Heaven - Longing for the Garden of Paradise
~ This picture of the new creation as a marriage sustains us as we await the coming of our bridegroom, Jesus. It causes us to direct our desires toward this eternal marriage.
~ This picture of the new creation as an inheritance helps us to be content. We don’t get so uptight about what we have or don’t have here and now because we really do believe and anticipate that one day we, along with all of the other children of Abraham by faith, are going to inherit the world.
~ This picture of the new creation as a multicultural community leads us to open the doors of our hearts, the tables in our homes, and the pews in our churches for people who may come through a different door, from a different culture, and have skin that’s a different color. We love them and welcome them and invest in relationship with them now because we know we are going to be sharing eternity with them.
~ This picture of the new creation as a holy temple causes us to increasingly hate what is evil and love what is good. Instead of holding on to our pet sins, we find that we have an increasing desire to be holy as he is holy.
~ This picture of the new creation as a garden keeps us from expecting that this world is ever going to fully satisfy us. We’re thirsty for the living water. We’re hungry for the fruit of the tree of life. We long for the full and complete satisfaction that awaits us in the new and greater garden to come.