Heaven is more than a hell-avoidance plan: it is the privilege of praising, serving, and abiding in the presence of the living God forever. If your idea of heaven does not involve God at the centre and is more centred around you, something is tragically wrong with that picture. People talk about being "heaven bound," but only those whose hearts are bound to Christ in faith and obedience will actually go there.
If the only reason why you desire to go to heaven when your body goes the way of the earth is to avoid hell, it is likely you are not particularly interested in spending quality time with Jesus today. And this begs the question: if it does not please you to invest minutes, hours, days, and years to cultivate a healthy relationship with Jesus, what makes you think you would want to spend forever with Him? Choosing heaven over hell never saved a person. That is not the point. The point is, do you want a life purchased and redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus or not?
When our eyes are opened to see the goodness of God and we humble ourselves before Him in repentance and worship, fellowship with Christ by the Holy Spirit becomes a privilege, not a chore. This divine relationship is to impact all our other relationships, thoughts, words, deeds, and choices. A biblical, godly perspective provided by the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out. Too many people are content with the adaptation of behaviour rather than spiritual transformation from within through a life submitted to God. Their lives become segmented, with time set apart for church, praying, Bible reading - along with hobbies, work, play, television, social media, and internet - but their relationship with Christ is not a chain which connects everything together as one life lived for God's glory.
How about taking intentional steps to do more than include God in various activities of your life when it is convenient, but dedicate all aspects of your life for Him to control? To tweak a quote from Paris Reidhead, "Why not love and serve God every step of the way whether we go to hell or not because He is worthy?" And He is worthy. The path of discipleship is not passive but active in seeking, communicating, and obeying God. We abide in God's love when we keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, and He is at the moment preparing a place for us where He desires we abide with Him forever. If we plan to spend eternity with God, shouldn't we start abiding in Him now? Obedience is costly, but disobedience and selfishness always comes at an infinitely greater price.
If the only reason why you desire to go to heaven when your body goes the way of the earth is to avoid hell, it is likely you are not particularly interested in spending quality time with Jesus today. And this begs the question: if it does not please you to invest minutes, hours, days, and years to cultivate a healthy relationship with Jesus, what makes you think you would want to spend forever with Him? Choosing heaven over hell never saved a person. That is not the point. The point is, do you want a life purchased and redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus or not?
When our eyes are opened to see the goodness of God and we humble ourselves before Him in repentance and worship, fellowship with Christ by the Holy Spirit becomes a privilege, not a chore. This divine relationship is to impact all our other relationships, thoughts, words, deeds, and choices. A biblical, godly perspective provided by the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out. Too many people are content with the adaptation of behaviour rather than spiritual transformation from within through a life submitted to God. Their lives become segmented, with time set apart for church, praying, Bible reading - along with hobbies, work, play, television, social media, and internet - but their relationship with Christ is not a chain which connects everything together as one life lived for God's glory.
How about taking intentional steps to do more than include God in various activities of your life when it is convenient, but dedicate all aspects of your life for Him to control? To tweak a quote from Paris Reidhead, "Why not love and serve God every step of the way whether we go to hell or not because He is worthy?" And He is worthy. The path of discipleship is not passive but active in seeking, communicating, and obeying God. We abide in God's love when we keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, and He is at the moment preparing a place for us where He desires we abide with Him forever. If we plan to spend eternity with God, shouldn't we start abiding in Him now? Obedience is costly, but disobedience and selfishness always comes at an infinitely greater price.
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