MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MYSELF IN HEAVEN
Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs.
Isaiah 61:7 (NASB)
What’s weighing you down today? Where do you feel insufficient? What doubt is holding you back? What guilt keeps drawing your mind from the present? You don’t need to deep-dive into answering all of these, and the intent of these questions isn’t to make you dwell on your shortcomings. The point of these questions is to see how much weight you’re always carrying and to point you to a future hope.
Isaiah 61:7 is a prophecy Jesus fulfilled through His birth, death and resurrection. The future heaven the Bible describes isn’t possible through our strivings. Jesus won it for us. Only through the power and effort of a perfect and loving God can we experience a double portion instead of shame or joy instead of humiliation. Everlasting joy is only possible through the God of hope who fills you with joy (Romans 15:13). In heaven, you’ll experience the joy of His presence, and that joy will replace the weight you’re carrying today.
One day, you will be at peace with who God is and who He created you to be. No more guilt. No more shame. No more war between the Spirit and your selfishness. The still-small voice telling you the right thing to do will no longer be lowered, dulled or muted. You’ll always know the right path, the right thing to say, the right amount to get done today. You won’t have to work at or agonize over the right things; the right things will become a natural outpouring of who you are. You won’t have doubts about who you are or what you should be doing. Any guilt you once carried will be washed away in the reality of God’s mercy and goodness.
One day, you’ll be at peace with yourself.
APPLICATION: Write down the things that are weighing you down right now. Go through each one and pray thanks over the reality that one day these worries, doubts and fears won’t be present in your heart. Ask God for the strength to tackle them with His power today.
PRAYER: God, help me to fight with Your power today. My flesh, my selfishness, draws me away from you, but Your Spirit brings me into Your presence. Give me my daily bread, the power to trust in You today instead of myself. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don't let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?