A friend of mine once told me that she didn’t want to go to heaven because the thought of sitting on a cloud for all eternity strumming a harp sounded boring. I don’t know exactly what heaven will be like- we’re told of mansions and streets of gold- but when you look at it that way, it doesn’t sound that appealing, does it?
But we cannot avoid it.
We are promised in Revelation that every nation will ultimately worship the Almighty. And Paul tells us that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, whether we want to or not. Standing in the presence of infinite glory, we will be overwhelmed by worship.
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
‘Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.Amen!'”
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.Amen!'”
(Revelation 7:9-12)
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Philippians 2:9-11)
To be honest, I am jealous of professional Christian musicians. As I struggle with expressing my faith in the day-in day-out routines, all I have to do is turn on my radio and hear them praising God through song. It is almost as if they don’t have to do anything to share their faith because their faith is continuously being broadcast over the airwaves.
Of course I know that for for every one artist who is successful, there are probably a hundred who didn’t make it. (I know many who have aspired to be professional musicians who sell insurance, teach, or are unemployed; to name three.) And I also do not know what their day-to-day looks like. It is not as if whenever their song comes on that they instantly are behind a microphone singing praise. I am sure they have their usual struggles; that “life happens” to them too.
But I ignore the reality and wish it were that easy for me to praise God. That same part of me wishes Jesus would come back today so I could just automatically worship him without having to put forth any effort.
That’s just my sinful nature talking. In truth, I know I must go out and live my life as an expression of praise and worship to my Creator. That does not mean I break into song on a street corner, or shout hallelujah after every sentence I speak. What it does mean is that I live my life faithfully, with integrity, and giving credit where credit is due. And if I persevere doing this every day, even when it is hard I don’t feel like it, I am promised an eternity where living such a way will be easy.
“…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
(Romans 12:1)
This post is part of Duane Scott’s blog-carnival, “unwrapping his promises”. Click the button below for more.
It's funny your friend should mention it, because I too have often worried heaven is going to be boring.
I love marketing. Love building a business. Love trying new things and striving to make them work. In short, I actually would miss working.
But I'm sure God has something up His sleeve for all of us to do. I secretly hope we will be the angels for the next world or something. 🙂
Sorry I'm just randomly writing but this post brought on a lot of thoughts!
And you, Frank, you'll get to sing in heaven. 🙂
Thanks for the deep thoughts, Duane. Thankfully in heaven, everyone will be singing in tune! Maybe you'll be whistling while you work?
@Duane.
Have you ever considered your church as a marketing campaign? They promise many things but, the only way to find out, is when it's time to deliver?
What happens if what was promised isn't delivered?