Glimpses of heaven

Posted byoakhillcrossvillePosted inUncategorized
Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Heaven”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Glimpses of heaven”
 
In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul was writing about the fact that right now, in our flesh, we can only get shadowy glimpses of spiritual realities, but not a clear view. Evidence of the spiritual realm is all around us, visible in the physical world, but only dimly and in traces. We are physical beings and our five senses have limited capacity for detecting spiritual realities.
 
But still, evidence of the spiritual realm is there and it is detectable. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote that rather than seeing things directly and clearly, we see only reflections, as if we were looking in a mirror. The King James Version uses the phrase “looking through a glass darkly.” The image is there but it is obscured.
 
The same is true of heaven. God gives us glimpses of heaven here on earth. It’s almost like “Coming Attractions” when you go to the movies. They show you a trailer, or a teaser, of an upcoming film to capture your interest and make you want to see the movie. The trailer isn’t the movie itself. It actually tells you very little about the movie, it just gives you a feel for what it will be like and it makes you want to experience the entire thing. That’s what God is doing when He gives us glimpses of heaven here on earth.
 
I have shared with you before this passage from the famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
 
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit around and pluck blackberries …
 
Earth is crammed with glimpses of heaven. God did that on purpose to provide us with a little preview of what we have waiting for us. To begin to understand what we have waiting for us then, we need to open our eyes and see what He is already showing us now. We will do that with these devotionals in the days to come.
 
One little glimpse of heaven we get now is when the people of God are gathered for worship on Sunday morning. Will you be there to see it? Will your eyes be open and will you appreciate what God is showing you? Church, done right, should be a little glimpse of heaven.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
 
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