Shadow of Heaven
God designed all things in heaven above and on earth below to do His will.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:14-16, 18-19, 21-25, 29
With the last breaths in his lungs, Joshua called for the people to make a decision. It is the decision that will define each of our lives. The question is what will you serve? Will you serve yourself? Will you serve the things that culture worships like power, possessions, and pride? Will you serve what others serve wanting to please other people? Will you serve the desires of your flesh?
In heaven, everyone serves God. The interesting thing about this question is that it is incomplete. The real question is what you will serve while you are here on earth. One day, when you breath your last breath like Joshua did, you will enter the spiritual space where God's will is always done. The earth we live in here and now is but a shadow of things to come. Our time on earth is a blimp in the space time continuum. If all people on earth had a perspective aligned with heaven, then heaven would invade earth.
While every knee has not yet bowed and every tongue has not yet confessed, we will continue to live in a world of brokenness. We cannot control the decisions of others, but we can make our own decision. We can bow our own knee and confess with our own mouths that Jesus is Lord. It is easy to speak the words and declare that you will serve God, but your actions speak louder than words. What does your calendar and your bank account, your giving and serving, say about whether you have decided to align your life with heavenly ways?
“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.”
Psalms 61:2, 4-5, 7-8
One of the most common questions that we ask when we encounter each other is how are you doing. There is a very formulaic process that tends to keep our discussions at a surface level that are safe but can be meaningless. David has no interest in a formulaic relationship with God. He wants intimacy. He wants to dwell in the house of God and to become the temple of God's presence. He wants his life to reflect heavenly ways so he pursues God with a heavenly fervor.
What is your approach? What would happen if we asked each person we met how are you climbing to a higher rock? What you have you been learning and how are you growing? God calls us to share our experiences and sharpen each other. Asking formulaic questions does not help shape, sharpen, or shine God's light. Will you change your approach so that your approach to connecting with others reflects the way Jesus approached people? In heaven, no one asks how are you doing, they ask how they can join together to sing holy, holy, holy is the God Almighty.
“Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart...out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter...little knowing it will cost him his life. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.”
Proverbs 7:2-3, 10, 13-15, 19, 21-23, 25, 27
Solomon says be proactive so that you do not let your temptations turn you from serving God. He uses strong language telling his children to keep, guard, bind, and write. We live in a world that tells people to do whatever makes them happy, but where does that get us? The world tells us to let our kids decide what they feel like doing. Solomon says do not let your children decide on their own what is right for them without giving them instruction and letting them know God's commandments. Joshua said as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Clearly he was talking about how his decision impacted those around him. How are you leading your household?
One of the most frustrating conversations I have is with parents who say they are going to let their kids choose what they feel like doing when it comes to whether they participate in sports. I always ask them who knows what is best for the child, you or the child. Of course the answer is obvious, that wisdom and experience matter in making decisions. The bible says we need to have a vision for our life and that vision should always hold fast to a heavenly perspective. We should consider where we want to end up when deciding on which road to travel.
Following Jesus is the highway to heaven. Solomon contrasts that with the highway that leads to the grave. He warns the ones he loves about the ways that they can be led astray. Solomon would know. He is speaking from firsthand experience. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. You can almost hear the pain of regret in his voice as he counsels his kids to not make the mistakes that he has made. If we choose to serve God, the most important characteristic we can have is being faithful.
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up...Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity...the lot fell on Jonah...they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:1-4, 7-12, 15-17
The story of Jonah is remarkable and in some ways resembles another path to resurrection. Unlike Jesus, Jonah says no to doing God's will. Jonah tries to run and hide. He says no to serving God and sets sails for the opposite direction that God's calling him to go.
We could judge Jonah and this could be seen as a story of disobedience. The better perspective is to see how faithful God is regardless of whether we immediately choose to serve God. God is not going to stop pursuing relationship or calling us to find how we can participate in bringing the kingdom. God is not going to hold back on His plans to bring the heaven to earth through us.
We have all had our Jonah moments. Times where we were disobedient or sinned. Often those decisions lead us straight into a place of pain. Jonah could have completely avoided a three day time out in the disgusting belly of a fish had he chosen to live like Joshua. But, Jonah's disobedience did not change God's love for Jonah or His desire to see His will done. It doesn't change ours either. We have a Savior in Jesus Christ who always pursues, redeems, and restores. Are there any Jonah decisions going on in your life? Any areas where you feel led in a direction but really don't want to go?
“Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:3, 5-7, 10-13
Paul says we live in a sanctuary that is a copy and a shadow of heaven. In some ways this imagery reflects similar thinking as the story told by Socrates where everything on the wall of a cave that people see is a reflection rather than the true reality of things. Have you ever considered that we could be living in a copy of what is to come? It is a deep thought and one with eternal implications. If we are living in a copy, the natural question arises what is the true?
Jesus epitomized both grace and truth. He met people where they were. Whether they were a sinner caught in the act of adultery or a self-righteous pharisee seeking understanding, Jesus started with grace then turned to truth. The bible says that God is spirit and truth. Perhaps we should approach each day with the understanding that we are not yet in heaven and what we see around us is not in alignment with God's original design. If we accept this premise, then we would start from a place of humility seeking to change from our natural defaults to new spiritual defaults.
Paul describes the comparison of the old and the new, the earthly and the heavenly, when he compares the two covenants. There is an old covenant where how we are judged is by how well we perform in accordance with the law as the measure of our faithfulness to God. When Joshua says, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. His heart is to be faithful and his actions will reveal how truthful his statement was. Can you see the issue with the old covenant knowing that we all fall short of the glory of God and none live up to his perfect standards on earth?
Some people have accepted Jesus, but not discovered what it means to live faithfully according to the new covenant. Paul said a new covenant had to be ushered in because the old one was broken and not strong enough to get people into right alignment. The bible talks about a new heaven and new earth. A state of alignment where God's will is done everywhere, by all people. Jesus ushers in the new covenant by changing the way we think from what we have to do, to what God has already done. Rather than striving to serve faithfully, we awaken to the reality that we are responding to a Savior who served us first. Our Savior washed our feet and washed our sins as white as snow. The laws that are written on our hearts in bright red letters spell out LOVE. Jesus said love God and love others. That's it. Do you want to declare that your house will serve God? If so, start by celebrating the Jesus who so deeply loved you that He saved you from the penalty of sin and death, then see how you can bring love to the world with the gifts that you have been given.
Jesus is calling us higher. He always has more for us as we conform to His likeness and learn what it is to live here as in heaven. We do not have to live in the shadows or wait until our last sunset to live in an intimate relationship with God. Make a decision today. Turn to Him today. There is not time like the present to decide in your heart who you will serve, believing in your heart that He was raised from the dead, and declaring with your mouth that Jesus is Lord of your life. As you do, the light of Christ will brighten the darkest shadows of your heart and help you reflect the True King.