Devotion 3: No Shoes in Heaven
John Stone
What do you expect when you get to Heaven and meet Jesus?
Each of our expectations varies, but I have recently asked this question to people and the answers tend to be heartbreaking. They seem to reveal a lack of understanding of how much our Heavenly Father actually loves His children or perhaps an underestimation of the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work on the cross for them. One man said he would not be surprised if St. Peter dropped the gate on him. Another said he expects to be issued a shoeshine kit but nobody will be wearing shoes. Another said she expects a spanking followed by a hug. On the surface, these answers may sound funny, but these people were not telling jokes. Many of us probably share similar feelings if we have ever contemplated our life and our many shortcomings. I know I have. We have failed Christ so many times, in so many ways, that there must be some kind of punishment waiting. The Catholic Church even fabricated a non-biblical place called Purgatory based on this same idea. Even though the Bible clearly demonstrates the opposite, we just cannot get it through our heads that God could possibly love us that much.
In fact, God loves His sons and daughters so much that He crushed His own Son, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53), and poured out His wrath on Him so that we could be righteous; His atonement for all our sin, past, present, and future. We will still struggle with sin, and we should struggle, fight, and make war against it, but do not lose hope and think that our failures somehow disqualify us or revoke our inheritance in the Kingdom of our Father (Luke 15:11-24). We should be broken and weep over the sinful condition of our flesh (Romans 7:21-25) knowing it grieves and dishonors Him; but never forget that, because of Christ, our eternal soul is righteous and worthy to be in the presence of God (Romans 8:10). God is not frowning when He thinks of you. The day you confessed Jesus as Lord, He did not roll His eyes and grumble, “Another dirty sinner I have to put up with.” The Bible says the angels in Heaven rejoice when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10)! The angels are not throwing a party in a room down the hall and suddenly get quiet and go back to studying catechism when God bursts in to see what all the noise is about. There is joy in Heaven! The angels are celebrating with God because one sinner, you, turned to Christ! However, the joy does not end there. You are not just another hash mark on the throne room wall or notch on God’s belt to be forgotten when the next sinner displaces you. You are loved and all of Heaven is waiting in anticipation of the day that you come home.
Jesus said He was going away to Heaven to prepare a place for us. If we have ever thought about it we may assume, because He is God, that He can just speak and everything is done. He could, but I do not believe so in this case. Jesus does not build concrete block apartments! I believe He is crafting a custom home for each of us that is uniquely designed to fit our personalities; a house perfectly suited to maximize our comfort and enjoyment (John 14:2), and a place of true rest. He knows us better than we know ourselves (Psalm 139:13; Matthew 10:30; Romans 8:26). Look at the intricacy of creation. Jesus does not cut any corners. He does not forget important details. The building of this house is literally a labor of love by the Creator of the universe for you.
God loves us so much that He chose to share the greatest gift in the universe with us, namely Himself. For now, we have only gotten a taste, but throughout eternity we will never exhaust the glory and wonder of who He is (Ephesians 2:4-9). I hope that we all long to hear our Savior say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.” However, for now, we get to walk, we get to run, we get to work for the glory of God to further His Kingdom and add to the joy of Heaven. Put aside any thoughts that our Father’s love for us is conditional. He loves us perfectly with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Know that when He thinks of you He smiles. Instead of shuffling toward Heaven in shame and trepidation, hold your head high (Luke 21:28), act like the royalty you are (Romans 8:16-17); because your Father, the King of the universe, loves you and delights in you (Psalm 37:23). You are His child and you bring Him joy.
“The Lord bless you, and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine on you,
and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-27 (NASB)