Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and you know, I never used to understand Christians who wanted to go to heaven. Thanks for joining me on Joni and Friends today and I’ve got to tell you up front… heaven, to me, when I was first injured… it was a place where not only God would know all or see all, you know: my secret things, all the awful things I ever did, and hope no one would find out about. To me, heaven was a place where all my family, all my friends would see all the rotten stuff I’d ever done. And I cringed to think of their reaction to my hidden sins. And this is the way I pictured it…
I wish I could say this little idea was original to me. I think I once heard Tony Campolo use the same analogy. I used to picture that upon my arrival in heaven, I imagined standing in front of this big theatre looking up and seeing those big black letters on white announcing, “Now showing: the uncensored version of the Joni movie.” And the next line, “Come one, come all, see all, or hear all.” Or maybe you actually saw the Joni movie years ago, remember that? Came out in the late 70s.
Well, in my imagination, this was the uncensored version of that movie, you know what I mean? I pictured going into the theater and walking down the aisle passing all my old friends and relatives like Aunt Kitty, who I always thought was the bees-knees… what she never knew! Then there were people I respected, like my high school physics teacher, my hockey coach, my Sunday school leader, the parents of my high school boyfriend. Then I spotted others like David Leibergott; he was that boy in school that a lot of us made fun of. Then there were all the janitors and bus boys and motel maids I’d always ignored and those rowdy looking kids that I used to hang out with at Friday night parties.
And then I saw myself down in front of everybody, standing there, and a big voice boomed out from behind the projector, “Hello there, Miss Eareckson, we’ve been waiting for you! Before we begin your uncensored version of the Joni movie, do you have any introductory remarks?” Whoa… I imagined my knees shaking, my stomach churning. All I could do in this imaginary picture was to shrink into my front row seat and say, “Okay, go ahead, roll it!”
Oh, I’m so relieved that’s nothing but my imagination. Because listen to what it actually says in Psalm 103. It says, “As high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Oh… God not only wipes clean the slate of your sin when you genuinely confess and repent. He goes a step further. He credits the righteousness of Christ to you. In heaven, your life will be known for God’s goodness. Not for all the rotten things you ever did on earth.
Now, isn’t that amazing? We won’t care, we won’t worry, we won’t even have time for reviewing all the awful stuff we ever did. And if we do, then it will be all the more reason to celebrate the grace of Jesus and wiping away all that junk. Your wonderful Savior and mine not only paid the debt of our sin, but the righteousness of Jesus was then credited to us. God is not interested in showing videos of your faults and failures. He is interested in pushing the play button on the video of every good thing you have ever done to the glory of Jesus Christ. That’s what we’ll be celebrating in heaven.
And, hey, speaking of pushing the play button on videos that showcase the wonders of our great God? Don’t forget to visit me today at joniandfriends.org and watch my young friend, Brian Bushway. He’s blind, on his mountain bike, tearing up the dirt trails. You won’t believe it. Until next time, you keep showcasing the gifts that God has given you.
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