Cheap Imitations

Ever buy something  that promised to be the 'real deal' only to find out later that it was just a cheap imitation? Come on, I know you've done it on ebay at some point. In my study of Heaven (with a capital "H" since it's a real place), I came to realize a very important truth: Our thoughts of Heaven are TOTALLY backwards. We are settling for cheap imitations when we should be looking forward to the real deal.

For some reason, we think that this earth and this life is "as real as it gets," and that Heaven is some nebulous otherworldly afterthought.

However, I think it is very clear that the things that we find amazing and wonderful in this life are mere shadows of the things that God has in store for us for eternity.  This life is actually "as fake as it gets." The good things we enjoy are cheap imitations of what God has in store for us to experience!

FOR EXAMPLE: Read Hebrews 8 and 9... especially 9:23-24, speaking about the temple/tabernacle. The pattern was just a small copy of what we will experience in Heaven in the actual presence of God. Also, consider our family structure. Do we think that God chose to call Himself our Father and us His children because He wanted to copy our family structure? NO! Our parent-child structure is a cheap imitation of the love He has for us and that we should return to Him. What about marriage, the most wonderful of institutions in this life? Even if you have the most perfect marriage in the world, it is just a cheap imitation of the wonderful relationship the church (the bride) will experience with Christ (Ephesians 5:22-32).

I think C.S. Lewis explained it perfectly in "The Last Battle" when the characters were beginning to see the "New Narnia" (allegory for Heaven / New Earth). Lord Digory explains it this way:

"Listen, Peter. When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of. But that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been here…
...You need not mourn over Narnia, Lucy. All of the old Narnia that mattered, all the dear creatures, have been drawn into the real Narnia through the Door. And of course it is different; as different as a real thing is from a shadow or as waking life is from a dream.”    

Don't settle for cheap imitations. Look forward to the real deal that is yet to come!

Near Sighted

I am once again studying the topic of Heaven. I find this subject VERY fascinating, but I have heard from and observed many Christians who could care less about the topic. In fact, go to a Christian book store and find out how many books seek to address the topic. I'm not talking about the warm-fuzzy-feel-good books designed to be idealistic comforts or even "near-death experience" books. I mean books that seek to study what the Bible says so that we can have an accurate theology of Heaven. There will probably be very few, if any at all. But I'm sure you will find MANY on marriage, parenting, dating, finances, etc.

There's not anything wrong with any of these things, but there's a lot more beyond the things of this short life on earth as we know it. Why do Christians think, "I already know I'm going there. I'll learn about it when I die," when the subject of Heaven is brought up? Really? If you were to take a vacation to Germany, would you really say, "I don't need to research. I guess I will just find out everything I need to know when I get there?"

Heaven is our home. Furthermore, it is GOD'S home. Everything in Heaven points to God. Get to know Heaven so you can get to know God! Heaven is meant to make us excited by its very design! I firmly believe that if we have a correct view of Heaven, it will change our lives right now. The struggles of this earth won't bother us so much, because we will realize that they are temporal. We will tell others about Jesus, because we want them to experience what we will experience! Life will be better!

I have a verse that sums it all up:

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

                                                                                         -Colossians 3:2

We can't be so near sighted that we only focus on this life. We need to have 20/20 vision and see what's in the distance. There are so many exciting things ahead!

A Clear Goal

                                                                                "Keep your heart with all vigilance,

   for from it flow the springs of life...

Let your eyes look directly forward,

   and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;

   then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

   turn your foot away from evil."

                       -Proverbs 4:23, 25-26

This passage really made me think. On the first read-through, it is easy to reason, "Does this mean that if I set a goal that is honoring to God, it will be accomplished?" But there's a problem: I have had MANY God-honoring goals that were never accomplished. So what does this mean?

This is not a focus on MY path and MY goals, but God's. What is the path I am walking down? Is it the one that God wants me on? When I am walking on God's path, with my eyes fixed on Christ, all my ways are going to be established. It will ALWAYS turn out for the best (even if it is not what I would choose). There will be many opportunities and temptations to branch off this path, but I must keep my eyes on the goal of Christlikeness, and He will bring me where I need to be.