Written by Pastor Jack Wellman“Scripture repeatedly makes clear that heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, unlimited delights, and unending pleasures. Nothing about it can possibly be boring or humdrum. It will be a perfect existence. We will have unbroken fellowship with all heaven’s inhabitants. Life there will be devoid of any sorrows, cares, tear, fears, or pain.”
– John MacArthur
Commentary
It is too easy to think that life on earth is the whole story of our lives or that this is all we’ve got and we just need to make the best of it since there’s nothing else. If we let ourselves believe that life in the here and now is all that matters, it is too easy to lose hope. How can it be otherwise? Life is full of disappointment, pain, worries, fear, pride, unforeseen circumstances, trepidation, ambivalence, doubt, skepticism, pessimism. When we choose to base our lives and our hopes on the world, we are basically basing our hope on something that is always changing, unstable, temporary, and ultimately, not fulfilling. This is why we need to constantly think of what happens next. This is why we need to constantly think of heaven. The life after the warm up. The life that happens after the opening act. If our life is a concert, our life on earth is merely the opening act. It is merely something to hold our attention before the real show begins.
Focusing too much on the world keeps our eyes off heaven
As John MacArthur points out, Scripture is clear about the greatness of life in heaven. Imagine a place with no death, no pain, no suffering, no misery, no dissension, no hurt feelings, no depression, no loneliness, and no uncertainty. In other words, imagine something that is completely different from what we have now. Keep in mind that heaven is not just a place or a physical state. It is both of these things but it is something much more. It is a state of being with God. It is a state of seeing God face to face and abiding in him in the most immediate terms possible. It is no surprise then that all godly people in the Bible looked towards God and yearned for his company. We should do the same. By yearning for heaven, we are really yearning for direct face to face fellowship and everlasting friendship with God. It is too easy to feel disconnected, fearful, and alone in this world with all its uncertainty and its temporary nature. Thankfully, God has laid something much better for us. As Jesus himself said, he has gone ahead of us because, due to God’s love, he is preparing mansions for us. Imagine that-mansions! This means that regardless of how rich your home is or how comfortable your life may be in the here and now, God has something intelligently better for you.
Are you ready to claim your piece of heaven today? If so, choose to abide in Jesus every single day and let his grace give you the power to live an obedient, God-filled life that will see you through the fears, worries, and cares of this world and prepare you for a much better world in the future.
