I wonder if there is much hunger for heaven these days.
Really, about the only time people talk about heaven is when someone dies. The promise of heaven is quite a large comfort at times like that, but other than times when a loved one has left us, heaven doesn't enter much into the equation.
Pastors like Joel Osteen have influenced Christianity in a major way. "Your Best Life Now" is a runaway bestseller. The title says it all- Now can be the best time in your life.
I have no doubt that by following Jesus' commands and living wisely that you can have a great life. At times. However, Jesus said that anyone who wanted to live a Godly life will be persecuted. Hebrews 11, the Hall of Fame of the Bible, describes the incredibly difficult times that believers endured in the name of Christ.
We live in a world where terrible things happen. I experienced a parent's worst nightmare 8 years ago- my son died in my arms in a hospital room after only living ten days. All of us have experienced a great deal of pain and heartache, and it is very easy to believe that if God is there, He certainly doesn't love us or simply doesn't care.
We reach those conclusions if we believe that we are supposed to have our "Best Life Now." However, if we truly hunger for heaven and realize that our best life ISN'T now, we will see hard times as simply God telling us the truth in His word. We hold on to the promise that our best life is later, not now, and the joy waiting for us on the other side of the pain will make everything we have gone through worth it. By a long shot.
Pastors like me, however, have done our congregations a major disservice. We no longer talk about heaven. We don't preach on passages like Isaiah 65:17-20 which talks about the new heaven and new earth, where infants do not die and people do not lose their homes. We don't preach about the streets of gold. We don't preach about the awesome benevolent reign of God promised in Revelation. We don't preach about the judgment of Satan and the end to all injustice and evil and sin, with every knee bowed and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord as prophesied in the Bible.
Our people in our churches are suffering and questioning, because life is hard. Take heart, all you believers. This world is not our home. This was never meant to be our "Best Life Now." You have a promise of eternal joy just on the other side of your pain and suffering- all because of the cross of Jesus. Therefore in this life we can have hope and joy, because we know that our suffering and pain is only temporary. Like a woman who is willing to go through labor due to the future joy of holding her new baby, we will endure suffering and ridicule and scorn and depression and anxiety and pain due to the beautiful promise of heaven that awaits us, where we will will truly experience our best life.
For the promise of heaven, I am eternally grateful.
Really, about the only time people talk about heaven is when someone dies. The promise of heaven is quite a large comfort at times like that, but other than times when a loved one has left us, heaven doesn't enter much into the equation.
Pastors like Joel Osteen have influenced Christianity in a major way. "Your Best Life Now" is a runaway bestseller. The title says it all- Now can be the best time in your life.
I have no doubt that by following Jesus' commands and living wisely that you can have a great life. At times. However, Jesus said that anyone who wanted to live a Godly life will be persecuted. Hebrews 11, the Hall of Fame of the Bible, describes the incredibly difficult times that believers endured in the name of Christ.
We live in a world where terrible things happen. I experienced a parent's worst nightmare 8 years ago- my son died in my arms in a hospital room after only living ten days. All of us have experienced a great deal of pain and heartache, and it is very easy to believe that if God is there, He certainly doesn't love us or simply doesn't care.
We reach those conclusions if we believe that we are supposed to have our "Best Life Now." However, if we truly hunger for heaven and realize that our best life ISN'T now, we will see hard times as simply God telling us the truth in His word. We hold on to the promise that our best life is later, not now, and the joy waiting for us on the other side of the pain will make everything we have gone through worth it. By a long shot.
Pastors like me, however, have done our congregations a major disservice. We no longer talk about heaven. We don't preach on passages like Isaiah 65:17-20 which talks about the new heaven and new earth, where infants do not die and people do not lose their homes. We don't preach about the streets of gold. We don't preach about the awesome benevolent reign of God promised in Revelation. We don't preach about the judgment of Satan and the end to all injustice and evil and sin, with every knee bowed and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord as prophesied in the Bible.
Our people in our churches are suffering and questioning, because life is hard. Take heart, all you believers. This world is not our home. This was never meant to be our "Best Life Now." You have a promise of eternal joy just on the other side of your pain and suffering- all because of the cross of Jesus. Therefore in this life we can have hope and joy, because we know that our suffering and pain is only temporary. Like a woman who is willing to go through labor due to the future joy of holding her new baby, we will endure suffering and ridicule and scorn and depression and anxiety and pain due to the beautiful promise of heaven that awaits us, where we will will truly experience our best life.
For the promise of heaven, I am eternally grateful.
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