Souls That Are Shaped For Life In Heaven

And I heard a sound from heaven … The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne.
Revelation 14:2-3

Think of your life on earth as an opportunity to practice what you will be spending an eternity in heaven “performing”: praising God.

Vocalists and violinists, actors and conductors, all strive for perfection in their respective disciplines. Jonathan Edwards exhorts you to practice your grand chorus of praise with the same enthusiasm and commitment to excellence.

WALK WITH JONATHAN EDWARDS
“We ought now to begin that work which will be the work of another world; for the purpose of this life is that we might prepare for a future life.

“Our present state is a state of preparation for the enjoyments and employments of the eternal state; and no one is ever admitted to those enjoyments and employments but those who have prepared spiritually for them here.

“We must be fitted for heaven; we must here have our souls molded and fashioned for that work and that happiness. They must be formed for praise, and they must begin their work here.

“If our hearts are not tuned to praise in this world, we shall never do anything in the world hereafter.

“As we hope to be of that blessed company which praises God in heaven, we should now accustom ourselves to the work.”

WALK CLOSER TO GOD
After a particularly moving performance by a musician, one member of the audience was overheard to say, “Genius! Sheer genius!” To which the musician responded, “For 26 years I practice ten hours a day … and now they call me a genius!”

You have only a handful of years to practice what will be your eternal preoccupation.

So if you know you’re going to be singing a “new song” of praise before the throne, now would be a good time to start.