Heaven on Earth

It’s hard to see God in this world sometimes. You have to really look for Him. The world’s evil is extremely prevalent and it can seem like God is far away in a place called heaven.

Somewhere in my thinking, I’ve assumed that God created the earth, hung around quite a bit in “olden times”, sent Jesus to die on the cross and rise three days later, left to go prepare a place for us and then nothing…nothing until His glorious return.

When I was young, I was always afraid that Jesus would come back before I got married and had kids. Although I would fervently pray for His return on my way to the dentist! However, the last decade or so I would be perfectly fine if Jesus came back right this second. I often long for heaven when the weight of this world lies heavily on my shoulders.

One of my present-day heroes is Rob Bell. In his book, Velvet Elvis, he talks about “heaven coming to earth.” To be honest, I really didn’t like this phrase at first. Heaven on earth? I cannot imagine this earth being heaven at all. I don’t even want to think about the two having anything in common.

Slowly over the years, this phrase stirred in my brain…

Heaven on earth…

This earth transforming to heaven one day…

A few years back, I studied heaven quite a bit and it made me yearn for it even more. But it also made me somewhat stagnant in my life because I just wanted to be in heaven. It would be the ultimate, quick-fix, extreme makeover.

So easy.

Everything.
Would.
Be.
Perfect.

In heaven-

• I wouldn’t compare myself to others.
  
• I would fully understand my self-worth in Christ Jesus.
• There would be no more tears, fears or pain.
• I’d be reunited with loved ones that have gone before me.
• I would be close to God and Jesus would be my King.
• I wouldn’t be afraid to do things (I have a list of all the things that I would like to do in heaven: sky-dive, bungee-jump, scuba dive, sing in front of large groups of people to name a few).

I picture heaven as being the biggest and greatest family reunion. We will be sitting around, chatting and getting to know people. There will be wonderful food and we won’t have to count calories. I picture an eternity of fellowship with everyone in heaven.

Doesn’t sound much like earth to me. Or does it? Or can it?

The more I started to think about heaven the more I got impatient. I wanted to be in heaven now. Why do I have to wait? Can’t you just come now Lord? What if the phrase, “heaven on earth” could have some truth to it?

I started looking for some of the things on earth that reminded me of heaven…

• Spending time with my sweet family
• Any family gathering that included yummy food
• Dessert
• Nature
• The wonderful talents God has given each person
• The amazing development of technology and resources that we enjoy
• Children

Maybe there was more truth to “heaven on earth” then I thought. Maybe I was just missing it.

Why is it so much easier to see the bad? This world seems to be spinning in two completely different directions: good and bad. Sometimes I can hardly breathe when I think or hear about the insurmountable evil in this world: the 138 million orphans in the world, the sex-trafficking of young girls, the poverty, the amount of people that die every day of preventable diseases, the greed, the selfishness, the hate. It’s hard for me to live in my nice house, in our nice neighborhood, with our safe streets and wonderful schools when there is a world that is dying around us. But the problem seems so big, how can I even make a difference? Wouldn’t it just be easier if God came back?

On the other hand, there is resounding good in this world: people are becoming aware and adopting orphans, girls that have been sex-slaves since they were 5 are being rescued, scientists are discovering new ways to get clean water to remote villages and health care workers are educating churches in basic health care for those who live too far away from hospitals there are people who give and care and sacrifice to help others (http://www.thepeaceplan.com/). We are a long way from heaven but maybe we’re slowly inching toward it?

What if God isn’t silent and is working in our world and in our lives today? What if He never stopped? What if we just stopped seeing Him? What if earth was slowing transforming into heaven right before our eyes?

What if?

I want to live my life bringing heaven to earth.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Revelation 21;1-3 (NIV)

The Woman at the Well

Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Galilee. He had been causing the Pharisees some headaches by gaining more disciples than John the Baptist. Jesus left Judea for Galilee by way of Samaria. Now Jews often avoided Samaria. The Samaritans and the Jews did not get along. The Samaritans were a mixed-blood race from the intermarriages of the Israelites and Gentiles and therefore much hostility occurred between the two people groups in Jesus’ day (NIV Study Bible p. 1484). Jesus, however, didn’t go around Samaria to get to Galilee…He went through it! Leave it to Jesus to follow the road less traveled!

On their journey, Jesus stops to rest at a well while the disciples leave for town to get food. While He’s there, Jesus asks a Samaritan women for a drink of water and they start talking.

First of all, it amazes me that Jesus spoke to the women. He even asked her for help. How many times do we talk to people? How often do we ask complete strangers for help while doing our every day normal activities?

Secondly, I wonder if Jesus was actually thirsty? Or if He really needed to rest? Or if He even needed to go through Samaria at all? Did He go through Samaria just to talk to this woman? This average, every day woman Jesus came to see. And what was she doing? She wasn’t doing anything spectacular… she was getting water. It would be like us going to the grocery store or getting gas for our car, nothing out of the ordinary…just something that needs to be done.

Another thing that is amazing is that Jesus goes against culture by talking to a woman in public- not to mention a Samaritan woman. Rabbis were not known to talk to women at all. But Jesus goes against what society says and talks to her.

While Jesus is chatting with the woman, He tells her about the truth: from a drink of water to witnessing! Plus, she has no idea what He’s talking about! He’s talking about the living water and she thinks it’s actual water that will quench her thirst forever so she doesn’t have to come to the well everyday. Incredibly, He’s not fazed by this one bit. He doesn’t storm off and walk the other way, shaking His head, “Wow she just does not get it!” He gently continues the conversation.

Jesus has asked for a drink, talked about the living water and then He gets personal. He asks where her husband is. To her credit, she is honest and says she has no husband in which Jesus agrees. He then goes into more detail about how she’s had five husbands and now is with someone who is not her husband. Wow! Way to get to the heart of the matter!

Now wouldn’t Jesus have already known all about this woman before He went to speak to her? Did He not know every hair on her head? Did He not know of her from the beginning of time? Did He not create the universe and everything in it with her in mind? Yet He still went over to talk to her.

Do you realize that God loves you even though He knows everything about you?

Do you know that He knows all our your needs?

Now the woman is starting to clue in a bit. She tells Jesus that He is a prophet and that the Messiah is coming. Jesus once again gets to the heart of the matter and says, “I am the Messiah! You say he’s coming and here I am, standing in front of you- talking with you!” Imagine her surprise! That’s the moment that she gets it!

Then she does something I think is incredible. She goes to her town and tells the people to go check out Jesus. “Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4;39 NIV) And you know what? They did! Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.

A little side note that I think is funny. At the end of the conversation between Jesus and the woman, the disciples come back and in John it says that no one asks Jesus why He was talking to her. They would know of the cultural and social lines that Jesus was crossing and yet they didn’t say anything. They just let it go. Maybe they were used to Jesus’ strange ways? Maybe they knew that Jesus’ ways were not their ways? Maybe they were touched by the transformation of this woman?

Do I rely on my ways or God’s ways?

Do I trust He knows best?

Jesus and the disciples ended up staying a couple extra days in this town. Many were saved. It all started with a simple question, a simple conversation, a simple woman doing an every day task. I wonder if she viewed going to the well differently after that? I wonder if she was reminded of her conversation with Jesus every time she came to the well? I wonder if it gave her new meaning and purpose knowing that a simple conversation made a difference in her life as well as her whole village? I wonder if she looked at water differently knowing that Jesus was the living water and she would never thirst again? She had all of eternity to spend with Jesus. I wonder if she looked for Jesus when she came back? Hoping that He would return, but knowing that she’d be reunited with Him in heaven one day? I wonder if she knew that her story would be in the Bible? That millions of people would read her story and be touched? Did she know the impact she would make by simply going to the well one day?

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©2009 All Rights Reserved Trina Loucks