December 21

Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy. — Rev 22:11 BSB

Life in the eternal world will not be so different from life here, except that it will be perfect. The good things we have learned to do here will continue there. Those who have practiced righteousness here will keep doing it in the next life, only more perfectly. We will still obey God and do His will—only with complete obedience. We will love God with all our heart and love others as ourselves. Our life in heaven will be a perfect brotherhood, and heaven will be a perfect home. It will still be more blessed to give than to receive, and the greatest will be the one who serves. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will continue to be the fruits of the Spirit there, just as they are here.

If we have learned to do God’s will here, life in heaven will not feel so strange. Eternal life begins the moment we believe in Christ. On earth, it’s limited by the constraints of this world, but in the life of a true Christian, there are glimpses of the fullness of joy to come. When we reach heaven, the life we’ve begun here will continue, without the hindrances of sin and imperfection, forever. We are taught to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” so our time here is meant to prepare us for the life to come.