For the past many weeks, we have shared messages on the concept of “Heaven on Earth”. For a quick review, we have touched on the following:
- Commit to reaching your maximum potential through connection with God's plan for your life.
- Commit to learn to live by God's truth, the Bible.
- Guard your mind and be able to reject lies of the enemy by consuming the truth of the Bible.
- Pursue the dream in your heart by the direction of inspired ideas that come from the Holy Spirit.
- Commit to necessary actions that will fulfill God's plan for your life. Take steps.
In Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” The most important commandment is to love the Lord your God wholeheartedly. In this passage, Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6: 5-6. He’s reminding the disciples of their heritage, their legacy. Deuteronomy 6 goes on to teach followers to talk about the word of God day and night, reminding their families what God has done. Write the word of God where you will see it all the time and bind your mind to it. Teach your children to stand for the principles of the Bible. Commit yourself wholeheartedly to loving God. When you love God, He will be with you, He will lead you, help you and bless you.
Have you heard of the 100 hour rule? If you spend eighteen minutes every day on a particular subject or activity, you will have spent 100 hours in a year, potentially mastering the topic you have focused on and committed to. Do this in prayer and Bible reading and you will develop an amazing relationship with God.
If you love God, you will obey Him. Learn how to love God with all your heart, soul and strength. Commit all your emotions and will and mind to get to know and love God. Spend time in His presence, and fall in love with Him. If you love God, you'll talk to Him daily and long to please Him.
And bonus! If you love God wholeheartedly, you will love your neighbor. You will find yourself truly loving people and you will look more and more like Jesus. So this is the key to heaven on earth. You are the key, the answer to the world's problems. As you become more and more like Jesus, men will know you as a disciple of Jesus by your love (John 13:35). You won’t be able to do anything but love people if you are a disciple of Jesus. As you become like Jesus, He will even show you how to love your enemies, those who hate you and persecute you.
Loving God also transforms how you think of yourself. Do you love yourself or do you entertain self-loathing? I pray God's love is palpable for you. Jesus died so you could experience God's love. He cares for you and will redeem what has gone wrong in your life. It is impossible for God to love you more than He does right now. He loves you beyond comprehension. There is nothing you could do today that would make God love you less or more. Love gives us supernatural strength to do what we could not normally do. Receive God’s love now.
Luke 6:31 commands, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” If you sow, you will reap. Are you willing? This is not just for friends or people you admire and hope to gain favor from. This is for anyone you have the opportunity to bless. Bless without thought of what the return will be. Be merciful. Be generous. Bless those who cannot bless you back. God will take charge of your blessing. What do you need? Bless others and sow out of your need. Pray for someone. Help someone. Overflow with God's love. Grasp this extraordinary power in your life. Do what you can today.
In Old Testament times, God’s presence was found with the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Today, if you confess Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. God leaves a gap in our lives only He can fill and we are filled when we receive what Jesus did for us. As you surrender your life to Christ, you are not your own. You are God’s conduit for heaven on earth. You have a purpose. God will cover your imperfections and use you mightily if you allow Him to. The world puts hope in things and people but they need God. It’s your responsibility to bring God's love from Heaven to Earth.
Heaven as a destination is not an escape for us. Eternity starts when we receive what Jesus did for us. Heaven begins for us on earth at the moment we accept Jesus and God's presence is the goal. As you love God wholeheartedly, you will set an example in speech, in conduct, love, faith and purity. You will change the world around you. Do you want to taste heaven on earth? Pray. Tell people about Jesus. Love people. Lay down your life by praying, serving and caring for others, even your enemies.
When you live this way, transformation happens. As you commit to loving God wholeheartedly, you will become more like Jesus and you will love as He does. As you love God and people, you are the key to Heaven on Earth.
