cannyben

Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here.” Colossians 3:2 When you live in light of eternity, you don’t get discouraged as easily by trouble. You don’t give up because you know what is coming is the best gift you’ve ever been given. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “That is why we never give up . . . These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever”. I don’t know what trouble you’re going through right now, but I can tell you three things about it: • One, it’s not going to last. Even if it lasts your entire lifetime, it’s still not going to last forever. • Second, whether or not you c...

“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14 Heaven is the place God is preparing for his family. God’s plan for eternity is such an amazing expression of his love. The Bible tells us that God created the entire universe because he wanted a family that would live with him forever. It wasn’t because he was lonely—because God is fulfilled in himself. He wanted to express his love by creating human beings in his image, so that he could adopt us into his family, and we could live with him forever. Ephesians 1:5 says, “[God’s] unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!” (TLB). There’s a word for God’s family: church. The only thing in this world that’s going to last is the church—the people who have chosen to be part of God’s family in faith and obedience. As the Bible says, “We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept i...

Can you understand the mysteries surrounding God All-Powerful? They are higher than the heavens and deeper than the grave. So what can you do when you know so little, and these mysteries outreach the earth and the ocean? Job 11:7-9 (CEV) The Bible says in Job 11:7-9, “Can you understand the mysteries surrounding God All-Powerful? They are higher than the heavens and deeper than the grave. So what can you do when you know so little, and these mysteries outreach the earth and the ocean?” (CEV). Heaven is a mystery that you will not fully understand until you arrive there. But the Bible does give important information about eternity, including five things that will not be in heaven. In heaven, there will be no sickness. The Bible says, “This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried . . . it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and strong” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43 GNT). There won’t be any sickness because you’re going to get a new, perfect b...

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” Colossians 3:1 (NLT) People have many misconceptions about what heaven is like. You won’t be an angel. You won’t have wings. You need a correct view of heaven. The Bible says in Colossians 3:1, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (NLT). So what does the Bible say about these “realities of heaven”? Heaven is where God lives and rules. The Bible calls heaven “the dwelling place of God,” “the house of God,” and “the city of God.” As these phrases suggest, heaven is where God lives. But Jesus also calls heaven “the Kingdom of God” or “the Kingdom of heaven” 31 times in Scripture. So heaven isn’t just where God lives; it’s also where he rules. Psalm 123:1 says, “Lord, I look up to you, up to heaven, where you rule”...