Looking Forward

Bible Reading: Philippians 3:14, 20; 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1

“Limited time only,” Cheri read from the backseat as their car passed a shopping mall. “Blowout inventory sale…everything must go…coming soon—wait! Graham! Did you see that?” Cheri turned to her brother, who was immersed in a book. “They’re closing our favorite toy store!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you even listening? They’re putting in something called Sky World instead! Isn’t that horrible?”

Graham’s eyes widened. “Really?” He dropped his book. “Don’t you know what that is?”

“Never heard of it.” Cheri slumped and crossed her arms.

“It’s the coolest place ever! It’s where Brian had his birthday party last month. It’s a huge room made of trampolines! You can bounce from one end of the building to the other. It’s awesome!”

“Sure.”

“You don’t believe me? Mom, tell Cheri I’m telling the truth!”

“Cheri, it’s true. You’d love it,” Mom said.

Cheri shrugged. “It’s just hard to imagine that many trampolines in one room.”

Graham smiled. “You remind me of our Sunday school lesson and how people might think heaven isn’t real because it’s hard to imagine a place that’s so awesome. But those signs you read explain a lot.”

“I thought you were too busy reading to care about the signs,” Cheri snapped.

“No, I heard you read them. ‘Limited time only’—like God’s offer to save us. ‘Everything must go’—like sin, pain, and death when Jesus comes back. And ‘coming soon’—like the new earth and heaven Jesus is going to make and the new bodies He’s going to give us.”

Cheri stared at Graham. “Are you saying I shouldn’t be sad our favorite toy store is closing because Sky World will be so much better—like the new heaven and earth when Jesus comes back?”

“Well, it’s not going to be as good as that,” Graham said, “but it will definitely be better than the toy store!”

Mom nodded as she pulled into their driveway. “It’s a good reminder that, no matter what we go through, we can look forward to an amazing future because we trust in Jesus.” – Pearl Allard

How About You?

Does heaven seem far away or not very real to you? Do you have trouble imagining what it will be like when Jesus comes back? Reading about it in the Bible and focusing on Jesus and the life He has promised us can help. We can face disappointments because we know He’s with us and that something better is coming. Look forward to the amazing future you have with Him.

Today’s Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Look forward to heaven