I had always thought of heaven as a place, not a person. I thought it was the place we go after we die to be with Jesus and the Father forever. Heaven was God’s dwelling place. The kingdom of heaven was the realm or region where God was dominant. How, then, could it be a person?

Yet in Mark 1:15, Jesus says, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” When Jesus arrived, so did God’s kingdom. Heaven had come to us in a person, Jesus; Immanuel, “God with us.”

John 14:23 speaks of God making His home with us. This happens as a result of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us; abiding in us just as we abide in Jesus (John 15:4). When this happens, we experience the peace of God that is beyond all our understanding. We find rest in His presence. In our souls, we experience the beauty of Psalm 23:2-3, lying down in “green pastures beside quiet waters,” being restored and led in paths of righteousness.

All of this happens as we love Jesus while obeying His teaching. Part of experiencing life in God’s kingdom is obeying what He tells us in our quiet moments with Him. We have a God so wonderful that He comes to live in us, teaching us and leading us in the ways He knows are best.

So, we trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; in all our ways we submit to Him, knowing He will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We love the Lord with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, and all of our strength, listening to and obeying His teaching as He comes to live in us. Heaven is a person, Jesus.