

The Lord is there! Yahweh-Shammah-The Lord Is There. If you want to know what makes Heaven Heaven, that's your answer-the Lord is there. And wherever the Lord is becomes Heaven, right?

That should be our motivation to get to Heaven-that the Lord is there-and we should want to be with the Lord wherever He is. If you want Heaven, but are unsure how you feel about God being there, then maybe you need to examine whether or not you really love Jesus.

Let Jesus set your heart free into the joyful expectation of His presence.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that Heaven is wherever You are, and that I will be there with You! I rejoice in the hope of living in the city that is named after Your presence there, and I thank You for forgiving me so that I can be there with You!

Amen