Ephesians 1:14

Oh! What enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by the one who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. Yet our realization of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at best. As an old writer says, “It is but a taste!” We have tasted that the Lord is gracious, but we do not yet know how good and gracious He is, although what we know of His sweetness makes us long for more.

We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fullness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the vineyard.

Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there we shall eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We are only beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together. But as one says, “The one who has been in heaven only five minutes knows more than the general assembly of theologians on earth.” We have many ungratified desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied, and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy.

O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time you shall be rid of all your trials and your troubles. Your eyes, now suffused with tears, shall weep no longer. You shall gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendor of Him who sits upon the throne. Indeed, even more, upon His throne you shall sit. The triumph of His glory shall be shared by you; His crown, His joy, His paradise—these shall be yours, and you shall be co-heir with Him who is the heir of all things.