What is Heaven like? I never really thought about it other than I want to go to Heaven. I have to agree that it is the idea that you are not by yourself there. That you are there because of the relationship you have had with others on Earth. It is because of those relationships that you were able to maintain your life's efforts to attain the goal of Heaven. That is, after all, the goal of our faith...to get to Heaven. And then to continue that relationship there..what a thought!
I agree that it would be so cool to have an actual entrance into heaven. Not necessarily the kind with wrought iron and an arch as is so stereotypically portrayed. Maybe just a "narrow gate" so that we can enter one by one and be greated with hugs and kisses by our Savior and those who have gone before us.
If you want to get into the possible physical manifastations of Heaven...it has to have either mountains, higher than we have ever seen in our lifetimes, or, my personal favorite, being able to explore outer space to see the beauty and complexity of our universe.
But we can't get there unless we act on what we believe. One of the most intriguing scriptures is the faith chapter, Hebrews 11. I do not really have a favorite scripture but this is one that just really gets me thinking. It's one of those times when I can imagine one of our black brethern, maybe Jack Evans, Jr., taking a deep breath and then beginning to talk and preach at unbelievable speeds when trying to drive home a point. When I or someone else reads it I see very little of the actual scripture.
What I ususally see or hear is as follows . . .by faith:
- We understand
- Abel offered
- Enoch was taken
- Noak..built
- Abraham obeyed and went
- Abraham...was enabled
- Abraham...offered
- Isaac blessed
- Jacob...blessed
- Joseph...spoke
- Moses...was hidden
- Moses...refused, chose, regarded disgrace, left, persevered, kept
- Israel...passed
- Walls of Jericho fell
- Rahab...was not killed
- Others who conquered, administered, gained, shut, quenched, escaped, became strong, became powerful, routed
- Woman received
And then there were those, though unnamed, who:
- were tortured
- refused release
- faced jeers
- faced flogging
- were chained
- were imprisoned
- were stoned
- were sawed in two
- put to death by the sword
They were:
- destitute
- persecuted
- mistreated
Above all, "they were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."
Can't improve on that any better than it already is. It almost seems to say that we have a hand in each other's salvation. Only through relationship with each other can we support each other through the tough times and good times. Bottom line...we must act on our faith. Afetr all, as the old saying says, "Actions speak louder than words". As important as preaching and teaching is, they are nothing without the actions of our belief.
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