What Will You Do Your First Day in Heaven?
"I'm going to jump in the snow, talk to God, swim in the pool and look for Mommy," says Ricky, 5.
I'm glad Mom made your list, Ricky, even if she's at the bottom.
"When I go to heaven, I'm going to ride the angels," says Tommy, 8. "I will praise God all the days with all my heart, and I won't do anything bad."
Tommy, maybe your guardian angel will give you a ride. Be sure and ask first.
"I will look around. I will hug Jesus. I will look in my room. And I would meet famous people like Elvis," says David, 7.
Just because you're famous on Earth doesn't mean you'll be famous in heaven, or even that you'll be there at all. Jesus said the first will be last and the last will be first. Usually, reporters don't write about Christians who live quiet, godly lives. I wonder what kind of stories would fill a newspaper in which angels reported news for the Heaven Herald.
Most Christians grossly underestimate God's promises of eternal rewards. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in his name would be rewarded. Heaven is a free gift received by faith alone in Christ alone, but rewards are earned for faithful service to God. God greatly desires to bless his children now and later.
"I will go and see the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I would see all the famous people in the Bible," says Kyle, 9. "Then I would jump on the clouds all day."
Yes, the famous people in the Bible are true heroes and heroines. Some might call Hebrews 11 the Bible Hall of Fame, or better yet, the Hall of Faith. Check out the exploits of people who are famous in heaven. Some of these godly people were mocked, stoned and tortured. From God's perspective, the world was not worthy of them.
Some consider fame to be everything. If it is everything, why is the news full of stories about the excesses and abuses of movie, music and sports stars?
How about inviting all the famous people in heaven to a party. Andy, 6, is probably already preparing his invitation list: "I will have a party and invite everyone, a praise party! I love you a lot, God."
The most consistent picture we have of heaven is a wedding feast where Jesus as the groom takes his bride, which consists of everyone who believed in him. "A praise party" is probably a great way to describe the banquet (Revelation 19:6-9).
"When I get to heaven, I will walk to where Jesus is, and I will listen to him for a very long time," says Stephanie, 10. "Then I will watch angels fly. After that I will go back to Jesus and walk with him and listen to what he says again and again. Then I will run home praising the Lord."
This sounds like a great plan of action. Listen to Jesus. Watch a little incoming air traffic. Go back and listen to Jesus some more and run home praising God.
"The first thing I would do is check on Jesus and see if he's OK," says Grace, 9.
I can assure you Jesus will be much better than OK, Grace.
And when you check on Jesus, you may find Nicholas, 5: "I'm going to go in Jesus' lap and give him hugs and kisses."
Grace also might find Anna, 9: "First I'd go right to God and thank him for all the blessings he gave me down on Earth. Then I would dance with him all day long. I would jog with my grandpa, play tetherball with the angels, plant sunflowers everywhere and skip along the golden path."
Anna, thank you for giving us a wondrous view of heaven. Keep dancing.
Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer. To see more material like this, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.
Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version.
Copyright 2007 Carey Kinsolving