Genesis 2:15

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it.

Revelation 5:10

And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.’

Daniel 7:27

Then the kingdom and dominion,

And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,

Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

2 Timothy 2:12

If we endure, We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

Many have a misconception of heaven. Not surprisingly, this misconception stems from man’s desire to have everything his own way and on his own terms! This desire is what causes many of us to attempt to create God in our own individual images rather than the other way around!

Many see heaven as a place where their every wish is granted. Many see it as different for each person, based on the desires of the individual. Think of it like asking someone what their ideal eternal life would be like and then listening to the description. Some ideas of heaven come from misguided religious faith. But many come simply from a misunderstanding of what the Bible tells us of heaven and the purpose of man.

We tend to be very self-centric in our thoughts and beliefs. This can be seen in the way we pray, the way we worship, and the way we live our lives to acquire comfort and serve ourselves and families first. Yet the entirety of scripture actually speaks and teaches against this! God never created us to serve ourselves! We were created to serve Him! We see this even in the first book of the Bible, in which we read of our creation and the stated purpose of tending and ruling over the earth, God’s creation.

When we read of and encounter angels, we tend to see them as inseparable from God. We know conceptually that they are fellow servants of God, as we are. Yet nearly every encounter with an angel in scripture results in the human attempting to fall on his face to worship the angel. This is understandable in one sense because fallen man, living in a natural fallen world, with limited means and power, is awestruck when in the presence of a supernatural creature. But angels are created beings, just the same. When we encounter holy, sinless angels we encounter something akin to what we were originally created to be and we see them as god-like.

Yet scripture tells us we will actually sit in judgment of angels! Each creation of God has a purpose! Ours is to serve God and rule with Christ on earth. This is work, not idleness. The point? Heaven will not be a place of resting on our respective laurels! It will not be a place of redundancy or laziness. It will be a place of great enjoyment and pleasure in serving and worshipping Almighty God!

So why, then, Christian, do we not live in this manner now? We must ask ourselves honestly, how much time do we devote to the worship and devotion of God? How much time do we devote to living out our mandate from Christ Jesus? I know many Christians (and believe me I can do better in this area!) who awaken with a prayer on their hearts, and then get to their day. Their day is focused on work, play, social media, television, internet, food, self-enjoyment, self-gratification in its many forms, and then, at the end of the day, prayer to God and bed. Given an honest appraisal of your worship and devotion to God, where do you fall?

Can we all do better? Of course. Does every waking moment have to be dedicated to God? ABSOLUTELY! Does that mean you cannot enjoy yourself, your life-distractions and idle times? Of course not. But, as scripture says in 1 Corinthians 10, “Whether therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

The question then becomes, “How will this glorify God?” God is intent on displaying who He is. Psalm 19:1 2 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the heavens showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttered speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” So, we can say that the heavens are God’s “preachers” in the sky who proclaim 24 hours a day the truth and glory of God. 

Everything should point us to His glory, and if it doesn’t, it’s because we’re too prideful (which caused Lucifer to lose his place), and self-centered to look for His glory. And if we’re “centered on ourselves,” we’re “in sin.”

Take a moment to consider the great responsibility God has entrusted us with. Give glory to Him, thanks to Him, and prepare yourselves for an eternity of the best life and work you could ever hope for! For us here on earth, work is a 4-letter derogatory term for many. In heaven, it will be the greatest of blessings!!!