The last reflection emphasized the responsibility we have to consider eternal consequences of today’s decisions, but the thought of an eternity spent with our Savior in heaven should also bring great joy. We sing about heaven or read of it in the scriptures now and then, but sometimes we go days without thinking about it. In fact, we often live as though the joy we achieve in this earthly life is all we have.
One young girl wondered whether she would really like heaven. She liked riding her bike and eating chocolate chip cookies. What if heaven didn’t have those? All she’d heard about were golden streets, and that didn’t sound fun. Someone explained to her that God knows her better than anyone else knows her, and God knows better than she does what she needs and wants. If heaven is supposed to be wonderful, then God knows what to put there to make it wonderful. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also”(John 14:2-3). God knows better than you do how to prepare the perfect place for you.
Some people are good gift givers, and some are not. The good ones think about the recipient, what he does with his time, what vehicle he drives, what hobby he enjoys, and what’s important to him. If you have ever received a gift from a good gift giver, you were surprised at how perfect the gift was, amazed that a person could be so perceptive as to know that you would simply love this gift. The not-so-great gift givers do not have a habit of paying attention to others; then, when faced with a situation requiring a gift, these people end up buying something they’d like to receive, or what they can find on sale, or whatever would take the least amount of effort.
Your God is the perfect gift-giver because he knows you better than anyone else, loves you more than anyone else does, and can do anything. Psalm 68:19 in the NKJV reads, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation.” Perhaps you’ve been encouraged by that verse, remembering the many blessings God has given you. Other versions, however, translate that verse somewhat differently: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation”(NASB). “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation”(ESV). These last two meanings differ from the first one, but all are true and are found in other scriptures. Sometimes the best blessing is the knowledge that someone stronger than we are is supporting us.
If we claim Christ as our Savior, it’s wonderful to know that as we face each day and, someday, eternity, we have a God who loves us, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and who is the perfect gift-giver.