Heaven is for now

Don Piper was declared dead by paramedics after a terrible auto accident. His body lay in the wreckage of the car, covered with a tarp. He says that he was walking towards a beautiful gate, one that pulsed with light. His grandfather, who had been dead for years, met him outside the gate along with a large group of friends and family members. The beauty was overwhelming, the peace beyond description. Then, just as suddenly as he had left, he awakened in his mangled car to a friend’s voice. That was in 1989 and the experience changed Don’s life! He told his story in a best-selling book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, and on an ABC News special that aired this week.

Most of us will not get an actual preview of heaven, but all of us need to have heaven on our minds. The Christian life only really makes sense if we have a firm grip on eternal life for "if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (1 Corinthians 15:19, NLT)  The self-denial that goes with discipleship is driven by our desire to please the One in whose house we will live forever. Our investment of time and money in God’s work is not just a noble impulse of humanitarian concern, it is ‘laying up treasure in Heaven.’  Without real faith in the promise of a room in our Father’s house, we will not serve as diligently as we could.

This isn’t about some dreamy attachment to a world apart! It isn’t about escapist fantasizing that causes us to be ‘so heavenly minded we’re no earthly good.’  Having heaven in our heart is about hope, about a resolution to life’s plot line when God calls us home. I love life!  I love the people I serve, the work I do, the sounds of music and thunder, the beauty of a rose. Yet, there are many things I cannot understand, disappointments for which there are no explanations … until eternity. The Scripture tells us that “God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.” From Heaven’s point of view those mysteries will clear up, the pain will have purpose.

The Preacher, a pseudonym for Solomon, found life tiring, empty, even though he had everything a person could possibly desire, and more. In the middle of his complaint, he reminds himself and us that life is not just about stuff, people, or position. "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT) Shakespeare’s Macbeth described life in these dismal terms: “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Deep in our being, the Spirit of God whispers the truth, “Home is yet to come. Heaven waits!”

Keep Heaven in your heart by remembering to worship the One who is the Center of that glory. When life gets crazy, ‘full of sound and fury,’ pause to pray. Listen for the Spirit song that we can hear because we are children of God through Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord.

Heaven matters; it is for now. Here’s the word from the Word for this day
"Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. " (Hebrews 11:13-16, The Message)

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