Hi, I'm the lady who’s looking forward to heaven!
Yep, that’s me… Joni Eareckson Tada, and here on "Joni and Friends" you’ll often hear me talking about heaven. One reason is I’ve got a lot invested there! I have lost so much on this earth – my health, the use of my hands and legs; I’ve lost family members. And whenever a Christian loses something precious, well… you just can’t help but look forward to that time when you’ll receive back what you’ve lost… and so much more. Like, well… a new body… I like that idea, don’t you? You can imagine why I’d be excited about that! I don’t have to grieve about hands that don’t work or feet that don’t walk. The Bible promises that I'll have a new body – not like an angel; not wispy and like a vapor. First Corinthians 15 tells me that not only will my soul be glorified in heaven, but my body, as well. It also says I can’t even begin to imagine how wonderful it’s all going to be.
The Bible says you don’t sow the body that will be, but just a seed. Think about that for a second. Trying to understand what our heavenly bodies will be like is much like asking a caterpillar if he understands flying; or asking a coconut to grasp what it’s like to be a beautiful palm tree bending in the breeze; or asking a dirty flower bulb to appreciate what it means to be a fragrant flower. What will be has not yet been made known... but one thing’s for sure: it’ll be fantastic. And here’s the important part: please don’t assume that all I ever do is dream about having my new glorified body; I really don’t spend as much time as you’d think, dreaming about the day I'll spring out of this wheelchair. No, really…I’m mainly looking forward to heaven because I’m going to get a new heart. To me, that’s the best part. In heaven, I will have a heart free of sin, sorrow, and best of all free of selfishness. In heaven, I'll only think the best about God and others. In heaven, my love will be pure and never ending. In heaven, every trace of sin will be eradicated and it’ll be replaced with a heart and character that is fully intent on making God famous throughout the whole universe for all of eternity. Yep, a new heart! That beats having a new body any day.
And with that new heart, I'll join you, friend, in worshipping the Lord Jesus with pure praise that’s full of passion and delight. On that great day, it won’t be so much “the day of Joni” when I will receive rewards… sure, that’ll happen; but mainly it’ll be the day of the Lord; His day… His coronation… the day when He will be crowned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And that we get to even be there and be a part of it all… that is the blessing, that is the privilege!
And the neat part is it’s coming soon. This life is not the only life there is. Heaven is the rock-solid reality that’s going to spring upon us right around the corner. So, friend, today I want you to join me in getting ready for heaven; getting prepared; getting our hearts in tune. Heaven is a holy habitation for holy people… so it stands to reason if we’re going to be happy there, you need to get a head start on being holy as God is holy right now. And if you need a little encouragement, I want to send you several Gospel tracts I’ve written on this subject called “When I Think of Heaven.” Just go online and visit my radio page at joniandfriends.org and ask for your free copies of my Heaven tract. Finally, the Bible says that “eye hath not seen,” nor have our minds imagined what heaven is all about. The realities of heaven go far, far deeper than what our minds can imagine. But one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be wonderful. Until next time, this is Joni Eareckson Tada for "Joni and Friends".
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