Adventure - Day 19

“Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’”
Matthew 6: 9-10, NLT

Have you ever imagined heaven?  Where it is?  What it will be like?

When I was little, someone told me that heaven was located beyond the middle star in the belt of the constellation we call Orion.  Because I believed them, there were nights I used to sit outside and stare at that star for hours as if I stared long enough I could see it.  Whether it was there or not, heaven was always a long ways away.

But what if heaven is much closer than you and I usually think?

I remember watching the moving Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, and Anne Hathaway.  In the movie, astronauts are sent through a wormhole to find a planet humans could move to as Earth became less habitable.  What struck me was how much the movie dealt with inter-dimensional travel and a whole slew of other concepts from the realm of physics that I couldn’t possible begin to explain.  But it got me thinking, maybe heaven is closer then we think.

In the story with the angels, it certainly seems like the angels crossed over from one realm to the next.  We often speak about the birth of Jesus as another touchpoint between heaven and earth.  Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will, His work, His purpose would be fulfilled here on earth as it is in heaven.  So maybe the two aren’t as geographically far apart as I always thought.  Maybe heaven is ultimately the true meaning of Immanuel, God with us.  Heaven is wherever the presence of God is.

If that’s true, then you and I bring heaven to earth as we surrender our lives to God and invite His presence into our lives.  We bring heaven to earth when we choose to love Him above all else, and our neighbors as ourselves.  We bring heaven to earth when we live here with the values of the kingdom, which Paul told us were love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

So this Christmas, maybe the best gift we could give anyone is to let Jesus come to life in us, so more people can get a taste of heaven.

JOURNAL

1. In your personal life, do you find yourself creating more unity or division? 
2. Why do you think that is? 
3. How can you make sure you are someone who brings more peace into the world? What does that look like on a daily basis?