John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Paradise for us is not just a place we go when our earthly bodies die and we go to heaven.  It is also here and now, part of the already and not yet.

We were made by God and for God, to walk in the cool of the evening through the garden with Him, as Adam and Eve did in the Garden in the beginning.  Jesus came to restore that relationship between us and God.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Eternal life is knowing God, knowing Him with a deep level of intimacy.  When we know Him on that level, when we believe all His promises in our very core, that is when we begin to live into the lives that God has planned for us.  It doesn’t mean that our lives will be easy or without hardship, but we will know and experience what Paul described when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4:13)

God of glory, make us intelligent and discerning in knowing You personally, with our eyes focused and clear, so that we can see exactly what You are calling us to do.  So that we can grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life You have for us as followers of Jesus.  Your utterly extravagant work in us, in those who trust You – may it give us endless energy and boundless strength.  Amen.  (Ephesians 1:15-19)