Fix Your Eyes On Eternity: A 12-Day Devotional On Heaven And The New EarthSample

Gary Larson captured a common misperception of Heaven in one of his Far Side cartoons. In it a man with angel wings and a halo sits on a cloud, with no one nearby. He has the expression of someone marooned on a desert island with absolutely nothing to do. A caption shows his inner thoughts: “Wish I’d brought a magazine.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Scripture says that on the New Earth, “his servants will serve him” (Revelation 22:3, NIV). Serve is a verb. Servants are people who are active and occupied, carrying out tasks. They have things to do, places to go, people to see!

Incredible though it may seem, God has decided that we’re actually going to assist Him in running the universe (Luke 19:11-27). He needs no help, of course, but He lovingly delegates authority and responsibility to His children. He will give us renewed minds and bodies so that we will be whole people, full of energy and vision, eager to undertake new projects for God’s glory and our enrichment. 

We’ll reign with Christ over the New Earth, where we’ll exercise leadership and authority, making important decisions. This implies specific, delegated responsibilities for those under our leadership, as well as specific responsibilities given to us (Luke 19:17-19). We will set goals, devise plans, and share ideas. Our best workdays on Earth—when everything turns out better than we planned, when everything’s done on time, when everyone on the team pulls together—are just a foretaste of the joy our work will bring us in Heaven.

In Heaven, we’ll rest (Revelation 14:13). We know what it means to rest. And to want to rest (Hebrews 4:10-11). We will serve Christ there, working for His glory. We know what it means to work. And to want to work. We will work without any of the painful toil that came with the Curse, which will be forever lifted.

What kind of work will we do in Heaven? Maybe you’ll build a cabinet with Joseph of Nazareth. Or with Jesus. Maybe you’ll tend sheep with David, discuss medicine with Luke, sew with Dorcas, make clothes with Lydia, design a new tent with Paul or Priscilla, write a song with Isaac Watts, ride horses with John Wesley, or sing with Keith Green. Maybe you’ll write a theology of the Trinity, bouncing your thoughts off Paul, John, Polycarp, Cyprian, Augustine, Calvin, Wesley . . . and even Jesus.

Our work will be joyful and fulfilling, giving glory to God. What could be better?