Heaven is a place on Earth

I was amazed with the cell question of ‘What must be present in Heaven for Heaven to be Heaven for you’ because in my mind, heaven is simply, heaven. We trust in God and therefore believe that He knows what is best and what will bring us joy beyond words, and therefore, that will make our future home heaven. In my mind, heaven is where I will finally live in my big mansion, for did not Christ say he will go prepare the place for us? And yes, make it sea-facing, high floor… you get the drill.

What occurs on earth is very much contrary to the bible’s view of what will bring us joy. That is why this is Satan’s world, not God’s. However, Christ came to die for us, not just for our salvation in the future, but also for today, for isn’t today the ‘present’ as in, God’s gift to us, to live life abundantly? And come to think of it, if we go to heaven and the only real, deep relationship is with Christ (we will all be Christ’s bride and there is no marriage ceremony to be held in heaven), then conversely, if we do manage to have real, deep relationship with God right now, here on earth, then does this not mean that we can have a pie of heaven right here on earth?

I remember when I first took the salvation prayer in May 2002. I was so overjoyed that I kept humming ‘heaven is a place on earth’ to myself, which is the title of this subject. I found my new-found freedom in Christ, though in the years to come, find out for myself that it comes with a lot of price, though all worth it. We are now imperfect creatures in an imperfect world, and yet with every hurdle that comes our way, there is only one solution: Faith. Faith is the ‘leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness’. Through life’s storms, there are times that we nonetheless will fall slightly out of the centre and start worrying or feeling faint, but when we reflect and go back to God once again, He is ever faithful and we are back on track again. Therefore, in this imperfect world, we can still have our heavenly moments and be at peace, knowing the outcome is all in God’s hands and He will work everything out for our good.

I look at God’s will for us, to eventually turn us into Christlikeness, as something like the process of making raw diamonds into a treasure. I am a fan of diamonds and it is interesting to note that the best reflected diamonds depend on the colour of the diamond, the type of cut as well as number of cuts. The colour of a diamond is like ourselves and our attitude. The more willing we are to be open to God doing His work in our lives, the whiter and purer grade diamond we are. Then, the cut. Different cuts reflect lights differently. You need to cut at the right place in order for the diamond to reflect light at its best. These days, there are very few companies that hand-cut diamonds, but they are always the best, if put on the hands of the best craftsman. A personal craftsman is like God who has a personalized tuition plan for each one of us and know exactly where to cut (change) us. We must first be willing to go under the knife (trials) and then with each trial we pass, the light through the diamond (us) becomes so much clearer. The more we learn and become better through God’s process, the more facets (character changes) we have made and the better we will be as light of this world.

Life is never easy, but we must learn to enjoy today and embrace tomorrow. First step is to accept the lives we have been given and not compare ourselves to others, and always remember that God’s gifts are not just success and money – there is a lot beyond just material possessions. Set your eyes on God, and even a simple walk with nature will satisfy you beyond words. And when you are spiritually mature, He will bless you abundantly, more than you can imagine. The road ahead may be fearful, but what William Allen White, an American journalist, says are indeed wise- ‘I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today’. God has been so faithful all along, what makes us think He will provide us with anything less? Just like how God fed the Israelites manna only enough for the day, remember to live one day at a time, as if it is your last, and the question of when your life will end on this earth will no longer matter.

Zenn
27th August 2008