Chapter 242—Preparing for Heaven
Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the son of man also
confess before the angels of God.
Luke 12:8
.
The thought that God can take a poor, sinful, sorrowful human being,
and so transform him by grace that he may become an heir of God and joint
heir with Jesus, is almost too great for our comprehension.... Christ takes
upon Him the sins of the transgressor, and imputes to him His righteousness,
and by His transforming grace makes him capable of associating with angels
and communing with God.
The refining influence of the grace of God changes the natural disposition
of man. Heaven would not be desirable to the carnal-minded; their natural,
unsanctified hearts would feel no attraction toward that pure and holy place,
and if it were possible for them to enter, they would find there nothing
congenial. The propensities that control the natural heart must be subdued by
the grace of Christ before fallen man is fitted to enter heaven and enjoy the
society of the pure, holy angels. When man dies to sin and is quickened to
new life in Christ, divine love fills his heart; his understanding is sanctified;
he drinks from an inexhaustible fountain of joy and knowledge, and the light
of an eternal day shines upon his path, for with him continually is the Light
of life.
God desires that heaven’s plan shall be carried out, and heaven’s divine
order and harmony prevail, in every family, in every church, in every
institution. Did this love leaven society, we should see the outworking
of noble principles in Christian refinement and courtesy, and in Christian
charity toward the purchase of the blood of Christ. Spiritual transformation
would be seen in all our families, in our institutions, in our churches. When
this transformation takes place, these agencies will become instrumentalities
by which God will impart heaven’s light to the world and thus, through
divine discipline and training, fit men and women for the society of heaven.
Jesus has gone to prepare mansions for those who are preparing
themselves through His love and grace, for the abodes of bliss.
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