Heaven in your heart
“But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16
A couple of weeks ago I was called upon to mediate in a very serious disagreement. My three and five year old daughters came to me with a question that they had been arguing about. The three year old had exclaimed out of the blue that “Heaven was in her heart”. At which my five year old daughter immediately argued, “That is silly. Heaven is too big to fit in your heart. That would mean our dog Billy, and my hamster, Wiggles is in your heart.” And they came to me for a resolution. Blessed are the children for they make you think!
There are some questions in life which material sciences fail to satisfactorily answer. I am not sure if I quite satisfactorily explained to them they were both right. In a sense one cannot exist without the other. Heaven is a real, tangible, unimaginable place yet, actually because of that, it can be in one’s heart. When a heart realizes the reality of the heavenly country, whose maker and builder is God, and desires and longs for it, it fills the heart. In that sense the heart has infinite capacity! The writer of Hebrews in the eleventh chapter recounts the achievements of some of the greatest men that ever lived. In the course of their lives they pioneered new worlds, gave birth to nations, subdued kingdoms, and changed history. It was their singular faith that enabled them and animated them, and this faith was surprisingly most expressed in this simple statement that underscored their lives - Their heart was so captivated by this real heaven that heaven occupied their heart! “They desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:14” On earth, they lived for heaven, and in the process “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies …(Hebrews 11:33)”
The essence of a vibrant faith is a heart that loses its enchantment of the earth, and anchors itself in the heavenly country. “And, God is not ashamed of them”, the scripture testifies. If we are going to accomplish anything for God, then Heaven must become more real to us than even the earth. The celestial city must occupy our minds and fill our heart. CS Lewis very aptly said, “those who aim for heaven, will get earth thrown in; those who aim for earth will get neither.”
Has heaven captivated your heart? Are you animated and motivated by this desire for the heavenly country? Or, are your sights on earth, and the matters of this world fill your heart? I pray we lift our eyes up, and allow the reality of heaven to fill our heart today.
Danesh Manik
A couple of weeks ago I was called upon to mediate in a very serious disagreement. My three and five year old daughters came to me with a question that they had been arguing about. The three year old had exclaimed out of the blue that “Heaven was in her heart”. At which my five year old daughter immediately argued, “That is silly. Heaven is too big to fit in your heart. That would mean our dog Billy, and my hamster, Wiggles is in your heart.” And they came to me for a resolution. Blessed are the children for they make you think!
There are some questions in life which material sciences fail to satisfactorily answer. I am not sure if I quite satisfactorily explained to them they were both right. In a sense one cannot exist without the other. Heaven is a real, tangible, unimaginable place yet, actually because of that, it can be in one’s heart. When a heart realizes the reality of the heavenly country, whose maker and builder is God, and desires and longs for it, it fills the heart. In that sense the heart has infinite capacity! The writer of Hebrews in the eleventh chapter recounts the achievements of some of the greatest men that ever lived. In the course of their lives they pioneered new worlds, gave birth to nations, subdued kingdoms, and changed history. It was their singular faith that enabled them and animated them, and this faith was surprisingly most expressed in this simple statement that underscored their lives - Their heart was so captivated by this real heaven that heaven occupied their heart! “They desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:14” On earth, they lived for heaven, and in the process “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies …(Hebrews 11:33)”
The essence of a vibrant faith is a heart that loses its enchantment of the earth, and anchors itself in the heavenly country. “And, God is not ashamed of them”, the scripture testifies. If we are going to accomplish anything for God, then Heaven must become more real to us than even the earth. The celestial city must occupy our minds and fill our heart. CS Lewis very aptly said, “those who aim for heaven, will get earth thrown in; those who aim for earth will get neither.”
Has heaven captivated your heart? Are you animated and motivated by this desire for the heavenly country? Or, are your sights on earth, and the matters of this world fill your heart? I pray we lift our eyes up, and allow the reality of heaven to fill our heart today.
Danesh Manik
posted by Danesh Manik | 10:52 AM
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