“The kingdom of heaven is
like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and
then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44
NIV).
The kingdom of heaven is waiting for all
those who love the Lord and do according to His purposes. Chapter 13 of Matthew
contains many parables spoken by Jesus on what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus
knew it would be very difficult to explain this, so he told people stories to explain
what heaven is like. I would urge you to read this chapter.
What does the kingdom of
heaven mean to you? According to many of these parables it is so wonderful, you
would sell everything you had to have it. Revelation speaks more about heaven.
“It shone with the glory of God and its brilliance was like that of a very
precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:11 NIV). “The wall
was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass” (Rev. 21:18
NIV). Now won’t that be something to behold.
What a view!
Once my husband and I went to Holmes County
and decided to climb this huge hill to see the view. Well, let’s just say, I am
out of shape and it was quite difficult for me to make it up that hill. I
rested a lot and by the time I got up there I was bent over gasping for breath.
Then Rick told me to look
around. Well, after I got my breath back, I looked all around at the beauty of
hills surrounding me and was amazed at the breathtaking view. It was worth the
struggle to get there.
You see our journey in this life can be so
difficult: full of pain, grief, betrayal, persecution, and struggle. But if we
prevail, trust in God, do His will, and believe in His love for us, at the end
of our lives we too will behold a view that is breathtaking; the view of
heaven. It definitely is worth the
struggle. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many
witness” (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV). Heaven is for real and is at the end of the road
for Christians.
Now that you know this,
tell others so that they too will be able to witness this glorious view at the
end of their lives.
Dear Lord,
Sometimes life seems so
difficult. Help us to remember what awaits us at the end of our lives. Heaven
is worth waiting for and we know that you will always be with us along the way
to help us be strong. Help us to keep our eyes on you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
