There are a few things that you cannot do in heaven, and while I’m fairly sure that you will not miss them when we arrive home, the purpose of this letter to you is to determine just how much of yourself you are putting into them now.
I believe that one of the reasons that there is not a lot of detail about heaven, or our homes in the New Jerusalem, is that our minds could not comprehend the incredible wonder and beauty of them, our Lord in His wisdom has given us all the information we need to know about our eternal home, the most important aspect is that Jesus is there, and He has promised to those that call Him Lord that they will be there with Him, that is enough. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9) Some days the anticipation seems almost too much to bear, but there is work to be done, and as long as we are here we are to work, we are to serve.
And therein lies the first item that should concern us, are you working for Christ, are you a profitable servant. Here on this earth is where the work is, and although we will all fill some form of position in the kingdom of heaven, the work that we are to accomplish here will be finished, at least for each one of us, the moment we leave this mortal shell. There is a saying that is prevalent in certain employment trades, “If you don’t go home dirty, you didn’t work that day.” I wonder, how many born-again believers will arrive at the final gate, (Matt. 7:13) bloodied, bruised completely exhausted, and how many will be just as fresh as the day that they first accepted Christ. There will be no more battles once you enter through the gate, the mockers, the persecutors, the wicked who have hated you for His name’s sake will never even see the gates. We will know no more suffering, but I wonder, just how many who profess Christ as Lord are truly suffering, how many understand what the word means, is persecution a part of their daily routine.
We have brothers and sisters in Christ who know full well what these words mean, and they will know a rest that some of us will never experience, do you think they will miss not being able to witness to others, will you? The friends that you have now, the ones that are still lost, those you call by their familiar names, you do realize that you are never going to see them again, don’t you, the wrath of God abides on them. (John 3:36) They will not enter into the glory of the kingdom because they have a close friend that serves Christ. Are they a burden to you, do you pray for them on a regular basis, are you able to come to the truth that unless they repent and call upon the name of the Lord, (Rom. 10:13) that one thing you will never be able to do ever again is spend time with them, they will be lost for all eternity.
I have had many pets in my life, fine and true friends every one of them were, and I know for a fact I will see them in heaven. Do not misunderstand me here, animals have no eternal soul, only man has been blessed in such a way, but six-hundred years from now, if I want to play with one of my old friends, I will turn and there he will be, when I move on to other things, he will just as quickly be gone, such I believe is the incredible, unending love our Lord has for His children. There are pleasures we have here, items that I will not voice, for we are sinful creatures, and our tastes are sometimes both sweet and bitter at the same time, what you desire to experience here will not come with you to heaven, and for some, they will find this both wonderful and saddening at the same time.
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” (Heb. 11:25) is just what the Scriptures says it is, pleasure, it is that old man inside of us, (Rom. 6:6) the rebellious spirit that still believes he is immortal, that his desires should be attained, that because he is, he deserves. This part of us that we both love and hate will not be coming with us, and for those of you who understand these words, go ahead, and feel free to say, “Praise God!” right now. You will no longer be tired, no longer seek the desires of the flesh, our journey will finally come to an end, and with that will begin our true journey, the path of eternity. Exactly what is waiting for us in our Father’s house is unknown to us, but what we will be leaving behind is crystal clear.
The question is, are you preparing to leave everything in this world behind now, or are there things that you will miss when you arrive home. My friends, you cannot miss anything that you place no real value on. There is not one single item that I possess here that will be in my lovely wife’s and mine home in the New Jerusalem, not one, but those things in our heart, the treasures we have laid up in heaven, they are already there, waiting for us. In a few hundred years you are not going to remember that thing sitting on the table in front of you, that picture on the wall, for the former things will never come to mind again, (Rev. 21:4) but those items that reside in your heart, family members and friends that know Christ as Lord, loved brothers and sisters in Christ that you know and trust, even that old dog, will be some your treasures in heaven,
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:21) Let go of what you are not going to take with you, it is temporal and can find no home in the eternal, seek those things which are above, (Col. 3:1) and you will begin to see your true, eternal treasures.
