Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1–5 NLT)

I love to talk about Heaven. I love to think deeply about Heaven. Why? It’s my future destination as a Christian—and it’s yours, too, if you’ve received Christ. What will we see when we get to Heaven? What will we do there? The Bible offers us some tantalizing glimpses, but that’s all they are—glimpses.

It reminds me of when I’m in a movie theater, and they show trailers for new films. I remember one film that I was very excited about seeing because the trailer was amazing. And then I saw the film. Guess what? The trailer was better.

We don’t have to worry about that with Heaven. The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).

God blesses us with little glimpses of glory—special moments when you’re with family or friends or when you watch a spectacular sunset, sunrise, or rainbow. If you ever get tired of a rainbow, something just might be wrong with you!

All these beautiful things are God’s creation. And they remind us that something greater is coming. Heaven isn’t a watered-down version of the greatest moments on Earth. The greatest moments on Earth are a glimpse of greater things to come. Heaven will be your greatest dreams realized and even more.

Heaven is a place of feasting and fellowship. A place of activities and worship. A place of fun and celebration that will put the sufferings of this world in context.

Will you be there? We decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife. Do you have absolute certainty that you will go to Heaven when you die? Remember, you don’t go to Heaven to find Christ. You go to Christ to find Heaven. It’s through Jesus—and only Jesus—that we will get to Heaven.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14–15 NLT)

After Jesus said His followers are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13 NLT), He said we’re also “the light of the world.” The contrast between those two images, salt and light, is interesting. Salt is hidden; light is obvious. If you’ve ever been in a movie theater when someone pulls out their phone to check messages or scroll through social media, you know how obvious light is in a dark place.

Salt works secretly; light works openly. Salt works from within; light works from without. Salt represents an indirect influence of the gospel; light represents a more direct communication. Salt and light work in harmony. If I’m salty—that is, if I’m living as I ought to live as a follower of Jesus—it effectively earns me the right to let my light shine before others.

By its very nature, light exposes darkness. Have you ever lost something in the dark? Maybe, say, a burrito in your car at night. You don’t know where it went. But when you look the next morning, you find it with no problem. A little light exposed it.

In the same way, when God’s light shines in our lives, we see things we haven’t seen before. In John 3:19, Jesus says, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (nlt). People who are evil hate the light. They avoid it, lest their evil deeds be exposed.

That’s why if you ask certain people to go to church with you, you get an emphatic no. They want nothing to do with it. Or if you try to read a Bible passage, you get an objection. Church and God’s Word shine spotlights into dark places. People don’t want to come to the light or have a conversation about Jesus because they don’t want to change their lifestyle. They’ve grown accustomed to the dark and don’t want it exposed.

Remember, though, light also shows the way out of darkness. When I’m in a hotel room, I leave a light on—usually in the bathroom—in case I need to go there in the middle of the night. When I’m navigating unfamiliar territory, I don’t want to trip. The light helps me find my way through the darkness.

In the same way, God’s light helps people navigate through the darkness of this world so that they can find their way to Him. And Jesus gives us the privilege of being that light for others.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” (Matthew 5:13 NLT)

In Jesus’ day, salt had great value. In fact, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. That’s where we get the expression, “He’s not worth his salt.” Salt was valuable because it stopped the spread of rot in meat. In the days before refrigeration, people would cut meat into strips and embed it in salt to preserve it. The followers of Christ, the salt of this world, serve a similar function.

Christians stop the spread of rot—or evil—in our culture today. Christians stand up for the rights of the unborn. Christians speak out against racism and try to bring about reconciliation. Christians help people in need. That’s what it means to be salt in our culture today.

Another thing salt does is stimulate thirst. If you eat salty popcorn in a movie theater, it will make you thirsty. (And then you’ll have to spring for a soft drink the size of a small wading pool—with free refills—or a $40 bottled water.)

As the salt of the earth, believers stimulate a thirst to know God in others. When people see someone who loves the Lord, walks with Him, and experiences His joy, they get curious. Maybe a little envious. They start to want what the believer has.

That’s how I came to Christ. I had transferred to a new high school. One of my friends warned me, “Greg, the Jesus freaks are everywhere here. Be careful.”

I said, “Oh, yeah. The last thing that’s ever going to happen is that Greg Laurie will become a Jesus freak.” Famous last words, right?

But here’s what interested me about these people: They had joy and happiness—things I didn’t have. I realized that there was an emptiness in my life. It was the believers’ walk with God that attracted me to them. I showed up at one of their meetings but sat far enough away that people wouldn’t think I was one of them. When I heard what it means to be a Christian, I gave my life to the Lord. The thing that ultimately reached me was Christians being salty. Christians living as Christians ought to live was very attractive to me.

Likewise, Christians who have lost their saltiness can make people turn up their noses at our faith. If you treat your faith like a chore—or if you take it seriously only when it’s convenient for you—people will notice. And they’ll judge your faith to be worthless.

If you live your faith with passion, purpose, and joy, people will also notice. And they’ll start to get thirsty.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.