the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

does your view of heaven affect the way you live your life?

this is the main point we discussed tonight at house church. and i was inspired to document my answer, because what i said out loud tonight was sadly inarticulate.

but i'm so inspired by the idea of heaven! not like some distant place in the sky with streets of gold and mansions and pearly gates, but the dominion of God that is at hand.

God, in his nature, is totally good, completely pure and holy. he IS love. so his dominion? no tears! no mourning! no crying! no pain! no death! (see the end of revelation for a complete description). God's kingdom is all about redeeming what's lost, healing what's broken, and making all things new. THIS is what heaven is.

and heaven lives in us, who are followers of Christ. he is making us into new creations. he has placed heaven, the kingdom of God, in our hearts. we are living it. now. he is making US new. he is redeeming US. he is healing US. and as his followers, he calls us to usher in his kingdom. to make disciples of all nations. our job is to bring his light to the dark places. everyday, says my friend j.b., we offer people heaven or hell with how we choose to treat them.

how amazing that we get to participate in the coming of the kingdom of heaven! how amazing that every day i get to witness heaven coming in my own life as i become more like Jesus. how amazing that i get to see God bringing heaven into my friends, like h.m. who is conquering addiction after addiction and being healed from her brokenness. how beautiful to see God's children offering heaven to the world as we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the sick and the imprisoned, and love the unlovely. how exciting to imagine what it will look like when this is all fulfilled. when ALL things are heaven.

heaven starts here. heaven is coming NOW. be a part of it! embrace the journey instead of waiting until it's over.