A Human Heaven

By |Published On: December 28, 2018|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Clouds in a blue sky


No doubt about it, I love working hard!

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and you’ve got to know I so enjoy rolling up my sleeves and serving God – whether it’s visiting hospitals, advocating on issues, traveling in ministry, writing articles, relating in marriage, painting at my easel, or working at my computer, and so much more. Whoa, that’s a lot of work! Do I really do all that? But I have to be honest. Although I love my work, I need my rest. In fact, it is rest which invigorates me for work. The disciplines of rest and work are so separate from each other, but boy, do they complement each other. If you go long doing one without the other, it’ll be crash time, believe me, it’s happened to me often enough that I know it’s crash time unless I add rest to all the work I do.

But listen to this: in heaven, work and rest won’t be separate. We will experience both, get this, at the same time. Because you see in Paradise, ours will be a vigorous kind of work of which we will never, ever grow tired. We will always be active, yet at rest; always resting, yet active. Isn’t that incredible? Psalm 2:8-9 hints at the sort of work we will enjoy where it says, “You will rule [the ends of the earth].” Man, that’s a lot of geography, and that’s a lot of work! We’re not talking about a few acres on the back of the farm; our sphere of authority in heaven will be the entire universe. We will have so much to do. So much to explore, create, rule, discover, manage, possess, and delight in. Yet, for all that activity, we shall be utterly serene, peaceful, relaxed and at rest. Amazingly, fatigue will be a thing of the past – it had better be since we will “serve him day and night,” as Revelation 7 reminds us.

Look, friend, heaven’s not going to be boring. After all, humans need to work. And we also enjoy resting. Well, since Heaven is the home of redeemed humans, we’re going to enjoy doing both. Both at the same time. Because you see, since heaven is a place for redeemed humans, it stands to reason that heaven will be thoroughly “human” in all its activities, including work and rest. Dr. Hodge, the president of Princeton Seminary back in the early 1800’s, he wrote that, “Heaven’s joys and occupations must all be rational, moral, emotional, voluntary and active. There must be the exercise of all the faculties, the gratification of all tastes, the expression of all talents, the realization of all ideals… the intellectual curiosity, the aesthetic instincts, the holy affections, the social affinities, the inexhaustible resources of strength and power native to the human soul, must all find in heaven exercise and satisfaction.”

Friend, there you have it: God is going to give you a hand-tailored, only-you-can-do-it kind of job. A happy job for which you are perfectly suited.  In heaven you will always have something wonderful to do, and you will always be happy doing it.

So I want you to join me today in getting prepared, getting ready for this exciting new job you’re going to have in heaven: a restful job, but an active one in which you will serve God day and night without getting tired. And you can get prepared by joining me by looking at every earthly responsibility, every earthly task and mission as an adventure, as training ground, as a chance to get a little celestial job skills training by reflecting a good attitude and a happy spirit which always glorifies the Savior.

© Joni and Friends

(Previously aired as #7208 on 12/16/09)

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