July 15th

Heaven's Open House

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:9-11

A lot of people I know are good book starters, but terrible book finishers. They read until the suspense is resolved, but can never force themselves to finish out the final details of the story over the last few chapters.

There is one book that we cannot afford to leave unfinished, and it is the Bible. We can know the essentials and end the suspense-that Jesus died and rose again so that, by faith, we can have eternal life-but the very last chapters of the Bible contain something we need.

At the very end is a picture of where we are going that is so beautiful, so inspiring, that we should all meditate on it, for if we truly understood what God has in store for us, nothing could hold us back from living all out for God.

In sports, there is an important practice called visualization. The idea is that whatever the sport, you can train yourself to see in your mind the perfect skill, match, game, shot, or race. And when you can see it clearly in your mind, something happens that takes you beyond your physical ability. Suddenly, simply by picturing your specialty done the perfect way, you are able to do it more perfectly.

Likewise, it is important for us to be able to picture where we are going. A runner does not race for the next step; they race with the finish line in mind. In our race of faith, we keep our minds fixed on where we are going.

God would not have written it in His Word if it was not important for us. I challenge you to read Revelation 21-22 in its entirety. As you read it, picture yourself in that great city. See yourself walking on its streets. Imagine the sights, sounds, and smells.

Continue to practice these things, for it will strengthen you to overcome what you face today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Heaven! You have created such an incredible place for me to spend eternity with You, and I am amazed. Please help me to live today with Heaven in mind, so that I will run better for Your glory.

Amen