Heaven on earth

Often God's kingdom is imagined to be up in the heavens, however He desires to reign here on earth too. 

Zechariah 14.1-21

Reference:  v.9  The Lord will be king over the whole earth.  On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

Explore:  I often think about Heaven.  There is the biblical perspective I have of every single person giving praise to God all day long, the streets of gold and the throne room of the King.  On the other hand there is my selfish view of Heaven: a room filled with all my favourite foods and I can eat anything I want and not put on any weight!!  However, whichever picture is correct I always imagine it being very far away and in a place totally separate from ours.
This verse talks about the Lord being king here on earth.  While I have never been to Heaven before, I have seen a bit of this earth and I know how much work needs to be done for God to be the only Lord here.  And yet isn't that our aim?

Application:  When Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray he instructed them to say 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'(Matt. 6.10).  If it was good enough for the first disciples then I guess it is good enough for us today.  We need to change our perspective from just desiring a holy place when we die and go to heaven, to striving for a place here on earth where God is worshiped, adored and His name is the only name.  It may seem like a far cry from where we are right now, but each new day we can start to make a change to bring God's kingdom here on earth.

Prayer:  Lord, may your name be ever praised, in heaven and here on earth.  Amen.

Zechariah