What Heaven Means to Me

 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2-3

If you ask 20 people what the first thing they think of when Heaven is mentioned or what they look forward to the most in Heaven, you could easily get 20 different answers. Some would mention friends and family who have passed over, while others would talk about the sights of Heaven that the Bible speaks of, while others would speak about it as a place of peace and rest from the struggles of Earth. It's true that Heaven will have all of that, but is that what Heaven is really about?

I'd like to ask you a question. If you knew that there were no mansions, no street of gold, no walls of jasper, no gates of pearl, and no loved ones or saints of old waiting, would you still want to go to Heaven? I would, and I'd like to tell you why.

Please don't think that I have no love for those who have crossed into Heaven before me, but I don't believe they're going to be on my mind when I arrive there. I would never say that I don't think that Heaven will be a spectacular sight, but I don't believe I'll notice any of the sights of the city when I arrive. There will be only one thing on my mind, and Jesus told us what it is in John 14:3. The only real point of Heaven and the only real attraction it holds is Him.

"That's a bold statement," I imagine someone is thinking after reading that. Yes, it is, but I believe it's a Biblical statement. Yes, Jesus has gone to prepare a place for me, and I believe there's a mansion there with my name on it. But why did Jesus go to prepare such a place for me? "That where I am, there ye may be also."

That's what the Apostle Paul believed Heaven was about. He said, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He said that he was willing to go to Heaven so that he could be present with the Lord. He said that he had a desire to depart and be with Christ and said that it was far better.

Why would anyone feel that way? True, we all have struggles in life, sometimes more than we bargained for, but not many people seem to be interested in dying and leaving. For the Christian, there's a great reason to want to go to Heaven. When we finally arrive, we will forever be with the One who has showered His love upon us, and whom we now love because of that. We will be with the One who was willing to give His all to rescue us from the penalty of the wrath of God on our sins.

When we love someone, we desire to be with that person. When we're separated from them, our heart longs for them. As it is said, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Each day that you live on Earth, does your heart long more for Jesus? Do you desire to be with Him? If not, I would plead with you to examine your heart. Salvation is more than fire insurance, and it's more than a "Mansion Over the Hilltop," as great as those things are. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you're reading this, and the thought of seeing Jesus Christ in Heaven doesn't stir your heart and you're concerned about your soul, please contact me. I would love nothing more on Earth than to introduce you to the Heaven of Heaven, Jesus Christ, the lover of your soul.

Yes, if nothing else were in Heaven, I'd still want to go. I want to see Jesus.