New Series: Work in Heaven

The Word Before Work

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Series: Work in Heaven
Devotional: 1 of 5

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth….my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain. (Isaiah 65:17, 22-23)

I talk a lot about the work God’s Word promises we will do for eternity. But I know this is a wild and new idea for many. If that’s you, let me bring you up to speed in three bullets:

• Nobody will spend eternity “in heaven.” God promises to bring heaven to earth and to dwell with us here forever (see Revelation 21:1-5).
• While the present heaven is marked by rest (see Revelation 14:13), the New Earth is marked by active service and worship (see Revelation 22:3-5).
• We will worship God not just by singing but by long enjoying the work of our hands (see Isaiah 65:17-23).

With those foundational truths under our feet, I’ll use the rest of this series to share 5 biblical truths about the nature of work on the New Earth. The first is seen clearly in today’s passage: We who are in Christ will delight in our work for eternity.

Why? Because we will be with God fully (see Revelation 21:1-5) and our work will be free from the curse of sin (see Revelation 22:3). Which is exactly what God intended from the beginning (see Genesis 1:26-28)!

It’s hard to imagine how glorious this will be. Thankfully, Rudyard Kipling imagined it for us in a beautiful poem I’ve hung on my office wall:

When Earth’s last picture is painted,
And the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colors have faded,
And the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it,
Lie down for an aeon or two,
’Till the Master of All Good Workmen
Shall put us to work anew. . . .
And no one shall work for the money.
And no one shall work for fame.
But each for the joy of the working,
And each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It
For the God of Things as They are!

But that could be way off in the future. What does this mean for your work today? Let me suggest a practical response to the truth that we will one day delight in our work for eternity.

First, make a physical or digital list of things you hate about your current work. Difficulty hearing God’s voice, co-workers who can’t meet deadlines, the exhaustion that comes from grinding just to make ends meet, etc.

Second, put a line through the middle of each item and write “Isaiah 65” at the top of your list as a means of physically representing the hope of today’s passage.

Finally, pray every time you see the list. Pray for relief from those thorns and thistles. Praise God for how these challenges drive you to him. And praise him for the promise that one day, you will “long enjoy” your work free from these current frustrations.