Walk-off Homeruns in Heaven?

I love baseball.  I have always loved baseball.  I still play it at nearly age 52.  In fact, this is the first year in a while other than injury where I have missed playing with my teammates down in Florida.  They are there now.  I play all summer and never get tired of it. 

In watching the World Series, that sixth game was everything that makes baseball great.  It was one of the best games ever despite the fact that there were five errors and lots of sloppy play.  But the backs against the wall comebacks are what makes the game great.  And then in the bottom of the 11th, the ultimate – a walkoff homerun.  The picture of the hero, David Freese coming home after that homerun reflects pure, unbridled joy.  I would love to have some of that kind of joy in Cleveland.

I have a completely different perspective of heaven after reading Randy Alcorn’s book on the topic.  Think of the most incredible joy that you can experience on this earth and then multiply it and you have heaven.  What an injustice that we picture heaven as this big long boring church service.  It is not sacrilegious to think of this kind of joy in heaven.  In fact, it is what God says.  The psalmist says in God’s presence is “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11) and that in the courts of the Lord, “we will sing for joy to the living God” (Psalm 84:2).  How cool is that?  I believe some of that joy we will receive will come from accomplishments and as we have responsibilities in heaven.  After all the master put the servant in charge of many things as he enters into the joy of the master (Mat 25:21).  

That joy only is available to those who love God on this earth and believe in his Son as the atoning sacrifice for their sins.  God gives us some semblance of the joy in heaven on this earth and all experience that joy to some degree on this earth.  The birth of a baby, the rush of going down rapids, the walk-off homerun.  But the joy in heaven is discriminatory and will only available to those who appropriate God’s love here and now.  Thanks be for that indescribable joy.