“But we are a colony of heaven on earth as we cling tightly to our life-giver, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20 (TPT)
I love the sense of community this verse brings – we are all a colony of heaven! In the prayer Jesus prayed while he was teaching his followers to pray, he said “On earth as it is in heaven.” I wonder how often we say these words without really taking in the power they give.
So…it begs the question –what is it like in heaven? We can only imagine! We are a little stuck with our everyday existence here on earth, but we at least know that things there are perfect there. Before we roll our eyes and say, “That’ll never happen here!” –let’s explore what He meant when he prayed those words. Is there sickness in heaven? Anxiety? Frustration and anger? Stress? Say it with me, “NO!” And do we have these things here? Oh yeah, often in abundance. So –was this prayer just nice words that don’t hold power or reality– or is there a possibility that He meant what He said?
What if, as a community (or colony, as stated above), we truly believed in the power He gave us when He exchanged His life for ours?
My pastor speaks of this often, reminding us that this is truly what Christ’s finished work on the cross grants us. All we have to do is the action of believing and speaking it the way Jesus did in His prayer.
What could this look like in your today? Look at your to-do list. Does it contain things that feel overwhelming or stressful? There is no stress in heaven. Only peace, energy, and plenty of power to face all that you are called to today. Stand in the security of who He says you are –a citizen of heaven that has all this– and pray over each item saying, “On earth as it is in heaven.”
Do you have brokenness in a relationship that is hurting your heart? There is only wholeness and healing in heaven. Ask Him how you can partner with Him in bringing that wholeness and healing to pass in your relationships –the way He sees it from His heavenly point of view. He is working consistently to heal, to bind up the brokenhearted, to bring life to everything that matters to you. Ask Him how you can be a part of this amazing work.
This tells us that we as a heavenly colony living together on earth with a purpose are forever secure in His plan –for eternity! And we get to actively participate in His work together. We don’t have to wait until we arrive in heaven to experience this security, Hallelujah!
“Lord, today I want to partner together with what you are doing in ______ (fill in the blank) and say with You, ‘On earth as it is in heaven.’ ”
