eternal life in heaven with God

As spiritual beings we shall all live on for eternity. The concept of eternity is difficult for us to comprehend but I will always remember eternity being described to me as being similar to the time taken for a bird to move the sand from a large beach, grain by grain, to a beach on the other side of the world.  Although this description helped me to gain some appreciation of it at the time, it still is not an accurate description because at least in this example there is an end that would eventually come. However, in eternity, there is no end. A more accurate description would be for us to imagine the beach sand being moved back and forth across the world by a single bird forever.

Jonathan Edwards is considered to be one of America’s greatest theologians. He commenced his undergraduate studies at Yale University when he was just thirteen years old but in addition to his obvious intellectual capabilities, he also had a ministry that was blessed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I understand that there were times when he would simply read a sermon with no great emphasis or expression but yet people would be convicted by the Holy Spirit and repent with tears. Jonathan Edwards said the following:

“The present state is short and transitory, but our state in the other world is everlasting. And as we are there at first, so we must be without change. Our state in the future world therefore, being eternal, is of so much greater importance than our state here, that all our concerns in this world should be wholly subordinated to it.” 

From God’s perspective, there are two paths of life that people are on, the wide road to destruction  away from Him and the narrow pathway we enter through the small gate which leads to eternal life in heaven with God.  This is the difficult pathway which few discover and walk on.  

Matthew 7vs13-14  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (NASB)

True personal  belief in Jesus taking our punishment on the cross is the ONLY way that we can get onto the narrow pathway to eternal life in heaven with God. 

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If only we could understand the weight of these words in our heart we would immediately commit ourselves fully to making choices and changing our life dramatically. 

If you are an unbeliever it should at least warrant you taking a considerable amount of time and effort to fully satisfy yourself that you are not mistaken by your belief that people are not spiritual beings and all will end when your physical body perishes.

If you are a Christian believer, there is a need to examine your faith. There will be sorrow and regret among those people that claimed to be Christians in this life but are found by God to not be acceptable and die without being reconciled to God and saved. These people may have taken their Christianity for granted, perhaps hoping that belonging to a church or going through religious ceremonies like baptism or confirmation or being a member of a Christian family will save them but never taking the time to examine their own faith to see if they truly had a heart-held belief in the Lord Jesus. 

Some Christian true believers who are accepted into heaven will be sorrowful when they meet God because of their wasted lives. Although they received eternal life in God’s kingdom, they were so occupied with the gift of life upon the earth and so focused on living their daily life the way that they wanted that they disregarded the Giver of the gift and the plans He had for their life.

It is vitally important for each of us to understand that we all must seek God while He may be found. There will come a time when a person will long to call out to God but it will be too late and there will be no opportunity to spend eternity with Him in heaven. This is certainly the case after you die.  There is absolutely no way to change your eternal destiny once your spirit and soul leave your body.   

It is never too late to examine your own life and start living the life that God intends for you. There is no second chance at this life on earth. Each day is a day of our life that has gone forever. It is so important that we not waste the valuable life that God has given each one of us. 

Our life on earth is like a puff of wind in the context of eternity but yet it is of such tremendous importance to God and we seem to waste so much of it. 

David in Psalm 39 speaks of the insignificance of man’s life when compared to the eternal nature of God. He speaks of the vain and worthless nature of our busy life which distracts us from building our spiritual life.

Psalm39vs4-6 “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.

Faith to believe in Jesus Christ as well as justification through our faith in His death and resurrection are both gifts from God that are available now but will not always be available in the future. 

When God touches your heart through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then you must heed this touch.  So much depends on the conviction through your spirit to believe in God and for you to then respond to this conviction with a decision to believe and live for Him. Then you can develop a true belief in our heart that will place us on the narrow pathway to eternal life with God in heaven.   

As you are able to truly believe, Jesus said that we are assured of being acceptable to God and also of being assured of receiving eternal life with Him.

John6vs47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.