Heaven

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen 1:1) Here Heaven refers to the skies with clouds, stars, the sun and moon. It is a physical reality populated by the Firmament referred to in Genesis 1:6. God left nothing to chance. In Psalm 8 The physical forms are very important, but they are not the whole story. Heaven has another meaning. 

Heaven also means the habitation of God in biblical references. It is the place of the afterlife. It is no less a reality than the skies, but the reality is spiritual and unseen by human eyes in this life. I'm afraid we think of Heaven as a place of stasis and abiding peace. Most of the biblical references describe intense activity. Indeed, glory and joy are not silent. The prophet Ezekiel described the scene in Heaven beginning with a whirlwind. He saw four angelic beings that were accompanied by wheels empowered by the Holy Spirit and he heard the voice of God that sounded like the tumult of an army.(Ezekiel 1)

Isaiah's vision describes the majesty of God. He is "high and exalted seated on a throne,"(Isaiah 1) and there are angels in attendance. When the angels call to one another, the sound of their voices shakes the door posts and the Temple is filled with smoke.

Interpreting these grand and exalted images may be difficult requiring research and study, I can't help but think it will be worth the effort. I want to know what heaven looks like and what I will see there. I do plan on taking the trip.

There will be other posts on this subject.

   

How Should We Honor God?

Nations pay tribute with ceremonies and statues. Sometimes they honor an individual by naming a day for them. The military parades are always rousing and exciting. Sometimes we pay tribute by naming a school or a public building for them. We may honor a hero by naming a child for him or her. 

But how do we honor God? We say we witness and testify and evangelize in the name of our Savior. Sometimes we put on a big event to mark the day, but God wants us to quit bragging about what we are doing and just do it. Why do we have to have a day for that or mark it on the calendar. Why don't we just do it? Why don't we just tell a neighbor or a friend about the grace of God without the publicity. Can it be a natural part of our language? We tell them about the sale at the grocery store and about the storm that destroyed our roof. Can't we just say we have a Lord that loves us and live like he does? Are we afraid to be an individual? It seems like it's O.K. to invite people to go to Church as long as it's the in-thing, but to invite someone we don't know to go to a Church where we don't know all the members may be challenging.

Let's look at honoring God one more time from the perspective of putting him first and let us just be one the bunch. Make your witness an expression of joy and don't be afraid of what "they" will say. I'm trying to practice this more. Join me. It may be trending!