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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All religions are equal?

 

He was a healthy infant whose top teeth grew in before his bottom ones. The village elders claimed it was a sign that he was mingi (cursed) so they took the child to the middle of the river and threw him to the crocodiles. Children born out of wedlock or with deformities are often singled out and sacrificed in the river so that they won’t invite evil spirits to come into the village. This is not a story from long past. It’s happening now in southern Ethiopia!  (Christianity Today, August 2011)  When I read the account of child sacrifice, about the sorrow it brings to young parents, about the persistence of superstition – it made me think about the nonsense we hear about the equality of religions.

I am so thankful that I know Christ, that I do not fear evil spirits, demons, or the unknown.  He has brought me freedom from such fears, relieved any need to appease God, by inviting me into “life to the full.” Christ Jesus brings light and life, not sorrow and death. A true disciple is invited to care and love for others, even his enemies. He calls us to give life, not to attack and kill. Yes, I know that millions of “Christians” through the centuries have killed in His name. I know that witches were burned, heretics hanged, and wars were waged supposedly because of Christ.  But, it’s hard to convince me that Jesus Christ really was the reason for those things. Where the Spirit of the Lord is invited to reveal the truth of the Gospel, there is peace.

The story of an Ethiopian tribe that is a neighbor to the one that sacrifices children contains a glimmer of hope. “One small band of Christians in one tribe has pledged to protect these accursed children until mingi is no more. They are determined to show village elders that there is something stronger than mingi – the power of Jesus Christ.”  These Christians, with help from outsiders, have created orphanages to take in the children that would otherwise die. They are resisting evil with love which is what Jesus teaches. Just 1 to 2% of the tribe is Christian, but their influence and devotion has almost eliminated mingi killings in their tribe. One Christian family has taken in 17 foster children, at great risk to themselves and their own families!

Disciple, that is true religion! "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27-28, NLT) 

The pebble in your shoe

Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, The Princess and the Pea, tells of a pretty girl who claimed to be a princess. To test her claim, the Queen put a single dry pea on the bed frame and then placed twenty mattresses on top of the pea. The young girl was sent to sleep in that room. When asked how she slept she said her rest was interrupted by a lump in the bed, her body all bruised from turning on it! Andersen was poking at the sense of entitlement that royals exhibited and his ‘child’s story’ became insightful social commentary.

Some of us have turned into that kind of spoiled child unwilling to deal with the smallest irritants, insisting on accommodation, complaining until what we perceive to be ‘real need’ is met. Many go through life only seeing the speck on the window, the scratch in the finish, or the flaw in the glass.  How is it that we can enjoy a hundred good things and still complain about that one thing that is awry?  The better our lives become, in terms of creature comforts, the more we demand from others as our tolerance for imperfection declines.

The Scripture includes this simple and direct command - "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)  Some misinterpret that and attempt to give thanks for all situations. They end up looking silly. I don’t thank God for cancer, migraines, or economic problems. I don’t thank Him for confusion, temptation, or moral failures! But, it is my desire to offer thanksgiving to Him for His unfailing love for us through it all, to be grateful for His peace, forgiveness, and renewal. In the middle of the messes, I pray that my heart is always full of thankfulness, born of a deep faith.

Let’s have some common sense about this. If a problem can be solved, if pain can be dealt with, we need not be martyrs who inflict suffering on ourselves needlessly. If a pebble in my shoe causes me discomfort, I will sit down, take off my shoe, and remove the it! But, some circumstances are beyond our ability to remedy, or allowed within the purpose of God. We can find grace in God to live with real joy; if we choose to do so. Jacob wrestled with God and the struggle left him with a limp for life, every step a reminder that God was his master! Paul prayed at length for release from his undefined ‘thorn in the flesh,’ but the Lord refused his request. Later he realized that this weakness kept him dependent on the Spirit. His gratitude for the goodness of the Lord shines through his testimony: "I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NLT)

With the Psalmist I will say, "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do." (Psalm 73:25-28, NLT)

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” 

The darkness between promise and fulfillment

Sin had brought pain and confusion. Her mind was spinning with indecision. “I’m living in a nightmare” she sobbed, and rightly so, for none of her apparent options were good. Her tears were born out of despair. One response could have been a cold, “Well, work it out. You chose this path.”  If we throw the problem back on the person in pain, we can avoid involvement. But, the Spirit rose in me, moving me to remember hope; to make the declaration that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. In Him there is always hope,  a new way forward, perhaps not what we had dreamed or hoped for, but a new plan He creates.

Joseph lived in a nightmare for years! A little pride in him stoked the resentment of his brothers who sold him to slave traders. They dragged him hundreds of miles from home to Egypt, where he became the slave of Potiphar. Just as life seemed to be leveling out for him, Potiphar’s wife invited him into her bed. His refusal of her seduction infuriated her. He found himself in prison on false charges of rape. After a few years, there was a glimmer of hope when he made connections with a man from Pharaoh’s palace, a man who promptly forget Joe when he was released.  Only years later, in a supernatural way, Joseph was lifted to a position of influence, which allowed him to save his family.  A key to understanding his story is found in this phrase which is inserted in the middle of it all:  "the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor." (Genesis 39:21, NIV) A cynic might say, “If God was with him, He sure had a strange way of making it known.”  What we can see with hindsight is how slavery, false charges, and years of prison life turned a proud kid into a compassionate man, a leader of amazing capabilities.

There are two words that reside between promise and fulfillment. They are faith and hope. Hebrews reminds us that ‘without faith it is impossible to please God.’  Why? Because often the only way to hang onto hope of His promise is faith. Everything that is apparent screams “give up, protect yourself, follow your gut!”  Those without a God-oriented view of life will give us advise that is well-intentioned but ignorant of eternity’s promise. Who would have thought that the path to salvation would go through the Cross of Calvary? Who would have dreamed that the road to the Throne would path through the grave? But Jesus kept faith, lived in hope, and the Scripture says: "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:9-10, NLT)

Are you caught in the darkness between promise and fulfillment?

Are you longing to just get it over and done, to find a place of peace?

Ah, disciple, don’t rush forward before you wait on God. The land of faith and hope is often a place where Self dies and God does a major work of transformation. Don’t give up.

Here’s a word from the Word. Live in it today, for the glory of God.

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:32-36, NIV)

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I am weak but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I'll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk

Close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

When my feeble life is o'er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o'er,

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just A Closer Walk With Thee

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