[505 words]
It just makes sense that the Lord’s people should discuss their future destination. It also makes sense that we talk about heaven because of the terrible things that happen in our world which remind us that life is short.
As a favorite song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through…my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door…and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
Heaven truly is “delayed gratification.” Most folks never experience delayed gratification, and that’s why most folks can’t go to heaven.
As Christians, we are constantly tempt.ed by the world to focus on the here and now – instant gratification. We live in a society of instant gratification, a society where people want to delay and defer absolutely nothing (except payments!). They certainly don’t want to defer the gratification, they just want to defer the pain that goes with it. Take, for example, the credit card…oh how folks want what they want, when they want it so they use the plastic to get it! It’s reflective of the attitude that says “I want what I want and I want it now.”
Folks are not into anything being put off into the future. We’re into instant gratification. We want it now and we are glad to “sacrifice the future on the altar of the immediate.” We don’t want to wait for anything…the pleasure must be instant, immediate.
As a result of living in such a society – a society of materialistic indulgence – sometimes we Christians fall prey to that and we no longer have our affections set on things above, as Colossians 3:1-2 tells us. Rather, we set our affections on instant sinful pleasure. It has become difficult for us to focus on a “hard to understand future home in the afterlife.” As a result, some.times we become less committed to laying up our treasure in heaven (delayed gratification), and more committed to laying up our treasure here (instant gratification). Let’s fight that temptation!
Everything that is precious to us as Christians is in heaven. For example:
Our Father (Matt. 6:9)
Our Savior (1 Pet. 3:20-21)
Our Brothers & Sisters in the Faith (Heb. 12:22-23)
Our Names (Lk. 10:20)
Our Inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3-4)
Our Citizenship (Phil. 3:20)
Our Eternal Reward (Matt. 5:10-12)
Our Master (Eph. 6:9)
Our Treasure (Matt. 6:19-21)
If we expect to go to heaven, we must delay earthly gratification for the heavenly reward. Back in 2008, country music artist Kenny Chesney painted a picture in song of the desire for “instant gratification” that will cause many to miss heaven. Chesney sang:
“Preacher told me last Sunday mornin’/Son, you better start livin’ right/You need to quit the women and whiskey/And carryin’ on all night/Don’t you wanna hear Him call your name/When you’re standin’ at the pearly gates?/I told the preacher, “Yes I do”/But I hope they don’t call today/I ain’t ready/Everybody wanna go to heaven/Have a mansion high above the clouds/Everybody wanna go to heaven/But nobody wanna go now.”
Let’s focus more on heaven and less on fleeting worldly pleasure!!!
Michael Gilbert
Gardner church of Christ
Martin, TN