Eternity Archives - Counting My Blessings

God has given us everything we need to live with an eternal perspective including a glimpse at all that He has planned for those who love Him and live in Him. #Faith #Revelation #Heaven #Blessings

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this lesson…

A pastor friend stood at the front of the congregation holding a tape measure. He looked out over the crowd and asked for a volunteer. He called a child up to the front and asked him to extend the tape just a quarter of an inch.

Of course, to most of us, the movement seemed negligible. One-fourth of an inch! From the pews, it hardly seemed like he had moved at all.

The pastor then stated that the quarter of an inch represents our lives here on earth.

Then…

He asked his volunteer to take the end of the tape and walk toward the back of the church . . . farther and farther until the tape was opened and extended beyond the back doors of the sanctuary.

That’s when our friend said, “This is a glimpse, though imperfect, of our time on earth in comparison to our eternal futures.”

And this is why it is absolutely essential for us to live with an eternal perspective.

The main point of this life is to prepare for the next one!

Today’s chapter gives us a peek at what God says about our eternity with Him will be like:

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

He [the angel] showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone-like jasper as clear as crystal.

The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

Nothing evil will be allowed to enter—only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 21:3–4, 10–11, 21, 27

God will be with us. There will be “no death, sorrow, crying, or pain.” (LAB Notes)

It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?! It almost sounds too good to be true! But it’s not! God promised!

Paul wrote:

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Jesus said:

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” John 5:24

And:

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:24

We KNOW God keeps His promises. He always has and He always will!

We can trust Him to keep His eternal promises and that’s the best reason to live with an eternal perspective!

A Prayer for God’s Help to Live with an Eternal Perspective

Father, thank you so very much for Your Word and for Your promises within it! You promise that you are full of grace and mercy. (Hebrews 4:16) You promise that I am saved forever through Jesus. (Acts 16:31) You promise that Your Spirit will never leave me. (John 14:16) Jesus promised that He is preparing a place for me and that He will return to take me home. (John 14:2–3) And you promise that You always keep Your promises. (Psalm 146:6 and Hebrews 10:23)

You give me hope that lasts . . . hope that makes it possible for me to live with an eternal perspective.

You bless me with peace, joy, patience, faith, and so much more. You give me everything I need to live today, tomorrow, and forever.

By Your grace, You give me what I need to live with my heart and mind focused on You . . . to live with an eternal perspective. Please help me stand strong against the lies of the enemy and forgive me for the time I have allowed fear and confusion to distract me.

I have Jesus! I am surrounded by Your love! I am blessed! Amen.

The LAB Notes add:

Just as God finished the work of creation (Genesis 2:1–3) and Jesus finished the work of redemption (John 29:30), so the Trinity will finish the entire plan of salvaion by inviting the redeemed into a new creation.

We have God’s promises! We can count on it! Our eternal future is secure in Jesus.

On today’s note write:

With the Spirit’s help, I will focus on God’s promises and live each day with an eternal perspective.

May God bless you today and give you hope and joy and everything you need to live with eternity in your heart.

Click here to read the rest of Revelation 21.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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One of our pastors recently asked us — “What do you think heaven will be like?”

What do you think?

There are a few things we know from Scripture about The New Heaven and the New Earth.

He [Jesus] will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. Philippians 3:21

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the old had disappeared … I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:1, 3–4

Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. John 14:1–2 (NCV)

Wow! I can only imagine! Right?!

Maybe you’ve imagined streets of gold, a city wall made of Jasper, Onyx, Sapphire, and Emerald, and gates made from a single pearl. Maybe you think about walking and talking with Jesus or seeing the splendor of God Himself.

Amazing and awesome!

Some people believe heaven will be the restoration of paradise, like the Garden of Eden.

I’ll admit when I have stopped to think about heaven, I tend to focus on being with Jesus and my loved ones without pain and suffering. I don’t spend much time thinking about the rest; although, I do imagine us living well in community with things to do. And although I believe our lives will be full of joyful gratitude and praise, I don’t believe heaven will be an eternal church service. (Picture me smiling here.)

So, why the title…

How Many Facebook Friends will You Have in Heaven?

Because our pastor’s question prompted a thought I’d never had before.

Will we have technology in heaven?

Think about it … for thousands of years no one would have even considered the possibility but now maybe you wonder. I mean really, if you’re like me, you can’t imagine a day without technology. In fact, I’ll be honest with you, I get a little cranky when the I can’t get online. And what about phones, television, microwaves … well, you get the idea.

So, I asked Rev and my dad what they thought about technology in heaven.

And their immediate reaction was an absolute – “NO!”

They both felt that although there are some good things about living in the age of instant information and entertainment, they didn’t believe it would be part of God’s new heaven and earth.

Which took my “stream of consciousness” brain to the idea for this post and I started wondering about the vast amount of time I spend on things that are so very temporary.

I thought about all the time I spend on social media and asked myself – WHY?

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media and…

I believe there are a lot of good things happening on the various platforms.

Bloggers use social media to let people know about their latest posts or projects.
Followers of Jesus use it to share their faith and glorify God.
We use it to ask for prayer and to tell people we are praying for them.
And make close friends in parts of the world we may never visit in person.

But it’s also a place where we can…

Boast and brag.
Impress and persuade.
Compare and criticize.
Judge and bully.
Reject and block.
And that only touches the surface – right?

Honestly, I don’t have any real answers … I’m not even sure what I think but I do believe God wants me to stop and think about it!

So, I’m going to take some time to pray and wonder… if technology and social media aren’t things God wants for my eternity, are they things I should be making so important now?!

I want to question the tension between using technology and social media for God’s glory and the possibility of it becoming an idol for self-glorification.

I need to consider whether or not I’m spending too much time on the unimportant and not enough time on the eternal because…

Heaven is real!

One of my favorite verses is John 14:3

Jesus said, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Life promises to personally come and take me to live with Him eternally. It’s a promise He’s made for everyone who loves and trusts in Him.

I didn’t give anything up for Lent this year but I am giving up Facebook for Holy Week.

I want to spend the week ahead thinking about heaven and the sacrifice Jesus made to make it possible for you and me to spend eternity there with Him.

What do you think? What is heaven going to be like?

How many Facebook fans you’ll have in heaven?

If the answer is – we won’t have Facebook in heaven…

Then maybe you and I need to do a better job of making Facebook, our cell phones, and all the other technology “idols” we depend on, a little less important here on earth.

A Facebook Fast for Holy Week

If you are part of my Blessing Bloggers group on Facebook, I will be scheduling our daily threads in advance so you can still share your posts and prayers.

I need this break to spend more time with Jesus; so, I won’t be hosting our Link Party next week but I’ll be back here two weeks from today … so excited to catch up with all of you.

I will also be here with my regular Monday posts – have you subscribed yet?

May your Holy Week and Easter celebration be blessed!

Praise God – we have so very much to celebrate!